2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina, Dec 10 - 12

[radosav]

that is because they had the 2nd spot, they could react, and for them it boiled down essentially to do whatever the Lewis/Merc doesn't, because on the same exact strategy Lewis would always win, that was clear enough when Max couldn't close down the 17sec gap as quickly as he would have wanted (and expected) on the new hards, it went down to 12 (which was due to Lewis having to lap 4 car train) with what 8-9 laps before the SC came out?

what really interests me now (something we will never know because of the SC) is how much tire was left on LH car, how close he was to the cliff and did Max had any hope there, I'd guess - very little, he would probably end up some 3-4sec behind at the end if Lewis didn't get a puncture, he has always been extremely good (and lucky) with these mickey mouse tires

mixed feelings about this, I do think it was gifted to Max, which wasn't how I hoped he would win, but then again, that decision that even no investigation was necessary for cutting the track and not gaining an advantage (like retaining track position isn't an advantage any more...), and the fact that he lost 30-50 points due to how his direct competitors drove, I feel he deserved the crown, even when it basically fell into his lap there at the end

next season with the new cars can't come fast enough... so we can forget this one, way too much drama and controversy especially because of the weak race director and poor stewarding

I think in the future they should make the race directors channel one way only - he can give directions but doesn't need to explain himself then or go into discussions, that horse trading or even straight out demands (Toto wtf...) makes this whole thing look like circus, a la WWF

alonso said after the race that trophy should be split in two,that both drivers were on extremely high level all season, and that luck today went in Max's way and that decided the result

listen to something else Alonso said

Yes i heard that before,but i don't know what to say, i agree with Alonso, and i understand what Masi has done, but i do not have experience or legal knowledge of all this situation. I see many Hamilton fans very angry , but what if court says it was all legal, will they accept it as legal or forever try to push conspiracy theory that Max didn't deserve wdc?
What if FIA and Masi made legal decision?

[Fairplay]

Masi really has to go after this season. I do not think he rigged it for Max to win, but his poor, indecisive decision making allowed RB to benefit from some luck. That's why I don't think it is fair to label Max an undeserving champion. Plus it is a season-long championship, not a cup final. Max and Lewis have been as close to equal through the season. Either driver that came out on top was deserving

Didn't rig it for Max to win!
He wrapped it gold paper with a large bow and 5 little cars hanging from the parcel.

[cplchanb]

the funny thing about all this was that masi wasnt even consistent with braking his own rules. if he wanted a race why didnt he do baku all over again with a 1 lap shootout? he already twisted the race there with the red flag with 2 laps left. he had the gall to tell toto that its motor racing.... that last lap was more like ham/LMP2 getting breezed by the max hypercar at la sarthe.
This is just laughable.

one thing that i did notice early in the sc period was ham already can tell that there was fishy stuff going on when the sc was going slowly even on the straights. he was begging them to pick up the pace. who knows that probably cost a lap there as well.

[Just_a_fan]

It wasn’t a gamble. Strategy is contingent on knowing the bounds of the ruleset in which you participate.

So Red Bull pitted because Red Bull knew the race would finish under safety car? (Or not.)

How did Mercedes know the race would finish under safety car, but Red Bull didn't.

The FIA need to recognize that they have a set of procedures amd protocols to follow and they cannot choose to change these because they don’t want the race to finish under a safety car.

If Red Bull also knew the race was going to finish under the safety car, why did they pit? That doesn't make sense.

I would counter that both Mercedes and Red Bull had the same reason to expect the race to finish under green flag with lapped cars to overtake, if at all possible.

Red Bull were in a safe second place with nothing to lose by pitting. So doing it cost nothing. If Mercedes had pitted they definitely would have lost track position.

It really is quite simple.

[JordanMugen]

That or working the radio at a drive thru takeaway.

Masi “You wanted a burger, you got a burger. This is a burger restaurant”
Me “But I ordered chicken nuggets”

Ha! That would be about the way it goes down.

‘So you want a Big Mac? My offer to you instead is a cheeseburger and a chicken burger. Do you want to accept?’

https://mcdonalds.com.au/menu/chicken-big-mac

To quote the pub test, "that not a Big Mac, that's a &*(ing Zinger", but there it is on the menu!

Not that long ago, McDonald's were selling this even more blatant knock-off: McDonald's Southern Style Fried Chicken

[Shrieker]

Very balanced account, all things considered. I'd like to add a few things if you would be so graceful as to allow me:

For me, it's a shame that the safety car influenced the outcome,

I think the gist of the problem is, it was not the SC influencing the outcome, but rather, the handling of the SC period itself, which was done in clear violation of the rules.

because red bull simply took advantage of the situation presented to them by the race control decisions.

This would be true, if Horner wasn't lobbying for (and getting) the lapped cars to get out of the way. I wish it was just them taking advantage of the situation; almost no one would have had a problem with that.

I hope that Masi learns how to tell the teams to pipe down for next year, because they are distracting him from the real job of managing race operations as opposed to being the middle man in their team politicking.

I'm quite certain he won't be let anywhere near a formula 1 track next year. Mercedes aren't so naive and undignified.

[Just_a_fan]

But if the FIA do anything to Masi then that only serves to backup Mercedes’ points about todays last lap.

Exactly. The only way he's leaving is if he resigns. They could privately ask for his resignation but otherwise he's safe.

[Jolle]

But if the FIA do anything to Masi then that only serves to backup Mercedes’ points about todays last lap.

Exactly. The only way he's leaving is if he resigns. They could privately ask for his resignation but otherwise he's safe.

My guess it will be one of the first actions of the new FIA president.

[Shrieker]

But if the FIA do anything to Masi then that only serves to backup Mercedes’ points about todays last lap.

Exactly. The only way he's leaving is if he resigns. They could privately ask for his resignation but otherwise he's safe.

No way Merc remain in F1 with Masi in the race director's seat, as if nothing had ever happened. That would tarnish their reputation even more than having to fight a legal battle (or withdrawing their appeal - depending on your point of view )

[langedweil]

73 days till pre-season testing!

That is the weirdest thing with these insane long seasons ... only 10,5 weeks, everything brand sparking new !

[Bill_Kar]

I'm really torned between the two scenarios.

1) Keep Masi in place because he gave us the show we wanted and not admitting guilt at all

2) Sacrificial lamb, oh we are sorry, Masi f- it up, yeah that's life

The smart choice is 1. Just make apparent to everyone that F1 will be a satire so we can move on with our lives, less engaged ofc with our beloved sport.

But my gut says they will go with 2, which is the half measure choice, pretending F1 is still the pinnacle of motorsport, when in reality you manufacture dramatic bollocks.

[jz11]

Red Bull were in a safe second place with nothing to lose by pitting. So doing it cost nothing. If Mercedes had pitted they definitely would have lost track position.

It really is quite simple.

the big question is - if Lewis pitted under SC (to softs presumably), Max gets the lead (slightly used hards), does Masi let the lapped cars overtake safety car or not?

if we assume he wasn't conspired with RBR, then it would be exact reverse situation and Lewis would get his 8th, I'm 100% certain of that

I blame this more on Merc conservative approach where they did everything not to have to try and overtake Max again, even when it was clear that had he pushed Lewis off, points would be deducted and Lewis would win - I see no other reason for those "reminder" race notes posted before the race, and the L1 incident was an indicator what to expect from stewards

I've said it before, Merc strategists are mediocre at best, and Lewis+the car is what gets them out of the trouble most of the time, but not this time

[JordanMugen]

I think the gist of the problem is, it was not the SC influencing the outcome, but rather, the handling of the SC period itself, which was done in clear violation of the rules.

And...? If the entire driver's championship hinges on whether the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one lap longer or not^, and therefore whether or not lapped cars can legitimately vs illegimately overtake, can't we just agree it was jolly good racing and move on?

^ Or equivalently if Latifi had crashed one lap earlier. As Sir Murray Walker inaccurately said, "IF is F1 spelled backwards", there is no point debating ifs or buts!

[Shrieker]

I think the gist of the problem is, it was not the SC influencing the outcome, but rather, the handling of the SC period itself, which was done in clear violation of the rules.

And...? If the entire driver's championship hinges on whether the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one lap longer or not, and therefore whether or not lapped cars can legitimately vs illegimately overtake, can't we just agree it was jolly good racing and move on?

If you wanna break the rules and see a boxing match with one of the fighters having to fight with one hand tied behind their back and have no problem whatsoever with it then sure, by all means, move on.

[Bill_Kar]

I think the gist of the problem is, it was not the SC influencing the outcome, but rather, the handling of the SC period itself, which was done in clear violation of the rules.

And...? If the entire driver's championship hinges on whether the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one lap longer or not, and therefore whether or not lapped cars can legitimately vs illegimately overtake, can't we just agree it was jolly good racing and move on?

Yeah yeah sure mate. Hamilton lost so it's "jolly good racing", as always