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F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: Monty on April 06, 2022, 09:01:25 AM

Title: Sky - Duel Hamilton v Verstappen
Post by: Monty on April 06, 2022, 09:01:25 AM
Due to unfortunate health issues I had missed the original screening of this TV documentary and only watch the recording on Sunday.
I would say it was a good show that didn’t try to make any conclusions. However, seeing the whole year condensed into 2hours reminded me how Verstappen cheated and lucked his way into so many points. I have to accept that there was still some debate about Silverstone (I felt it was a fair overtake at the time and still feel Verstappen could have avoided contact after watching the recordings literally dozens of times). All this said, their respective points at the end of the year ‘were what they were’ and everything hinged on that last race. The documentary made it very clear that Hamilton was in a class of his own in that last race and under any normal circumstances he would have won and become a deserved Champion. The documentary also showed that RBR’s Wheatley had been  building a relationship with Masi all year which he used to coerce Masi on several occasions but most importantly getting Masi to change the rule book in the fateful way he did. Toto said that he never wants to speak to Masi again but that he actually feels sorry for him because RBR pressurised him to do what he did. Yet still Horner and Verstappen claim that Max was a worthy winner!!! They clearly have no shame!
Title: Re: Sky - Duel Hamilton v Verstappen
Post by: Jericoke on April 06, 2022, 01:46:09 PM
... RBR’s Wheatley had been  building a relationship with Masi all year which he used to coerce Masi on several occasions but most importantly getting Masi to change the rule book in the fateful way he did. ... RBR pressurised him to do what he did. Yet still Horner and Verstappen claim that Max was a worthy winner!!! They clearly have no shame!

I haven't seen the doc, and I'm firmly in 'Team Hamilton' when it comes to 2021.

BUT... seeing that RBR put in an entire season worth of 'work' building a relationship with Masi so they could court his favour in the unlikely event that Masi could choose the champion... it's brilliant.  It's always been a team sport.  It's always been a political beast.  Being able to pull the right string at the right time is just as revolutionary as the first ground effects, active suspension, or any other banned engineering feat.  It could only work once.

I agree that it's hardly a worthy way to win the championship... yet it's also the peak F1 way to win the championship.
Title: Re: Sky - Duel Hamilton v Verstappen
Post by: John S on April 06, 2022, 04:12:00 PM
I'm still firmly in the really don't know or care camp when it comes to the final race last term, decisions were made and Max finished the race ahead of Lewis. Many times referees decisions in other sports change the outcome of championships, even World championships. Sure there is a big fuss and controversy, however in such cases all results remain the same.

Masi was Race Director, he made his decisions and nowhere have I seen any evidence that the route he picked was not within his power as Race Director. Furthermore David Mori, Clerk of the course at Abu Dhabi GP, sanctioned Masi's actions by not overiding the truncated safety car protacol on safety grounds, which he is perfectly entitled to do.

Yes it can be argued that some norms were not followed and some human error may have crept in, but the Stewards backed the race result and apart from calling the whole race result illegal, thereby voiding the race, there is/was no remedy to change it. It's the same in other sports, when refs make a poor judgment, or decide contary to some expected norm and the supposed wrong team/player wins; the results still stand.

Lewis understandably feels gutted, but then so did Felipe in Brazil when Lewis snatched the championship from his grasp a corner or 2 from home. Both have learned the hard way that leaving a championship run to the very last race is a very nerve racking and emotional thing - but you've gotta go for broke anyway.

Personally I felt there was something afoot in F1 land after seeing Lewis souped up engine in the Brazil race last year, which I still find hard to understand.  :confused: - How do you suddenly increase speed by quite a few kmh from a frozen homologation engine, and that advantage carry on over the next 3 GPs? We were told in Brazil a new ICE is able to run at increased power output, but this reduces as races go by, seems something is amiss with the maths as the car seemed to gain speed rather than lose it over the last races. Don't get me wrong I loved those last races, from a viewers point of view it was a great battle of F1 titans, it just leaves seeds of doubt in my mind.

Not sure I go along with Hammy is not an aggressive or dirty driver, I remember watching in disbelief when lewis was intimidating young Alex Albon from Brazil in 2019 and then into 2020 season races. Crowding/pushing someone out is very much a Karting trick but from an F1 multiple world champ on a rookie over and over again is bully boy tactics, sure Lewis got penalties but nothing like the resulting loss of Albon's race or position.     



Title: Re: Sky - Duel Hamilton v Verstappen
Post by: Scott on April 11, 2022, 04:13:48 PM
Damned if you do, damned if you don't as far as Masi goes.  He would have been on the receiving end of just as much criticism if he had left the lapped cars there.  IMO Merc messed up their strategy leaving Lewis on ancient tires on the last lap of the race. 

But the biggest improvement (am I correct in thinking they have changed this?) is that the team principals and engineers should have no radio contact with race control other than reporting debris or some other conditions endangering race cars.  Quite honestly I think they should only be able to send a text or email to race control, eliminating any unwanted conversation.
Title: Re: Sky - Duel Hamilton v Verstappen
Post by: Alianora La Canta on April 19, 2022, 09:52:40 PM
At least, had Masi let all the cars through (or none of them), he'd have had the regulations to defend him.

Much like, in Spa, he ran a race when according to the regulations, no cars should have been on the track on Sunday afternoon (and thus all points from Spa were illegitimate).

(And yes, Scott, all contact between Race Control and competitors is now one-way, initiated from Race Control, and the circumstances where Race Control can use it are now limited to avoid individual team negotiations a la Brazil. If Race Control isn't already talking to a competitor, they're out of luck. Also, I don't think text or email can be used in any case, simply because for transparency all formal Race Control communications with competitors have to be broadcastable or otherwise able to be posted on the public FIA channels - and informal ones can only clarify the meaning of formal Race Control communications, or discuss purely non-Race-Control-related matters).
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