2021 Formula 1 Season Paddock

This is what I was getting at. The announcers were saying that they’ll let the back markers thru and that could take some time so the race would end under a safety car, which I didn’t like. So then they shouldn’t have let it end under safety car and not let the back markers thru at all, so Max would’ve been 5 or so cars behind with 1 lap left (but they’d all have blue flags to get out of the way). But instead they let only some of the back markers thru which I think is dumb since that’s not the “precedent” the FIA has done throughout the year. But at the end of the day it is what it is.

 

To me the race should of restarted with Max behind the back cars just as it was before the SC. Though Masi has total discretion to let back cars pass or not. But he still didn't follow his own rules.

 

Well well well. Shitshow it was. Only they managed to get it to happen during the race.

 

Wow, wow, wow………..


Also Sainz you cheeky little bugger, nicking 5th from Norris. I didn’t see that coming!

 

That close to the end of the race they should have either shown the red flag to clean things up then had a standing start with several laps to go or allowed the race to finish under yellow since they didn't have time to allow all lapped cars to unlap themselves before the checkered flag. What Masi did was completely half assed and its a real shame.

The officials really screwed things up with the early turn six incident. It was wrong that they didn't require Hamilton to give the place back because the race would have been Verstappen's and Red Bull's race to control. The fact that they changed the entire complexion of an event this important is inexcusable.

 

No matter what happened there would be people annoyed/pissed about it.

Finish under yellow...Max got robbed
Red Flag and standing restart....depends on the outcome who would have been upset (ie free pitstop for Lewis to softs and max fans would be mad)
Do what happened...well thats what we are arguing about.


The race stewards tried way to hard in the second half of the season to not be an influence and it really did just turn things into a shit show

 

Agree with both points. A red flag may have been the best way to settle it. Let Max and Lewis go at it for a few laps on “equal” tires and go from there. Feel it would’ve been the easiest way to make it the fairest after all that had happened throughout the day. But ah well, Red Bull really showed their colors after complaining about Merc at the end of last season and forced them to change up their car prior to this season.

 

unfortunately my memories of 2021 will be of Masi & Co. but not so much of the actual winners. the interventions were awful and I'm not feeling the legitimacy this year at all. I'm just glad i saw and remember the races for this one.

 

Insane race

Mercedes protest rejected by stewards , they have 72 hours to appeal

 

F1 needed to adopt the NASCAR rule that a race can not end under a safety car period.

 

FIA needs major changes and someone needs to step down or move aside.

The real shame is that the fans didn’t get an even showdown.

Either way, I feel like Redbull just woke up the beast. The Mercedes reign isn’t over.

 

I hope it is, it's boring watching the same race every time. Hopefully the new 2022 cars and adjustment into that will level the playing field a little and make the racing more interesting.

 

For anyone saying to red flag it. If they would have thrown the red flag out the race would have been over since it had gone 75% of race distance

 

Edit - Just like Baku this year where they had a red flag then a a two(?) lap sprint to the checkered flag it was within Mark's power to do it again.

 

The race director had less time to make a decision than it took me to read each of the posts above about it. Tough call in real time.

 

A crazy end to a crazy season. I had already given up on the race then all of a sudden a safety car!! Oh boy here we go. If not for Max taking it to Lewis every single race it would've been another walk in the park for Lewis and Mercedes. Congrats to Max and Red Bull.

 

I'm sure its not an easy job, but my issue with it was the last second change of allowing overtaking as the safety car ended - and only allowing the cars between Max Ham to unlap and anyone else fighting for a position got screwed. It was a rush to finish the race with one racing lap.

 

Did anyone hear this conversation during the race?

 

I remember that but honestly don't remember the exact timing of everything.

I want to say though Horner's message came before they had completely cleared the car/debris though. (But again going off a fuzzy time frame memory)

 

You have a problem with that conversation? I have a problem with this.

Toto Wolff to Masi: "Michael, please no Safety Car, it interferes with the race"