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.


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Associate
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I don't get all the negativity, its clear that masi did what he did because he wanted the championship to finish in a race, not behind the safety car. And I don't think anyone could fault him for that. If hamilton had pitted and max stayed out, I would still have wanted to see them race to the line.

Ask yourself this. If latifis accident was a lap earlier, the cars had all unlapped themselves, and the safety car had come in a lap later, and everything else played out exactly the same, would you still be upset by the result?

At least the rules would have been followed. Mercedes actually had no option to win this one once the race director decided to part follow the rules.

it’s a farce. I suspect the biggest issue will be that only some cars were allowed to be unlapped.
 
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Sorry if this has been asked already but how was Max allowed to weave the way he did on the first straight on the final lap? Is this not against the rules and if so why was it overlooked?
 
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Sorry if this has been asked already but how was Max allowed to weave the way he did on the first straight on the final lap? Is this not against the rules and if so why was it overlooked?

the last few races, the driver has got a warning before any penalties…
 
Caporegime
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I don't get all the negativity, its clear that masi did what he did because he wanted the championship to finish in a race, not behind the safety car. And I don't think anyone could fault him for that. If hamilton had pitted and max stayed out, I would still have wanted to see them race to the line.

Ask yourself this. If latifis accident was a lap earlier, the cars had all unlapped themselves, and the safety car had come in a lap later, and everything else played out exactly the same, would you still be upset by the result?

No, because then Merc might have made a different strategy call.

Merc made theirs on the very very likely premise that the race would end under the safety car or that Max would have limited time to unlap himself and reach Lewis. Merc made the right call under the rules.

Then the rule book was just thrown out with an unprecedented and absurd rule made up by Masi.
 
Soldato
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I don't get all the negativity, its clear that masi did what he did because he wanted the championship to finish in a race, not behind the safety car. And I don't think anyone could fault him for that.
We had 53 laps of racing from which Hamilton was the clear winner. What Masi did was the equivalent of awarding a dubious nil-nil, 90th minute penalty and making the goalkeeper stand on the sidelines. It's absolutely horrific.
 
Soldato
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We had 53 laps of racing from which Hamilton was the clear winner. What Masi did was the equivalent of awarding a dubious nil-nil, 90th minute penalty and making the goalkeeper stand on the sidelines. It's absolutely horrific.
And all he cheated were fans around the world who mostly lead crap lives and had a glimmer of hope invested in the emotion of a Lewis win. It really is not a good example to set, if on the day Max had a better drive then fair enough, but this just sent out the wrong message globally.
 
Soldato
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I don't get all the negativity, its clear that masi did what he did because he wanted the championship to finish in a race, not behind the safety car.

It’s not up to him to dictate the flow of the race.

Latifi crashed, and Masi should have followed standard process by either:

  • Letting all cars un-lap themselves (not ideal, would have finished behind a safety car most likely)
  • Letting 0 cars un-lap themselves (best opportunity for Max)
You cannot make a new rule up to serve your agenda of having an “exciting race”.


If they’re not rules, they shouldn’t be called as such.
 
Soldato
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I don't get all the negativity, its clear that masi did what he did because he wanted the championship to finish in a race, not behind the safety car. And I don't think anyone could fault him for that. If hamilton had pitted and max stayed out, I would still have wanted to see them race to the line.

Ask yourself this. If latifis accident was a lap earlier, the cars had all unlapped themselves, and the safety car had come in a lap later, and everything else played out exactly the same, would you still be upset by the result?

If you are done over by clear rules that were in place when you started then it's hard luck, it's something completely different to be done over by rules being made on the spot.

I don't get how this doesn't bother some people.
 
Caporegime
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If you are done over by clear rules that were in place when you started then it's hard luck, it's something completely different to be done over by rules being made on the spot.

I don't get how this doesn't bother some people.

Indeed. How can you make a strategy call under a safety car, when the race director can just decide to do whatever the **** he wants regardless of the rules.
 
Soldato
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Been watching F1 since I was single digits, Sunday afternoon memories after a big roast, watching my dad and grandad while they enjoying a cigar, some fruit n nut and f1 ( late 80s). Naturally I root for the UK driver to win but under fair racing I don't really care, Hamilton has enough victories. I was really looking forward to Russell beating him next year but I won't be watching another GP until this race fixing FIA is taken out of the equation. I feel sorry for Max, not the title I would want to be remembered for.
 
Caporegime
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What is so bizarre about Masi and the FIA's stance is that they seem to be hiding under this rubbish about wanting to let them race....yeh, but clearly only Lewis and Max because the way Masi did it meant that many of the drivers couldnt race for position on the last lap as only some of them could move forward and unlap themselves, whilst the rest were stuck behind Max (or in Sianz's case stuck behind the rest of the backmarkers). Not to mention, Max also had an advantage in that he had zero worries about anyone behind him to possibly fend off on the restart/when fighting with Lewis.

So no, the excuse wasn't that they wanted to let "them" race. They wanted to just have Max and Lewis race, with an obvious and inevitable result.

No decision made for safety car rules should EVER favour one driver/a group of drivers over another like that.
 
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