Formula 1, Moto GP, WSB, 2021 Season

[st13phil]

For the record I wanted Kimi to win.

I did like the graphic on his Alfa at Abu Dhabi:

 

[Stratman]

Did I imagine it or were Red Bull allowed to repair their rear wing(s) while in Parc Ferme as opposed to the normal procedure of a pit lane start?

 

[GeeJayW]

Did I imagine it or were Red Bull allowed to repair their rear wing(s) while in Parc Ferme as opposed to the normal procedure of a pit lane start?

They were doing some work on the wing this weekend, but I didn't see anything untoward. They have carried out repairs under Parc Ferme this season, presumably after clearing it with the stewards.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

For the record I wanted Kimi to win.

The next Alfa win will just be magical, though i feel it is a long way off!

 

[fabes]

Masi had the option I shouted at the TV back on Sunday and laid out a few pages back

but Masi reminding all 'other' teams of the need to "let leading cars past under blue's without unnecessary delay" would have been coded enough to ensure that no driver became the villain in holding MV up. They would have all complied with that, or stood out for public condemnation

A Race Director who cannot see that option is in the wrong job.
However, I cannot see the FIA ousting him as it will admit a failing on their part unless MB are successful in legal arena
That said, and as said before, I think MB should drop it and be the bigger team. MV isn't an undeserving WDC, its just he didn't win on what passes for a level playing field in F1
Everyone knows that.

 

[Spider10]

This constant moaning at the Race Director is beyond a joke.
I know a lot of folks on here give Red Bull a lot of stick but from what I heard earlier in the race Mercedes were at it too.
This has to stop.

I'm sure Masi is under immense pressure and realy did need some more support in the way of staff like Charlie had.
One wonders if he may also have been getting shouted at from the owners to get the race going again!
Perhaps stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Think we have all analysed this to death now.

Where do Mercedes go now, do they appeal?

I'd think they will back offf given that any appeal has to be heard by the FIA and they cannot for example go to CAS.

I think the moaning to the race director has been there all along i think we just get to here it now

 

[GeeJayW]

I think the moaning to the race director has been there all along i think we just get to here it now

I’m pretty sure Charlie wouldn’t have worn it, but I don’t know first hand.

 

[Spider10]

I agree with you on that 1

 

[st13phil]

Statement from UEFA: Max Verstappen has been declared the winner of this season’s Champions League.

 

[grober]

QUESTION:-in past races with a mixed queue of leading and lapped cars behind the safety car has there ever been an occasion when only "selected" lapped cars have been instructed to overtake the safety car as opposed to all lapped cars as per regulation-- in other words is there precedent?

 

[st13phil]

has there ever been an occasion when only "selected" lapped cars have been instructed to overtake the safety car

AFAIK, no. Indeed, the veritable Mr Masi has stated in the past (at the Eiffel GP of 2020, I believe) that under the rules he did not have the option of letting only some of the lapped cars overtake the safety car, it had to be all of them.

 

[Spider10]

Its usually All laped cars allowed to overtake but on this occasion not enough laps left to allow that to happen so instead used his initiative and only allowed the cars in-between MV and LH to allow a last lap race BUT all laped cars would of got out the way in any case probably by the back straight so he would have passed LH in any case, as mentioned earlier every race is a gamble and MB lost Max and Lewis did nothing wrong so why bash max
We will hopefully have a better season next year

 

[davymead]

Regulation has always been a very necessary part of any organised sport.
My view, for what it’s worth, is that those regulations were manipulated to alter the result of a race, and not just last weekend. This is the reason I’ve watched little of this season’s F1, and definitely won’t bother next year.

 

[E55BOF]

Its usually All laped cars allowed to overtake but on this occasion not enough laps left to allow that to happen so instead used his initiative and only allowed the cars in-between MV and LH to allow a last lap race BUT all laped cars would of got out the way in any case probably by the back straight so he would have passed LH in any case, as mentioned earlier every race is a gamble and MB lost Max and Lewis did nothing wrong so why bash max
We will hopefully have a better season next year

I'm not convinced that the odds were stacked evenly, whether by design or oncompetence, in this race, though. The fact is that the result of this race was decided, not by the actions of the drivers, but by the actions of the race director.

 

[GeeJayW]

Its usually All laped cars allowed to overtake but on this occasion not enough laps left to allow that to happen so instead used his initiative and only allowed the cars in-between MV and LH to allow a last lap race BUT all laped cars would of got out the way in any case probably by the back straight so he would have passed LH in any case, as mentioned earlier every race is a gamble and MB lost Max and Lewis did nothing wrong so why bash max
We will hopefully have a better season next year

It’s not really a gamble though is it, when the referee changes the rules?

 

[Mactech]

I do love both motorsport and good music, but have tried very hard to stay out of the 'debate' on the outcome of the final F1 race.
But, I now feel the the event seems to have been as well processed as the latest Elton John and Ed Sheeran Christmas single.
Nothing much natural about either of them.

 

[GeeJayW]

It’s not really a gamble though is it, when the referee changes the rules?

PS, I'm not knocking Max or Red Bull (apart from Christian's thing to Masi, and in any case he was no worse than Toto). No, they did what they could to get the race result they wanted and ultimately with the help of the officials, actually got it.

 

[Bellow]

I'm not convinced that the odds were stacked evenly, whether by design or oncompetence, in this race, though. The fact is that the result of this race was decided, not by the actions of the drivers, but by the actions of the race director.

The first question that needs answering is whether it was by design or incompetence. If the former, then by who's design and at who's behest? It isn't credible if it was by design that it was solely Masi's design. That points to direction from Liberty Media whether explicit or implicit. And if Liberty Media influenced Masi's decisions then it needs to be known the reason Liberty Media preferred the race to end as it did.

If Masi cannot credibly claim incompetence or sole responsibility in biasing the outcome in Versatppen's favour and Liberty Media cannot credibly claim the race ended as it did only to create a spectacle then Liberty Media will have to state why it preferred Verstappen as WDC over Hamilton. And if it cannot convince us that it chose Verstappen on the basis of 'fresh blood' being better for the headlines then there must be suspicion it did so to please the rulers of the ME countries who's records on human rights are lamentable and Hamilton a thorn in their sides publicising them.

 

[GeeJayW]

The first question that needs answering is whether it was by design or incompetence. If the former, then by who's design and at who's behest? It isn't credible if it was by design that it was solely Masi's design. That points to direction from Liberty Media whether explicit or implicit. And if Liberty Media influenced Masi's decisions then it needs to be known the reason Liberty Media preferred the race to end as it did.

If Masi cannot credibly claim incompetence or sole responsibility in biasing the outcome in Versatppen's favour and Liberty Media cannot credibly claim the race ended as it did only to create a spectacle then Liberty Media will have to state why it preferred Verstappen as WDC over Hamilton. And if it cannot convince us that it chose Verstappen on the basis of 'fresh blood' being better for the headlines then there must be suspicion it did so to please the rulers of the ME countries who's records on human rights are lamentable and Hamilton a thorn in their sides publicising them.

If there was any kind of string pulling, the bookies will go bananas…

 

[grober]

Its usually All laped cars allowed to overtake but on this occasion not enough laps left to allow that to happen so instead used his initiative and only allowed the cars in-between MV and LH to allow a last lap race BUT all laped cars would of got out the way in any case probably by the back straight so he would have passed LH in any case, as mentioned earlier every race is a gamble and MB lost Max and Lewis did nothing wrong so why bash max
We will hopefully have a better season next year

Nobody's blaming Max--In terms of the regulations -if they had been carried out to the letter- fate had dictated the race effectively ended when Latifi crashed so close to the end of the race.- thus no time to resume racing ...an unsatisfactory end to the final race undoubtedly.... but according to the rules that was the reality. Masi chose to change the rules to ensure a grandstand finish---thats a sad error of judgement which has only succeeded in tainting Max Verstappens winning season in many peoples eyes .