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

[Psycho Ned]

What I find even more crazy , is that does that not COMPLETELY screw up the driver behind Max? It means all the cars they were racing ahead are now miles ahead!

It was a made up rule, and a totally ridiculous and unfair one at that.

Every other car in the race didn't matter at that point they were only interested in Lewis and Max.

We've seen from Masi last week (with the whole 'I've not looked at it yet' fumbling about grid spots) that you can imagine there was all sorts of panic in race control and he was getting Horner and Toto in his ear to boot. I think they just panicked and ended up with the mess we did. There were 3 options, red flag and restart for 4 laps to go, let none of the lapped cars go through and go racing straight away or let all the lapped cars go through and the race ends under the safety car.

In the end we got none of those and got one totally off the menu.

 

[MooMoo444]

Even though it broke no rules, how was it "hugely beneficial" to RB in retiring a healthy car?

One less car between Ham and Ver on the restart? Sure he'd move aside, but less distance to cover.

 

[Thebug]

So the ones who unlapped went to the back of the grid? Also loosing out? As they didnt seem to have time to get back in position

 

[Kelt]

Latif was definitely driver of the day .

I lolled when Horner said they'll be giving him a lifetime's supply of RedBull!

 

[Locky]

I lolled when Horner said they'll be giving him a lifetime's supply of RedBull!

May as well drink battery acid than that poison

 

[Psycho Ned]

So the ones who unlapped went to the back of the grid? Also loosing out? As they didnt seem to have time to get back in position

Nah that's just what has happened every other single time the lapped markers unlap themselves this time they were probably about 1000 metres up the road!

 

[chrismscotland]

Nah that's just what has happened every other single time the lapped markers unlap themselves this time they were probably about 1000 metres up the road!

True, in reality - no one cares about the unlapped cars; they never usually get a chance to rejoin the back

 

[glenimp617]

I don't think the call was right, but doubt it will change anything.

 

[pioneer2000]

You mean people never support underdogs? Are you new to sports or what? For anyone other than Lewis and Merc fans the last 8 years were pretty boring so yes lot of people are happy for someone else to win, myself including. Just a shame that it's in this way.

It doesn’t seem like you’re saying that though. People happen to support competitors that become the “underdog” but to say it’s nice to have someone new win just “because”, without you actually being a supporter of them at any point is just a bit naff.

 

[this_is_gav]

Yes, but Mercedes still made the right call based on the rules.

Based on the actual rules of the sport, either all the unlapped cars go and then safety car comes in the lap after, OR the cars dont unlap themselves and Max would have had them all between himself and Lewis to pass on the last lap.

If the rules were followed, Lewis would be world champion.

Mercedes didn't know that at the time though. When their window for pitting was open the cars weren't lined up, they were spread around the track.

You're basing it on Race Control technicalities - they could have let cars pass earlier. It's just that they didn't, then changed their mind, that Mercedes were made to pay for not pitting.

It was all for TV (and Netflix, where it will be gold of the rarest kind) of course, but ultimately Mercedes chose to bank on either keeping track position or hoping that the race didn't restart - even Hamilton himself questioned their decision (not for the first time) - and it cost them big time.

Since then it's just a case of clutching at straws. Probably fruitlessly.

It's a shame, as all of this is ruining what a faultless race Hamilton had run and he'd been so gracious and magnanimous after the race, just as Massa was in 2008. Mercedes as a firm are undoing all of that.

 

[Kanpai]

To the courts we go for the next few months I guess.

Thought you said you’re done with F1?

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Nah that's just what has happened every other single time the lapped markers unlap themselves this time they were probably about 1000 metres up the road!

Exactly, unlap yourselves but with no time left to actually race. I suspect Masi will be forced to step down after all this and that’ll be it.

 

[Psycho Ned]

Sky F1 staying on till the bitter end by the looks of it!

Not sure how long they'll waffle on for waiting for a verdict.

 

[pioneer2000]

Yes, but Mercedes still made the right call based on the rules.

Based on the actual rules of the sport, either all the unlapped cars go and then safety car comes in the lap after, OR the cars dont unlap themselves and Max would have had them all between himself and Lewis to pass on the last lap.

If the rules were followed, Lewis would be world champion.

This 100%.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Thought you said you’re done with F1?

After all this fun pans out. I’ll stick around if Masi steps down.

 

[Jono8]

Mercedes didn't know that at the time though. When their window for pitting was open the cars weren't lined up, they were spread around the track.

You're basing it on Race Control technicalities - they could have let cars pass earlier. It's just that Mercedes didn't, then changed their mind, that Mercedes were made to pay for not pitting.

It was all for TV (and Netflix, where it will be gold of the rarest kind) of course, but ultimately Mercedes chose to bank on either keeping track position or hoping that the race didn't restart - even Hamilton himself questioned their decision (not for the first time) - and it cost them big time.

Since then it's just a case of clutching at straws. Probably fruitlessly.

It's a shame, as all of this is ruining what a faultless race Hamilton had run and he'd been so gracious and magnanimous after the race, just as Massa was in 2008. Mercedes as a firm are undoing all of that.

No I'm not, i'm basing it on what actually happened. I fully realise no one knew what would happen at the time as no one can see the future.

I am saying that if the rules were actually followed, Mercedes made the right call! Lewis only lost because Masi fabricated some totally unfair rule up in his head.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

You can understand that for sure - either they all go and unlap themselves OR none of them....

Not just 5 cars so Max can sit on Lewis for the race win

That's my frustration as a fan - ZERO consistency....

Wow is that what happened they just let 5 cars go by and ended the SC?

I think Merc have a case, RB lobby, then due process for ending SC isnt followed.

I'm not a regular F1 watcher but I couldn't believe what I was seeing, one moment there were 5 lapped cars between them then suddenly there were none and max was sitting on Lewis's shoulder for the last half lap on fresh soft tyres?! What the proverbial is going on?!

Lewis was robbed. Quite obviously he was the fastest driver today, 5 laps to go and max couldn’t catch him, heck, mazepin could have overtaken Lewis on 1 lap old reds.

It was literally pure luck, god knows what the safety car games were??

Lewis, driver of the day & robbed of a deserved championship.

Shame max didnt win on skill, that would have been more interesting & i could have respected that.

Aye Lewis was the better driver and had the better car. They wanted a change from lewis winning every year it looks better in the history books and makes the sport more appealing people get bored when the same person wins every year, less sponsorship money and thats why they gifted it to Max. Much better publicity.

 

[.:MBK:.]

so side question, is Masi just bad at his job, does he have the wrong/not enough team around him, or is he doing it with one arm tied behind his back by Liberty wanting "a show"?

 

[Locky]

I am saying that if the rules were actually followed, Mercedes made the right call! Lewis only lost because Masi fabricated some totally unfair rule up in his head.

You wont get that point into their heads so no point..

 

[this_is_gav]

No I'm not, i'm basing it on what actually happened. I fully realise no one knew what would happen at the time as no one can see the future.

So Mercedes could see into the future?

If the rules had been followed, maybe you're right, but you can't change the result based on probability and I can't see how Mercedes can expect to have the result overturned either. Technicalities aside, they were free to race ultimately.

It's terribly harsh on Hamilton though.

 

[Slam62]

You have to feel for the teams workers who busted a gut to get to this position and then the bloke changes the rules at the last second so you can't do anything about it, it has to be seen to be fair or there's no point.