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

[Just_a_fan]

https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... iert-2022/

And there we have it, from the man himself. The bosses of F1 thought that the last lap was a highlight. The show is all that matters. Integrity is irrelevant. Damning words from the MD of F1.

Did you see he is supporting race director and says the decisions were the discretion of the race director. I agree that as well. Not what people are going on about.

In that quote he says nothing about the decision being the discretion of the race director. He just says that the decision was a highlight and that they'll stop the teams shouting at the race director next year.

On the latter point, I'm with him. The radio contact between the RD and the teams should be only at the initiation of the RD and then just to tell them something. The teams getting on to him in the way that has happened a lot this season is not helpful.

[Just_a_fan]

This will heavily tarnish Hamilton´s career forever

Not only he had a confortably faster car ( even on places like Monaco, where he was simply pathetic) for most of the season, but he had some huge luck on Baku, some favourable stewarding decicisons backing him up as the darling of the series (like in Imola when he was not punished for running off the track way too much), and the worst part was the dirty driving on Silverstone and Hungary(Silverstone will mark Hamilton´s career forever).

This is simply, without a doubt, the most humiliating and embarassing defeat in the history of the series. I can´t even remember anybody else losing while having the best car, massively luck and cheating all coming together.

But if this year was already brutal for LH fans, next year is gonna be something else because people will have no car excuse BS against Georgie boy

What season we're you watching?? Every single pundit and at time even Horner on occasion, thought the RBR was the faster car for much of the season.

How about trying to be a little more diplomatic?

It's called trolling. I see the post has been reported already.

[El Scorchio]

From the BBC: (Few tidbits from a longer article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/59639828)

Lewis Hamilton said over his team radio at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the race had been "manipulated", it has emerged.
The Mercedes driver was magnanimous in his interviews after the race, which ended in controversial style after a late-race safety car period.
But on the final lap, after rival Max Verstappen had passed him, Hamilton said: "This has been manipulated, man."
Mercedes have lodged an intention to appeal over the handling of the race.


A number of other drivers have expressed confusion and scepticism about the way the race was restarted after a late safety-car period.
McLaren driver Lando Norris said: "It was obviously made to be a fight. It was for the TV of course. It was for the result," Norris said. "Whether or not it was fair, it was not up to me to decide." "Sometimes they let you go, sometimes they don't. It's just 50-50 half the time. But they said that they're not going to let us past, so I was guessing that was a message to say they were just not going to let us past at all. "To suddenly do it just for the final lap and for a one-lap shootout, I'm a bit surprised by."

Norris's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo said: "I'm honestly just speechless. I don't know what to make of all that, I really don't. I need to see how it all came about."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc called the decisions "a bit weird".

[dans79]

This will heavily tarnish Hamilton´s career forever

Not only he had a confortably faster car ( even on places like Monaco, where he was simply pathetic) for most of the season, but he had some huge luck on Baku, some favourable stewarding decicisons backing him up as the darling of the series (like in Imola when he was not punished for running off the track way too much), and the worst part was the dirty driving on Silverstone and Hungary(Silverstone will mark Hamilton´s career forever).

This is simply, without a doubt, the most humiliating and embarassing defeat in the history of the series. I can´t even remember anybody else losing while having the best car, massively luck and cheating all coming together.

But if this year was already brutal for LH fans, next year is gonna be something else because people will have no car excuse BS against Georgie boy

What season we're you watching?? Every single pundit and at time even Horner on occasion, thought the RBR was the faster car for much of the season.

How about trying to be a little more diplomatic?

It's called trolling. I see the post has been reported already.

Yup, this is one of the exact things that we've discussed so many times in the moderation thread. Blatantly obvious and continued trolling by a user should in my opinion mandate a permanent ban for said user.

[Bill_Kar]

[@f1talks] Masi after the 2020 Eifel GP regarding the prolonged safety car on track: "There is a requirement in the sporting regulations to let ALL lapped cars through." This is in complete contradiction to yesterday's interpretation.

I'm laughing so hard.

[Aesop]

From the BBC: (Few tidbits from a longer article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/59639828)

Lewis Hamilton said over his team radio at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the race had been "manipulated", it has emerged.
The Mercedes driver was magnanimous in his interviews after the race, which ended in controversial style after a late-race safety car period.
But on the final lap, after rival Max Verstappen had passed him, Hamilton said: "This has been manipulated, man."
Mercedes have lodged an intention to appeal over the handling of the race.


A number of other drivers have expressed confusion and scepticism about the way the race was restarted after a late safety-car period.
McLaren driver Lando Norris said: "It was obviously made to be a fight. It was for the TV of course. It was for the result," Norris said. "Whether or not it was fair, it was not up to me to decide." "Sometimes they let you go, sometimes they don't. It's just 50-50 half the time. But they said that they're not going to let us past, so I was guessing that was a message to say they were just not going to let us past at all. "To suddenly do it just for the final lap and for a one-lap shootout, I'm a bit surprised by."

Norris's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo said: "I'm honestly just speechless. I don't know what to make of all that, I really don't. I need to see how it all came about."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc called the decisions "a bit weird".

I heard Lewis saying that. From his perspective understandable.
And I agree with drivers questioning the decision making. Not sure what the mentioned drivers think would be fair, but Alonso was quite clear about that: they should've let him unlap much earlier. He is right.

[f1jcw]

[@f1talks] Masi after the 2020 Eifel GP regarding the prolonged safety car on track: "There is a requirement in the sporting regulations to let ALL lapped cars through." This is in complete contradiction to yesterday's interpretation.

I'm laughing so hard.

I mean not sure what they can do now to rectify, a shared WDC? is that laughable.

But the very least that needs to happen is Masi needs to resign.
I'm not sure how teams can race under him.

[Starkblood80]

Hamilton had way more luck with the SC in Imola. It's insulting to say that Verstappen just won the championship because he was lucky, when Hamilton had more luck throughout the season. Well deserved Max. Most wins, poles, most podiums and laps led in 2021.

You are right, max didn’t win because he was lucky, he won because of race manipulation by the officials who should be impartial.

Max won because yesterday he was lucky. He almost lost because Masi was too hesitant about letting lapped cars unlap. That's the main point.

I’m sorry but what transpired last night had absolutely nothing to do with luck and it takes an incredible amount of mental gymnastics and I suspect a good deal of bias to think otherwise

[Aesop]

[@f1talks] Masi after the 2020 Eifel GP regarding the prolonged safety car on track: "There is a requirement in the sporting regulations to let ALL lapped cars through." This is in complete contradiction to yesterday's interpretation.

I'm laughing so hard.

I mean not sure what they can do now to rectify, a shared WDC? is that laughable.

But the very least that needs to happen is Masi needs to resign.
I'm not sure how teams can race under him.

He was wrong at the time, as has been made clear yesterday

[Brenton]

I've spoken to a lot of friends, family, colleagues who don't usually follow F1 but just tuned in yesterday and they all think the ending yesterday was stupid. Yesterday was a massive opportunity to gain new fans to the sport but most people sound like they are put off because it just seems ridiculous.

Most people can see that one man dominated that race and deserved to win but it was arguably robbed from him by either bizarre rules or dodgy decisions. A lot of people think F1 is a stupid sport or not even a sport and I think yesterday will have reinforced that opinion in those people.

That's the biggest shame for me and I was actually a bit embarrassed trying to explain this to people who know I'm a huge fan of the sport. Makes me look stupid as well.

Either driver would have deserved the championship based on the whole season. A shame it had to end this way.

I can't imagine that most "non-f1 fans" would be in disagreement over what happened. In their eyes, instead of a boring winner being 10 seconds up the road with no hope to be caught or passed, they got to see a last lap dash to the finish.

How would they know about the tire advantage if they don't follow the sport? How would they have known the procedures for a f1 restart during a safety car period? How would they know the respective advantage and disadvantage when factoring in pit times and who has which options available to them?

Sorry mate. The non-fans got exactly what they wanted. Last lap drama without the requirement for any brain cells whatsoever.

I'm not saying it's right - but yesterday, the "show" was chosen above all else.

And to all the Verstappen supporters in this thread who think the decision was right... how would you have felt if Max had dominated the race with a 10s gap and then have it all go to tears because the race director decided to throw all the procedures out the window and enable Hamilton on fresh softs a chance at overturning a one-sided 50 lap race up to that point? There's only really one answer.

Throw all procedures out?
There's so much hysterics here.
A few have actually thought reasonably about how it was a difficult situation for the officials.
It's totally expected, normal, proper motor racing to restart if the track is clear.
Lapped cars were moved out of the way, as they always are, but this was decided last moment so it would be cutting it too close to let everyone through.
The officials were probably in a near panic trying to make sure they made the best call they could, and it took them time.
If they made a quick bad decision, you'd be complaining about that instead.
This hysterics about article 4.854.48843.6 not being exactly like the officials decision is an extremely rigid, autistic meltdown type of reaction to a completely reasonable decision made in the spirit of the rules.

Why do you care so much? If they put all lapped cars ahead earlier like they could have, yes that would have been more fair to Vettel etc, of course it wasn't perfect, but these are humans making decisions and the outcome would have been the same if they did it right.

Let's be clear. The track was cleared fast enough to warrant:
1) a restart
2) lapped cars going ahead

The outcome would have been the same if they made a more correct quicker decision!

Think I'm too biased? I think Max should have been disqualified in Jeddah.

[dans79]

I'm laughing so hard.

I mean not sure what they can do now to rectify, a shared WDC? is that laughable.

But the very least that needs to happen is Masi needs to resign.
I'm not sure how teams can race under him.

He was wrong at the time, as has been made clear yesterday

Nah, in typical FIA fashion they made crap up to cover their own backside, just like countless times defore.

I hope Mercedes crucify Massi with the appeal!

[dans79]

I think the moderators need to lock the thread, or let us all express how we feel about other user.

[Hoffman900]

[@f1talks] Masi after the 2020 Eifel GP regarding the prolonged safety car on track: "There is a requirement in the sporting regulations to let ALL lapped cars through." This is in complete contradiction to yesterday's interpretation.

I'm laughing so hard.

I mean not sure what they can do now to rectify, a shared WDC? is that laughable.

But the very least that needs to happen is Masi needs to resign.
I'm not sure how teams can race under him.

Merc's lawyer is going to have a field day in court with this, as well as other things related to Masi.

Max doesn't deserve it either and neither does Lewis. All on the FIA.

[Ryar]

I think the moderators need to lock the thread, or let us all express how we feel about other user.

I agree. The race is over. It's better served to stop people going on and on about the same things and throwing personal abuses.

[wesley123]

One feat is etched in history that, Max beat Lewis to 2021 WDC.

The appeal isn't done yet, and most likely won't be for some time!

Clutching on to straws. When was the last time an appeal was successful against a disposed protest by stewards and race director, in appeals court?

The other side of the coin; when was the last time a race director has decided to interpret the rules in a significantly different fashion in an attempt to create an unnecessary 'show'?