Formula 1

Where does Hamilton go from here? Of course he enters the run-off area, because Verstappen has positioned his car in such a way that makes it either 'run into me', or 'run wide'.

 

Just to be clear here some are suggesting it is unfair that a safety car wipes out a lead, it is but that's in the rules.

If the incident had happened a couple of laps earlier and the cars had unlapped and Verstappen had won then this outcry wouldn't exist.
The issue isn't a safety car came out and ruined Hamiltons race, that's normal, it happens.
The issue is Masi disregarded the rules completely and made a farcical decision.

 

Lewis wasn’t penalised because Max left him nowhere else to go. That’s why the escape run off is there..

 

Completely agree it’s a corrupt decision, I don’t think anyone is debating that. It was dodgy, end of.

The sad thing is you’re too partisan to even acknowledge Verstappen and all he had offered this season.

 

We've already explained this haven't we? If he allows all unlapped cars through, they must (based on FIA rules) rejoin the pack. As in, get all the way around and in position behind the other cars, and only at that point does the safety car come back in. Them's the rules.

They made up new rules on the fly, and those new rules were only ever going to lead to one result - Verstappen passing Hamilton.

"Yeah, but if they'd not, then Hamilton would have won behind a safety car which is 'not racing."

It is racing. They'd had 50 odd laps of racing and Lewis absolutely mullered him.

 

I’m not debating that, I’m too confused this season as the stewards seem to be as well. My point was that if the FIA were so anti Hamilton they’d have penalised him there and then. You’ve later clarified that you were only referring to the final incident, not a wider vendetta against Hamilton. Some have suggested the FIA are completely anti-Hamilton though.

 

The fact that he's called Latifi suggests to me you aren't a regular follower of F1.

 

Yerbut! You have defined MV's 'modus operandi' exactly and he does. It is what he has always does and did in this instance which is why all the are drivers confused as to why he gets away without penalty time after time. Like I said before, now he has won the WDC he will believe he is vindicated in that approach and will continue in the same vein. Only MV fans, Hamilton haters and apparently Masi and the FIA seem to think the whole sorry mess is acceptable and fair. I suspect Liberty may be behind this trying to trun the Sport into 'entertainment'. The whole soft American rock music ... 'danger zone' played over replays - cheesy or what-FFS! Between qualifying sessions and other race events we have DJ's trying to 'rev up' (pun intended) the spectators. The idea of improving 'match day experience' (where do we hear that) is admirable but real motor racing enthusiast want to hear the cars, experience the sights sounds and smells of motor racing not being drowned out by rock music and DJs. It is a F1 event NOT a rave!! Liberty may be trying to replicate Indy atmosphere but this is F1 and not American style oval racing and razzmatazz.

 

What are you talking about? This isn't a discussion about the merits of any particular driver. I'm a massive Hamilton fan, but I can promise you that had this been the other way around, I'd have been saying the same things. Why? Because this is my favourite sport, I've watched it all of my life, I've been to Spa, I've been to Silverstone, I've been to Monaco, I'm nearly 40-years-old and have one computer game that I still play, and it's the F1 game. I love Formula One. And yesterday it felt like all that was ruined for me. Because they fixed a championship.

 

As Loko said so succinctly "Thankfully, the F1 'universe', outside of the pundits that are blatantly protecting their own interests, is almost universal in their criticism of what happened yesterday"
Sky have been pretty much pro MV all season and Netflix now have a series that will have an explosive finale follwing RBR and CH is their 'darling'. Don't forget Coulthard is a former RBR driver and continued moonlighting as a consultant for them even when broadcasting.

 

I too have been an F1 fan for decades. Never been fortunate enough to attend an event ( had to make do wth BTCC) but an F1 event is still on my bucket list . I have had SIMs for many years starting with the original Geoff Crammond F1 on PC through various iterations of Codemasters F1 series and wheels and only recently bought a G923 wheel and pedals c/w F1 2021 sim. GFunny though as it is faulty cos whenever I race as MV and cut across the path of Hamilton I get awarded a 10 second penalty (a joke but actually true) the AI MV really DOES close me down and has forcd me off track. (Incidentally I do not play at Expert or Elite level against AI competitors as that is impossible to compete. I do not have time for live networked races against real people sadly.
I am still seething from yesterdays farce, not helped by ill informed comments of people who know little about F1 and the intricacies and allow their judgements to be dictated by who they support. I almost wish I had not contributed to the coffers of the FIA by buying the official licensed Codemasters f1 2021 Sim. Even that has been misleading as it was supposed to and advertised as supporting the latest Trueforce FFB tech but they have not got it to work on the G923 but it is still advertised as doing so.

 

Interesting. One could argue the RB complaint for a penalty for LH actually was a smokescreen. That single screenshot, (I am sure it could be reinforced with telemetry) clearly provides evidence towards an argument that MV shoudl have had a 5 second penalty for forcing an opponent off the track. Then of course, he has done that countless times already. And some people say Masi and the stewards are doing their job properly and without bias or favour. Compaer to screen shots of Hamilton at Silverstone in that 'incident' where Verstappen is on the outside with at leasty 2 or 3 car widths to the run off and actually turns in on LH. You can't get much more blatant evdience of inconsistent decision making from Stewards. I do not think they are anti LH but I believe pressure from on high to engineer a victory for a team other than Mercedes existed. the stewrads recently may have backtracked after being bad mouthed by CH but in the end Masi by-passed them on some decisions

 

You can't bring yourself to say he is World Champion.

 

He might not be if common sense overturns it!

If he'd won fair and square, fair enough he deserved it. He didn't deserve it like that though and that isn't Max's fault, it is Masi's fault.

 

At this moment in time Max Verstappen is World Champion.

 

What is it with dads in F1?! Hamilton’s used to do my head in back in the day. Just back off and let your kids get on with it.

 

I believe we are all aware of this. Doesn't mean we agree with it or believe it should or will stand, though.