Poll: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021, Yas Island - Race 22

Rate the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix out of ten. If you want. I can’t be arsed.


  • Total voters
    370
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Caporegime
Joined
20 May 2007
Posts
39,685
Location
Surrey
Yea, I just think if it had been the other way around, say Lewis had come in for new tyres and Max stayed out, Masi would have made the same decision as he was just desperate to get the championship finished by racing. Then it would have been all the Max fans saying he gifted the championship to Lewis.

He was under pressure and made what seems a bit of a brain fart decision.


I just dont get why he couldn't just stick by the rules though. lewis was obviously the deserved winner of this race and Red Bull only made those pit stops as they were desperate and had nothing left to lose whatsoever by doing so. They probably knew full well the race would finish under the safety car, or that Max would have loads of backmarkers to unlap on the restart for probably 1, maybe 2 laps, but what did they have to lose? They were going to lose anyway.

Masi's made up rule just completely handed Max the race win.
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Sep 2004
Posts
11,189
Location
The Ledge Beyond The Edge
So the rule that Masi ‘broke’ isn’t really covered. The rule says
‘"If clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams, any cars that have been lapped by leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."

Those words never appeared on the official messaging system so the rest of the rule is the ignored.
Now they need to decided if there is a rule that allows for only x amount of cars to pass under the safety car.
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,092
Location
Tunbridge Wells
Yea, I just think if it had been the other way around, say Lewis had come in for new tyres and Max stayed out, Masi would have made the same decision as he was just desperate to get the championship finished by racing. Then it would have been all the Max fans saying he gifted the championship to Lewis.

He was under pressure and made what seems a bit of a brain fart decision.

Yeah, you are probably right.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Jun 2004
Posts
1,606
So the rule that Masi ‘broke’ isn’t really covered. The rule says
‘"If clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams, any cars that have been lapped by leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."

Those words never appeared on the official messaging system so the rest of the rule is the ignored.
Now they need to decided if there is a rule that allows for only x amount of cars to pass under the safety car.

This is where I dont know what power the race director has or not.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2006
Posts
16,814
Location
Amsterdam, NL
What a season finish! Best season in F1 for decades. MAX MAX MAX SUPER MAX! Sick of Toto and Hamilton's childish complaints all the time as soon as something doesn't go their way. Finally, they have to step down and accept reality.
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 May 2007
Posts
39,685
Location
Surrey
So the rule that Masi ‘broke’ isn’t really covered. The rule says
‘"If clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams, any cars that have been lapped by leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."

Those words never appeared on the official messaging system so the rest of the rule is the ignored.
Now they need to decided if there is a rule that allows for only x amount of cars to pass under the safety car.

The problem is, there is no rule that says just a select few cars can unlap themselves, because that would obviously be a totally ridiculous and unfair rule as it would advantage some cars and disadvantage others.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
20 Sep 2006
Posts
33,995
What a season finish! Best season in F1 for decades. MAX MAX MAX SUPER MAX! Sick of Toto and Hamilton's childish complaints all the time as soon as something doesn't go their way. Finally, they have to step down and accept reality.
Childish? Lol have you ever heard Karen Horner?
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Jul 2010
Posts
23,762
Location
Lincs
I just dont get why he couldn't just stick by the rules though. lewis was obviously the deserved winner of this race and Red Bull only made those pit stops as they were desperate and had nothing left to lose whatsoever by doing so. They probably knew full well the race would finish under the safety car, or that Max would have loads of backmarkers to unlap on the restart for probably 1, maybe 2 laps, but what did they have to lose? They were going to lose anyway.

Masi's made up rule just completely handed Max the race win.

With the bolded bit, other cars pitted too at that point iirc, so again, I don't think it was as obvious as you are making it sound.

But yea, I'm not arguing what he did didn't influence the outcome it certainly did!
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Apr 2009
Posts
24,851
Mercedes had ample opportunity to pit themselves (twice, once under the VSC) and chose not to do so,
In doing so though, would have sacrificed track position to Max.

At the end of the race especially, that's basically throwing the race away, Max would have stayed out and then it's up to the individual whether they think Masi would have pulled the same stunt to give Lewis a one lap run at Max with a huge tyre advantage.

Mercedes made the only logical choice at the time.

The VSC was similar they'd have given up track position and be forced to try to overtake a Max with 'nothing to lose'.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Oct 2007
Posts
8,758
Location
newcastle
So the rule that Masi ‘broke’ isn’t really covered. The rule says
‘"If clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE" has been sent to all teams, any cars that have been lapped by leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."

Those words never appeared on the official messaging system so the rest of the rule is the ignored.
Now they need to decided if there is a rule that allows for only x amount of cars to pass under the safety car.
You missed the big “ANY CARS that have been lapped by leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car“ not just the ones that make it easier for max to overtake on the restart
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Sep 2004
Posts
11,189
Location
The Ledge Beyond The Edge
The problem is, there is no rule that says just a select few cars can unlap themselves, because that would obviously be a totally ridiculous and unfair rule as it would advantage some cars and disadvantage others.

but the rule Merc are appealing doesn’t apply as that message didn’t go out. So nobody can say that rule wasn’t followed.
Is there a rule forbidding an amount of lapped cars unlapping themselves?
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 May 2007
Posts
39,685
Location
Surrey
With the bolded bit, other cars pitted too at that point iirc, so again, I don't think it was as obvious as you are making it sound.

But yea, I'm not arguing what he did didn't influence the outcome it certainly did!

Well, yes those with likely nothing to lose either.

Ultimately Merc made the correct decision under the actual rules of F1. if the rules can just be made up on the fly, how can anyone ever make a strategy call anymore?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom