Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted a mistake was made in the controversial restart of last year’s Formula 1 season finale, at which Max Verstappen won the world championship.
Verstappen overtook title rival Lewis Hamilton to win the race and the world championship after a restart on the final lap. But the outcome of the title fight was plunged into acrimony when it emerged FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Masi had not followed the rules correctly.Hamilton’s Mercedes team were eventually persuaded not to appeal against the result, which meant the world championship was not decided in a court room. However the FIA agreed to examine the controversial end to the season and, 97 days after the race, issued a report concluding errors had been made in the disputed restart.
In its summary the FIA noted Masi made two mistakes: He “called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations” and did not allow all of the lapped cars to rejoin the lead lap. Masi was replaced as FIA F1 race director before the new season began.
Horner has previously described the criticism of Masi as a “smokescreen” and accused Mercedes of “a concerted campaign… to discredit our achievement” of taking Verstappen to last year’s championship. However in a new interview he has now admitted Masi did not follow the rules correctly.
Horner did not refer to Masi’s error in ordering the Safety Car into the pits a lap earlier than the rules specified.
“So I thought it was tremendously harsh for him to be hung out to dry, particularly in public, and then the trolling that he got and the abuse that he got online without really support the federation behind him,” Horner continued.
“There was a lot of decisions he made last year that we felt went against us, whether it was yellow flags in qualifying in Qatar or the Silverstone incident with Lewis. But I did feel sorry for him that there should have been more support after that championship because he was in an incredibly difficult position.”
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The controversy around last year’s finale has detracted from the quality of Verstappen’s performance last year, said Horner.
Horner suspects the coverage of the race would have been different had the final lap controversy worked in Hamilton’s favour instead of Verstappen’s
“I think if it hadn’t have all gone through the appeal process and obviously the noise that was made after the event it would have been been much less of an issue if it have happened the other way around,” he said.
“Sometimes I ask myself how would that have been broadcast if Lewis Hamilton had won it on the last lap? Would he have been the hero rather than the villain?”
Despite acknowledging Masi’s mishandling of the race, Horner stressed the outcome should not detract from Verstappen’s championship win.
“The reality is, is a championship is won over a season, not over a single race. And I think the way that Max drove last year, sometimes is not the best car, but some of the performances that he put in last year, he deserved that championship 100%.
“And I think that these things occasionally happen. There are sometimes as close calls in sport.
“For me, I was very disappointed in the way that the FIA dealt with Michael because he was in race control doing the best that he could with the pressure that he had. The mantra was always very clear that he was always going to be under pressure to restart that race. Nobody wanted to see a world championship won under a Safety Car.”
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sumedh
29th June 2022, 7:31
Let it go, let it go.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 9:40
It will always put a question mark over the 2021 WDC
Dutch-1
30th June 2022, 17:15
But almost only by UK racefans. They are the ones that can’t get over it. Most f1 fans in the rest of the world were excited by the way the race and the championship was decided in the final lap. There is no scenario you can think of more spectacular then that.
Khürt Williams (@khurtwilliams)
1st July 2022, 2:05
I’m in the USA. I’m not British. Lewis is the eight time world champion.
moogleslam
1st July 2022, 17:31
Also in the USA, where I do a lot of sim racing, so I get to talk racing regularly, and no one thinks Max legitimately won that championship.
Renee (@renee)
1st July 2022, 21:51
Not from the UK or the US, to me Hamilton is the 2021 WDC.
Most of the ones that don’t have a problem with the title being taken from Lewis, are Dutch (as your username suggests you are as well), or just die-hard Max fans around the world.
Judging by what I see on my country’s local comment sections there are quite many racist people who are just happy that Lewis lost the title, they don’t care about who won it and how, they even justify it.
And finally there are just many people that don’t like Lewis, because of the dominance he had.
Not too many sane people that really think Max won it fairly.
pastaman
29th June 2022, 11:23
Tell that to the “journalists” asking the questions. You’ve been here long enough, you should know better that people aren’t just making statements, they are being asked questions.
Zann (@zann)
29th June 2022, 11:44
Let go what? Here right now we have a current F1 Team Principal being brazenly dishonest, still pretending the alternative to what happened was finishing under the safety car, when it was simply not unlapping as Masi originally announced. So it’s relevant, and an insight into the ongoing culture at Red Bull.
Jack
29th June 2022, 13:36
That last race was the most exciting F1 season finish I’ve ever watched I and I expect so many others felt like throwing the remote at the TV. It was SO wrong what was done. Now Horner has agreed. It should be given to the real winner.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
1st July 2022, 10:13
Too bad he’s not the real winner as there were other questionable circumstances earlier in the season, if we make justice every race verstappen still wins.
Horacio
29th June 2022, 14:40
LOL
The crucial moment in the world championship at the most demanding racing Formula was a sad travesty, and now we have the director of the winning team blatantly lying, and some people just ask to let it go….
Horner should have at least the decency to remain silent.
pastaman
29th June 2022, 15:25
So he should just stare silently at the person asking the question?
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:36
nope. just answer with ‘got nothing go say to this matter’.
Colin Roy
29th June 2022, 17:15
You can’t let it go. It was completely wrong. The FIA should have stripped Verstappen and given the WDC to Hamilton
MSO
29th June 2022, 23:05
Not really because Max did nothing wrong.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
29th June 2022, 7:49
Obviously I don’t know what was going through Michaels head in that moment. It was a strange call, I guess the pressure to finish under a racing lap was probably the key factor.
But I think it is healthy to remember that that was one instance of probably thousands throughout the season that advantaged one driver over the other and it happened that that was the last one. There was always going to be a last one. If Abu Dhabi had been the third race of the season, we wouldn’t still be talking about it.
The red flag at Imola et al – Lewis had his fair share of good calls for him over the season – Max’s puncture in Azerbaijan. The list could go on forever. What I like to remember the 2021 season is by two fantastic drivers, pushed to the limit, and wowing us with what they’re capable of. Anyone who watched 10 months of them all over the globe fighting over every inch.
They were both incredible, every engineer, software specialist, mechanics, physiotherapists, teammate who ran the strategy that made them give up position.
Rather than point at Masi, I’d rather we just celebrate a fantastic season. Any F1 fan has witnessed a fair few boring ones in their time. 2021 was entertaining, and a great test of skill. I wouldn’t begrudge either of them the title. And I’m glad I saw it.
Ian mark
29th June 2022, 8:05
Will I mostly agree with you, just too points to pick:
Max’s puncture in Baku was more luck for Hamilton than a good call as you have stated.
And Abu Dhabi was the final season of the year, more so the final lap so it rightly does carry a lot more weight.
While I was pretty disappointed I have found comfort in the way Lewis has handled it and moved on. I am sure it is still pretty painful but not much he can do now.
Stan (@)
29th June 2022, 8:14
Start from the very first race in Bahrain and how Lewis was the only driver who was allowed multiple track limit violations and later Max was ordered (by Masi) immediately to give a position back to Lewis after he already passed Lewis car fully, without even stewards having a look into it.
gardenfella (@gardenfella72)
29th June 2022, 8:53
@stn that was a self-own by Red Bull. They complained about Lewis exceeding track limits (even though the Race Director’s brief said track limits weren’t being enforced at that corner). Lewis was told to pack it in and the corner was more closely monitored from that point in the race.
Also, leaving the track and passing another driver off track are quite rightly treated differently
Stan (@)
29th June 2022, 9:09
you have totally wrong understanding of the case.
HarrierJint
29th June 2022, 9:44
You are incorrect and it’s you that has misunderstood, the poster above is correct.
You can’t leave the track to pass another driver, there was nothing to look into, he was wrong and it had to be given back, that’s a hard rule and it doesn’t matter what part of the track you’re on BUT track limits were not enforced on that corner during the course of a normal lap (the RD brief made this clear). Hamilton had done nothing wrong and RBR was just trying its luck.
You might not like that, that would be understandable, but Hamilton did nothing wrong and you’ve entirely misunderstood how track limits work.
Shakey (@shakey66)
29th June 2022, 13:21
@stn Its illegal to gain a lasting advantage by leaving the track, that’s why race control issued the order to give the place back and RBR complied.
Hamilton exceeded track limits at T4 dozen’s of times and was probably the worse offender, but he by no means the only driver as you stated. They only started enforcing limits after RBR told Max to do the same thing. It all stemmed from Masi giving ambiguous track limit instructions at the drivers briefing on the Friday, applying different rules for the race than for FP & Qualifying.
If you’re after the facts, you can find it all in the official FIA race report, Masi’s comments before and after the race, and this sites race report.
slowmo (@slowmo)
29th June 2022, 9:38
You have no idea what you’re talking about. When the race director instructed a driver to give a place back it is actually a request, he didn’t have the power to penalise Verstappen. Had Verstappen refused to give the place back then Masi would have referred it to the stewards and then the penalty could be anything from a 5 second penalty to a drive through depending on circumstance. Verstappen has likily overtaken more cars off track than any other driver in the history of the sport and he’s probably not even half way through his career.
The Hamilton track limit infringements were not violations in the race according to the race directors notes for that weekend and as soon as he changed his mind and instructed Hamilton to not exceed the limits at the corner he followed the instructions. It’s fair to point out that it’s likely why this year they’ve done away with the stupid Masi policy of will he wont he enforce them each weekend.
Hamilton was excessively penalised several times last year, Verstappen got away with numerous calls including attempting to deliberately crash with Hamilton on at least 3 occasions and actually succeeded at Monza. Despite all the complaints from Verstappen’s fans, Hamilton was penalised suitably at Silverstone for what was in a lot of people eyes a racing incident.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 10:29
Loads of drivers went over track limits because it was agreed in the pre race notes that track limits were not going to be enforced. I think people get mixed up with OVERTAKING off track, which is what Max did and which is never allowed.
David BR (@david-br)
29th June 2022, 11:49
@amam Although Masi and the stewards did allow an entirely new rule in Brazil, DEFENDING off track! Go as wide as you like to make sure your opponent can’t get past. Admittedly a rule with a very short-life after they subsequently banned doing that. But all the good rules (or most convenient to someone or other) usually are.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 11:58
What Max got away with in Brazil was unbelievable. It was that incident that had a lot of the drivers complaining and why the FIA introduced new racing guidelines for this season.
G
29th June 2022, 13:35
Max was out of line in Brazil, but I really believe he was driving like he owed Lewis one after nearly killing him at Silverstone. You have to agree that it all got ugly after that. Adrian Newry was still fuming about it in AD just after they won the title. Sticking a hopeful wheel up the inside at Copse is a lot different to doing it at a slow chicane.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:41
Max had no right to feel aggrieved after nearly decapitating Lewis in Monza. He needs to quite with the hypocrisy
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:42
* quit, not quite
Why is there no amending/correction facility on this site?
grat
30th June 2022, 0:17
@amam: It’s in line with the zero tolerance policy of F1. Anything you say, will be held against you, for the rest of time, whether you meant it or not.
Dom (@3dom)
29th June 2022, 8:03
If Abu Dhabi had been the third race of the season, I doubt the race would have resumed, that’s the problem.
It leaves a bad taste and it took the shine off the season. In an attempt to make it extra special he ruined it
Dom (@3dom)
29th June 2022, 8:04
@bernasaurus
Ian Mark
29th June 2022, 8:06
Absolutely, just responded with the same rhetoric.
Matthijs (@matthijs)
29th June 2022, 9:52
@3dom I agree, the third race of the season would have ended under SC. But you say ‘he’ ruined it. But who is to say that the FIA and the teams didn’t argue beforehand that deciding the championship under SC should have been avoided at all costs? There were conflicting interests (apply the correct rules under SC versus don’t let this championship be decided behind the SC), and Masi had to pick one.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 10:48
Masi could’ve picked a more fairer option. If he was adamant that the race had to restart without following the correct safety car procedures, then what he SHOULD’VE done is to leave ALL the lapped cars in place. What he did was handpick the lapped cars in between Max and Lewis to be moved out the way
G
29th June 2022, 17:05
That’s because he likely panicked after not letting them go earlier and realised he didn’t have time to get them all round to finish under greens.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:31
He didnt realize that he hadnt let them unlap earlier, as he didnt have that option.
Look595
30th June 2022, 1:13
If the teams had agreed to change the rules for the last race of the championship then perhaps Mercedes would have changed its strategy during the last SC period. Instead they were caught off guard by Masi’s decision.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th June 2022, 8:04
The other mistake was breaching the one entire lap requirement, but surprising how Horner suddenly brought up this matter this long afterwards.
BTW, Masi still hasn’t come out from hiding in a cave he’s done ever since the days after like he didn’t even exist.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
29th June 2022, 8:21
I would guess Horner was asked about it specifically @jerejj, which is why he brings it up now.
As for Masi, the guy got death threats. I’d also be keeping a low profile if I were him.
anon
29th June 2022, 9:00
So did the marshal who showed that yellow flag to Max in Qatar – but nobody seems to care that he was threatened in that manner.
sethje (@seth-space)
29th June 2022, 17:05
wrong, people supported the marshall afterwards. Even Horner excused for his remark.
Masi on the other hand was thrown for the bus and some even pushed the pedal to hit him harder.
jff
29th June 2022, 9:19
@Jere, the FIA themselves explained that calling in the SC a lap earlier was NOT a mistake. In their words: “It was apparent from the analysis that there could be different interpretations of Article 48.12 and Article 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations”, and “the report finds that the Race Director was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge”.
Jere (@jerejj)
29th June 2022, 11:21
@jff His intention was wrong & an unjustifiable reason for using his overriding right.
S
29th June 2022, 11:34
I think what you mean there, @jerejj, is not that the FIA got it wrong, but that you think the FIA got it wrong.
The FIA do the rules, not the viewers.
If they interpret their own rules a certain way, then that is the right way.
Brian
29th June 2022, 14:17
You are wrong, and we have a good example quite recently at Monaco where the Race Director misinterpreted the rules regarding crossing the line at the pit exit. The FIA ruled against penalising Max, stating that the RD was wrong, and they had a duty to comply with the rules as per article 2.1. I have been quoting this article with reference to Abu Dhabi because it confirms that Masi was not allowed to break the rules. The (mis)interpretations you mention were actually put forward by Horner, and then wrongly upheld by the FIA officials who should have known better. Both the FIA and Horner have since acknowledged that Masi did in fact break the rules, which confirms what most of us already knew (and is really quite obvious), that the Red Bull interpretations were incorrect, and the fact that the FIA stewards said they were correct did not actually make them correct. Furthermore the Monaco debacle shows that, contrary to what the FIA said in their Abu Dhabi report, the FIA is allowed to retroactively overrule the FIA officials if they are not complying with the rules, in fact they have a duty to do so. Article 2.2 states that “ 2.2 The Championship and each of its Events is governed by the FIA in accordance with the Regulations.” The FIA do not comply with 2.2 until they overrule the AD stewards and record the correct result. What does this say about the validity of the 2021 championship in legal terms?
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:28
acting in good faith to the best of his knowledge means something like he completly f…ed up.
jff
29th June 2022, 12:49
@jerejj,
S, already replied, but I’ll do it as well as I see these mistake (and part truth) too often here.
FIA investigated and FIA concluded that it was not a mistake.
They gave their reasoning, and those are quite different from your views/opinions (nothing more than that) as shared above. I suggest you read the full FIA report.
PS I’m not happy with the procedures of the final laps in Abu Dhabi either, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
Masi/FIA created this mess by confusing rules and inconsistent rulings throughout the season.
bogolo moremong (@bogolo)
29th June 2022, 13:39
in the cover letter to the report the FIA stated
in the body of the report they seemingly left it to the stewards interpretation, and instead reported on the selection of cars for unlapping. There is nowhere where the state categorically that no mistake was made.
jff
29th June 2022, 14:29
But more importantly, there is nowhere where they state (categorically or not) that a mistake was made.
And interestingly you only report the line which suits your argument.
This is whole set of paragraphs from that statement:
I also suggest you read (the Executive Summary of) the report (https://www.fia.com/2021-f1-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-report-world-motor-sport-council-19-march-2022).
especially items 31. and 32.
pastaman
29th June 2022, 11:26
Bruh, how do you still think people are just “bringing it up”? They are being asked. Honestly.
A person somewhere
29th June 2022, 8:12
Yellow flags would be down to the marshals on scene rather than the race director surely? Horner simply cannot help himself, everything he says is disingenuous.
Stan (@)
29th June 2022, 8:15
No.
gardenfella (@gardenfella72)
29th June 2022, 8:56
@stn yellow flags are down to the marshals. They put out the flags then radio race control to say they’ve done so. The only times when this isn’t true is during a full-course yellow, which F1 uses the VSC system for.
Stan (@)
29th June 2022, 9:13
the race control did NOT put out the yellow flags during that incident. The was no yellow signal neither on information panel, nor on Max steering wheel. The marshal put out the yellow flag extremely late, just when Max was already passing him, in dark place, barely visible and in a position where driver couldn’t see it, as it is clear Max would look at slow car at the right side of the track, not at the left side.
On top of that, the stewards have cleared Sainz for doing the same, It was a bad mistake by a marshal, there was no dangerous situation on the race track..
oweng (@oweng)
29th June 2022, 9:24
There was a car stopped on the track right opposite the marshal post. The marshal did the right thing.
Todfod (@todfod)
29th June 2022, 12:41
Horner’s an ass.. there was nothing wrong with the yellow flag incident in qatar.. and in Silverstone Lewis got a penalty he deserved. The fact that he’s even comparing it to a clear breach of the rules that won them the championship is ridiculous. Red Bull must have had a lot of bad luck in 2021 (Baku and Silverstone come to mind), but they definitely got the better decisions from stewards. Including the most important one, that decided whether they won or lost.
sethje (@seth-space)
29th June 2022, 17:09
The problem was the inconsistency in the stewarding during that season. And Max undoubtedly was hurt harder there..
The most important decision was not made by the stewards btw.. and that decision on itself did not gifted the win. That was earned on track.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th June 2022, 12:10
It really wasn’t. Fresh softs vs worn out hards is not even close to a fair fight. The win was decided when the Red bull sporting director called Masi and gave him the instruction to let a few lapped cars unlap themselves.
G
29th June 2022, 17:12
What about lap 1 in AD. Listen to the commentary, Brundle and Button fully expected the place to be given back but it wasn’t. Not only that, Lewis increased his gap to Max by cutting the corner.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:23
what about Brazil, what about Monza, what about Jeddah, what about Spa… your narrative lacks some races it seems
G
30th June 2022, 11:40
We are discussing AD and how RedBull apparently got all the decisions their way. Lap 1 incident completely contradicts this.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
1st July 2022, 10:19
Spa could’ve been hamilton advantage, if verstappen won with hamilton 2nd in a proper race he actually lost points with the spa farce.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th June 2022, 12:12
Got to agree with @romtrain . You conveniently left out the most ridiculous defensive driving(if you can even call it that) at Brazil.. the intentional crash at Monza .. the intentional brake check in Jeddah.
If the stewards were consistent .. they would have given him a race ban after Jeddah.
G
30th June 2022, 23:01
You really think the Monza crash was intentional? And you do realise that the shunt at Silverstone is what turned the rest of the season into a war?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
1st July 2022, 10:18
Silverstone was worse than monza and way more dangerous.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
29th June 2022, 8:19
I have since come to peace with Abu Dhabi 2021. As long as it doesn’t set a precedent for the future, it can be grouped with Monza 1960, Canada 1973, Suzuka 1989-90 and other examples of moments of terrible officiating and controversy in the past that help to make the history of Formula 1 interesting.
sumedh
29th June 2022, 8:35
Curious to know, what happened in Monza 1960 and Canada 1973? By chance, is it covered in any of Racefans’ retro articles?
F1 frog (@f1frog)
29th June 2022, 8:48
In Monza 1960, the track layout was changed in order to benefit Ferrari, as the car had good straight line speed so they used the banked oval. Of course, the other teams all pulled out as a result, and Phil Hill won.
Canada 1973, at Mosport Park, was the first use of the safety car, but it picked up the wrong leader, Howden Ganley, and the officials had no idea what was going on and sort of had to guess the winner, going with Peter Revson. The safety car was not used again for another 20 years. But that one was just a mix-up and not intentional.
But those are two interesting stories from the history of Formula 1, and one day Abu Dhabi will be considered long enough ago to join them.
Alan James
29th June 2022, 14:37
If Horner has finally admitted that the decision was wrong then hand the championship back to the driver that would have won it if the right decision had been made.
RandomMallard
29th June 2022, 16:33
@f1frog I think I’m just about making the same conclusion. I can still feel angry at it, but nothing can be done to change that, and I too hope it doesn’t set a precedent, so I’m just here to enjoy 2022 now.
Tiaki Porangi
29th June 2022, 8:25
We know, Christian.
Everyone knows that.
Jelle van der Meer (@)
29th June 2022, 8:54
The only mistake Masi made was his first message “Lapped cars may NOT overtake” that mistake resulted in Masi trying to rectify that error by condensing the Safety Car ending procedure.
Why would you even give a message “Lapped cars may NOT overtake”, there is no need as overtaking is anyway not allowed.
If that would have been “Lapped cars may overtake” at that time, there would have been enough time to safely let all lapped cars unlap themselves, followed by another full lap of the safety car which then would have come in with just 1 lap of racing remaining, same as what actually happened, 1 lap of racing.
gardenfella (@gardenfella72)
29th June 2022, 9:00
@jelle-van-der-meer you’re wrong. The ‘lapped cars may not overtake’ message did not delay the un-lapping of the lapped cars. The reversal of that decision came before the track had been declared clear by the Clerk of the Course.
Jelle van der Meer (@)
29th June 2022, 9:23
The car of Latifi was cleared earlier and lapped cars could have been unlapped earlier than they did. The redundant message “Lapped cars may NOT overtake” also lead to additional radio traffic and diverted attention.
Multiple broadcasters and also teams were surprised by the message as they expected the message “Lapped cars may overtake”
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:21
The marshalls were not back on their positions and the track was thereby not clear. No way the unlapping could have started earlier, so that the last car would have been able to unlap a lap earlier. Only the braking of the rules allowed Masis last lap cheat.
G
29th June 2022, 18:43
I read somewhere at the time that they were on course for a restart in good time but the Marshall’s took too long to get finished up which piled the pressure on race control. When you watch the replay of the race you notice more than at the time with tensions so high. The race commentators were also expecting a green flag a lot earlier than it happened too as they watched the crash being cleared. When you think about it, the marshalls hesitancy was actually on course to deny Max.
Roman
30th June 2022, 10:00
I believe the problem was the one marshall, which was busy with getting the car off the crane behind the barriers. Only when he was back at his post the track was deemed to be clear and ready for unlapping.
Its a far guess to say the marshall did this to deny Max a restart. They simply act according to the rules they got, to their best knowledge. Like the “rogue” one, who dared to show a yellow flag – not even Horner went as far, to say he did so on purpose to deny Max his lap. They just do their job.
G
30th June 2022, 13:08
@Roman
Not saying they were doing this on purpose, just that without their delays we would have had the same result but without all the controversy. If it had finished under a SC because of this I would guess everyone would be upset with being denied a final lap under greens.
G
30th June 2022, 13:10
Apart from LH fans of course, who would have happily watched one of the best seasons ever, reach an almighty anticlimactic end following the SC round.
jff
29th June 2022, 9:17
You are doing it again Racefans.com, you are presenting it as two mistakes, even though the FIA clearly only found the unlapping procedure a mistake.
The FIA described that “it was apparent from the analysis that there could be different interpretations of Article 48.12 and Article 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations”, and that “the report finds that the Race Director was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge”.
jff
29th June 2022, 9:30
oops it should be racefans.net (the dotcom is not an active site; not even linked through to its owner’s site).
PS the FIA quotes are about calling in the SC in one lap earlier; FIA did not determine this a mistake in their report.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
29th June 2022, 9:20
We have much bigger issues right now..
Like title fight without much fighting going on. Last year fight was real, controversial, gripping etc..
Now we get Max easy mode to victory.
G
29th June 2022, 18:56
You can blame Ferrari for that. For the second year in a row we are lucky to have 2 cars equal to each other after suffering single team dominance for so long.
Michael A.
29th June 2022, 9:24
This whole topic has become nauseating.
For goodness sake bury it now!
Todfod (@todfod)
29th June 2022, 9:31
The fact that Horner keeps mentioning that Abu Dhabi’s controversy shouldn’t take away from Max’s achievements throughout the season .. and also constantly mentioning that championships are won over a course of a season is basically how own admission that they were handed a win in Abu dhabi by Masi’s officiating.
I think Max was the better driver all season.. and if titles were handed out purely on driver ability, he would have been the undisputed champ for 2021. But, Lewis actually did enough to win the WDC and it’s a shame that he lost the title on poor officiating rather than on track in a fair and square fight. Honestly, Mercedes did F1 and the FIA a huge favour by not pursuing the matter in court after the result… it was a clear cut win for them in getting the decision overturned. If the tables were turned, and it was Hamilton who benefited from Masi’s mistake, there is no doubt in my mind that Red Bull would have taken this to court and tried to overturn the decision.
Nicky
29th June 2022, 11:41
RB taken it to court is pure speculation from your side…and nobody is interested in could have would have.Pointles Todfod..
S
29th June 2022, 11:43
It really isn’t, @todfod. That’s your opinion.
There’s every likelihood that most other drivers would be equally eligible if that were the criteria. But it isn’t.
You still need to be in the right car at the right time.
Todfod (@todfod)
29th June 2022, 11:49
Thanks for that insight. Wouldn’t have figured that out after watching this sport for 28 years.
My point was that Max was mega as a driver.. But he wasn’t the champ. He lost that race if the sports rules were applied as they should have been.
S
29th June 2022, 12:44
He most certainly is champion.
Keep watching for a bit longer. When you do, you might understand that it’s highly likely that he still would have won even in different circumstances.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th June 2022, 12:15
Sure… I’m going to watch the race again to assume that he would overtake 5 lapped cars on Hamilton in a single lap.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
29th June 2022, 11:44
@todfod I guess it was a very tough one for Mercedes as they mentioned, they think they would have won in court but the result would be to nullify the result of the last race and Max would have been champion. There would not be any change in the outcome in any case. The note associated to Max crown would have been longer though.
It’s one of these situations were there is no good outcome. However Max and RedBull attitude has been more damaging to themselves than glorifying. I don’t get why they keep sticking on this line for justifying the title, they owe no allegiance to Masi and could just go behind the “this is out of our control but is the game in F1”. Of course happening at the very end of the season, it triggers stronger reactions but the impact is not much different than earlier in the season, a driver losing 7 points at any time during the season means he has 7 less in total, and it can be “unfair” caused by someone else or decision of the stewards.
Both drivers deserved the title for last year season and it’s unfortunate to have this huge shadow over it all. There will be some interesting biographies to read in some years, I somehow doubt that all ink is out on this topic but I can’t see any parties involved disclosing too much in the near future as they have best interest not to.
Cobray (@)
29th June 2022, 11:59
@todfod
You can’t overturn that decision since the most they could do is remove the race from the total points tally. You can’t play what if’s with the result based on “almost” certainty in court. Hamilton still needed to drive around that last lap.
Not being able to win the case did help their decision to drop it IMO. Wolff would never gift RB and Horner the championship by sportsmanship.
Curiously, if Ferrari did go to court about the 2008 season and Singapore GP crash gate scandal and won the case, Lewis would lose the championship though since Massa was out of points anyway compared to Lewis’s 3rd and Lewis.
You are spot-on, on everything else though.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 12:18
Not sure what Singapore 2008 has to do with anything. It’s an entirely different situation because there were still 3? races AFTER Singapore. So, if the court null and voided Singapore, then the FIA would have to null and void ALL the remaining races after Singapore because the teams would’ve based their strategies/decisions/plans in the belief that Singapore was valid. You can’t assume things would’ve played out the same in the remaining races if the teams were aware that Singapore was invalid. So, if all races from Singapore onwards are voided, that still leaves Lewis as champ
Cobray (@)
29th June 2022, 12:38
@amam In which way exactly things wouldn’t be the same? Sounds to me like you’re reaching.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 13:10
Sounds to me as though you are assuming all would have played out the same in the races after Singapore.
S
29th June 2022, 13:10
Errr…. no.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 13:30
Errr yes.
Got to remember Crashgate didn’t come to light until 2009. So strategies played out in the belief that the points they gained from Singapore was valid. This affected their approach in the remaining 3 races. One can’t assume all would have played out the same in the remaining races if there had been no crash. If Hamilton was trailing to Massa in points, McLaren would have changed their approach. McLaren simply played things according to the demands of the points spread at the time. And that is why you can’t simply void Singapore in isolation…because the points gained in Singapore affected the teams approach in the remaining races
S
29th June 2022, 15:04
Strategies are completely irrelevant to the running of each event, and are solely the responsibility (and choice) of the teams, @amam.
If they changed their approach as a result, then that’s just tough. They shouldn’t have.
I’m making no assumption on what if’s, as they would be completely irrelevant.
I can give you a 100% money back guarantee that the FIA would not have altered or voided the results of any other GP from that season.
The reason to (hypothetically) drop the Singapore result is an isolated occurrence specific to that one race, and does not apply to any other event. Points from other races were not under question.
Todfod (@todfod)
29th June 2022, 12:36
@cobray
I feel Ferrari had zero claim to that excuse anyways. I don’t know why Massa kept moping around because of it. Ferrari lost that race because their fuel pump nozzle was stuck in Felipe’s car and he drove on with it attached. That would have happened regardless of crashgate, watergate, whatever.
You’re probably right on removing the race result though. That would have been the expected outcome. Such a shame that the most epic championship got decided by the blunt mind of that m0r0n Masi.
G
29th June 2022, 13:50
Lewis got lucky in 08 when Piquet Jr deliberately crashed in Singapore. L A decision that had nothing to do with Lewis or Massa.
Max got lucky with Masi’s call in AD and gained ONE place. A decision that had nothing to do with Lewis or Max.
Have a look through the whole season and see how many places Lewis gained though good fortune. Max was a deserving champion if you can step back and see the season as a whole.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:29
Masi got lucky that the FIA made up a rule to take away Lewis’s win in Spa and gift it to Massa. And as for Singapore, it wasn’t Piquet jr that messed up Massa’s hose pipe–that was Ferrari themselves. Nothing like a race director deliberately manipulating the rules as per AD
G
29th June 2022, 16:47
I agree Lewis was unlucky to lose a position in AD. Max however, had the Lion’s share of bad luck over the season which nearly cost him the title. Without most of his DNF’s and Lewis’ red flags he would have wrapped it all up a lot earlier. Lewis had a lot of things fall his way just to get to AD level on points and nearly nicked it in the end. It was just great to see fortune swing the other way when Max needed it.
Alex Lima
29th June 2022, 9:31
It is time to turn the page, guys. Masi has committed a lot of mistakes last season, including the ridiculous 10 seconds penalty to Hamilton at Silverstone after he almost killed a rival on the track with the most unethical maneuver ever. All the mistakes were kind of neutralized as no team had advantage to the other when it comes to FIA judgments. Lets go to the excitement of the new players and the genius of Max, Russell, Leclerc, etc. Let Hamilton and his 6 Mercedes titles to rest peacefully in the past.
Emma
29th June 2022, 10:33
Utter hogwash
Alex Lima
29th June 2022, 11:33
It is not only me saying this.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/lewis-hamilton-max-verstappen-crash-24685141
slowmo (@slowmo)
29th June 2022, 12:29
Roll out the Jackie Stewart comments, real impartial commentator there. Even the stewards conceded Verstappen had some blame in the incident.
S
29th June 2022, 11:44
Say the Hamilton fans…
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 11:56
It is hog wash. Even the stewards partially blamed Max
https://www.racefans.net/2021/07/21/why-hamilton-wasnt-seen-as-wholly-to-blame-for-the-verstappen-crash/
Roman
29th June 2022, 12:27
So much of stupidity in on comment is pretty an achievement. You cant even count to 7…
Alex Lima
29th June 2022, 13:09
You, Math genius, tell me if Hamilton won more than 6 drivers championships with Mercedes team. Now f… off and go annoy someone else.
PB
1st July 2022, 7:47
whether or not Hamilton was fully or partially responsible for the crash or whether it was a racing incident, last time I checked penalties are applied based on the incident, rather than the outcome/result of the contact. I am sure if it was a slower corner and the contact caused Max to go wide into a run off and continue back on the track without damage, the race would have gone on as it were with the contact being a racing incident, something like Lewis v Max lap 1 in Imola. Point is, you cannot decide penalties based on its impact on one or the other driver involved, however to avoid backlash from the F1 community the stewards had to do it…
Also lets not start with “unethical” maneuvers, Max has had plenty of them in his career, and much so in the 2021 season, Imola, Brazil, and Saudi are clear examples…
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 9:52
Masi was awful for most of the season and Max got off too lightly with brake testing Lewis in Saudi, defending 5 car lengths off track in Brazil, crashing into Lewis Monza etc. But what Masi did in Abu Dhabi was unforgivable. He ignored the established safety car protocols knowing it would hand Verstappen the Human Error title
Steven Flatman
29th June 2022, 10:49
What about the times Lewis was let off too lightly? No penalty for being WAY more than the stipulated maximum distance on the formation lap at Silverstone (hoping Max’s tyres would go cold), only a 10s time penalty to be taken once he’d been able to negate it’s effect for causing the collision with Max at Copse, his share in the shenanigans at Saudi Arabia (if he genuinely didn’t know why Max had slowed down, why pull in behind him rather than speed past, and remember when he gives his account that he’s been found guilty of lying to the stewards before, when the positions were reversed at Australia in 2009), cutting the corner and gaining a huge advantage at Abu Dhabi (which, let’s not forget, was the main reason he was in the position to win the race to begin with). Lewis didn’t remain in the title hunt without a HUGE amount of leniency and help from the stewards and race control, without which the result of the Abu Dhabi GP would only have decided how many point Max won the title by, so the ‘Masi handed RedBull’ the title simply doesn’t wash as if that’s what he wanted he wouldn’t have kept Lewis in the fight for so long.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 11:48
You lose credibility using JYS for any topic on Hamilton. He hates Lewis.
Some people blamed Max e.g. Mika Salo
Max was seen as partially to blame by the stewards
https://www.racefans.net/2021/07/21/why-hamilton-wasnt-seen-as-wholly-to-blame-for-the-verstappen-crash/
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 11:54
Even Marko agreed Max had brake tested Lewis, so not sure why you feel the need to bring up 2009. Marko agreed the telemetry showed Max brake tested Lewis, Max should’ve been disq imo. He was showed too much leniency…much like the ridiculous defending 5 car lengths off track in Brazil
As for AD first corner Lewis was FORCED off by Max so had to take avoiding action…Max had tried to take Lewis out 3x in the previous races, so Lewis had no choice, the stewards got that right,
G
29th June 2022, 13:56
Max and Charles were braking before the DRS line this year and nobody crashed?
Last year reminded me of Canada 08.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:22
Nothing like Canada 2008 (in the pitlane). Telemetry show Max brake tested Lewis. Even marko agreed that’s what max did and apologised
G
29th June 2022, 18:58
@amam
I was referring to Lewis’ general awareness.
André
29th June 2022, 15:35
Indeed.
Ankita
29th June 2022, 10:00
Misleading title, I must say … Taken out of context. That said, the rule was clear about leaving a full lap for the unlapped cars to do it. Here Massi made two mistakes: he didn’t let the lapped cars by a lap earlier (and he could legally and in the circumstances have done so); and, more importantly, changing his mind from not letting them by to letting just some. This to me is the most egregious mistake he made and shows his lack of sound judgement.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 10:04
He couldn’t, because Marshalls were still on track
jff
29th June 2022, 10:10
Repeating what I (and FIA) said about calling in the SC early; this was not a mistake according to the official report.
Calling this a mistake is an nothing more than an opinion, and I dislike the fact that this site keeps on doing it just to stir the pot and get the clicks and comments coming in.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 10:26
Dunno why people keep repeating this “he should’ve started unlapping earlier”. He couldn’t, Marshalls were still on track. The sc procedure then stated that ALL lapped cars were to unlap themselves, then the sc goes in the following lap. Masi did none of those 2, because there wasn’t time. If there was no time, then the correct thing to do would be to finish behind the safety car (Lewis would be champ) or leave ALL the lapped cars in place on the race restart (Lewis would be champ). What Masi did was a botched/mixed up procedure that had never been done before.
jff
29th June 2022, 13:02
@amam,
I assume this isn’t a reply to my post, at least I never claimed “he should’ve started unlapping earlier”.
The FIA concluded in their report that it was up the RD to define when the SC would be called in, and both the rules and earlier discussions (try to finish under green) gave him sufficient room to decide to do so.
FIA concluded though that it was a mistake that not all cars were allowed to unlap (the only mistake they identified in their report). Nobody (except you it seems) knows what would have happened if those (three I believe) were allowed through as well.
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 13:19
Pretty obvious if he allowed ALL the lap cars to unlap (his only mistake) then there would be no time for that last lap shoot out- which means lewis wins the title. That’s why he did what he did.
jff
29th June 2022, 13:49
The only thing obvious is that you are guessing to satisfy your own beliefs.
Most of us just accept that we don’t know what would’ve happened had all cars been allowed to unlap. My guess is that Sainz would’ve won his first GP :P
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:25
It’s not guessing. Take your blinkers off and simply do the maths. If ALL car were unlapped, he’s run out of laps to do the 1 lap shoot out.. It’s not rocket science
Ankita
30th June 2022, 8:40
Do the rules require that cars may unlap themselves only after the track is clear ? If not, then I can see how you could allow the cars to unlap themselves while slowing down in the area of the accident so that the race could get restarted as soon as possible. Again, do the rules prohibit that ? Not challenging you, just wondering. I read the rules back in December and I don’t remember reading anything but maybe …
Kelly
29th June 2022, 10:20
At last, Horner finally admits Masi was wrong??!? I guess he thought it was ok to finally admit this after 8 months of saying it was fine that Max won the Driver’s Championship. Gotta give it to him, though .. he’s a fantastic liar.
oweng (@oweng)
29th June 2022, 10:37
I agree with Horner here, the mistake was not letting all lapped cars unlap themselves. Had he done this and then still waived the need to do another lap before restarting then I think most reasonable people would have understood that it would be better to have a racing lap and not finish the season behind a safety car. It would have been bad luck for Hamilton but at least the rules would have been applied equally across the field.
Horner is a little bit misleading though by saying the cars that didn’t unlap themselves were at the back of the field, I’m pretty sure one or two were shielding Verstappen from Sainz in 3rd place!
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 10:40
Marshalls were still on track, so the unlapping process couldn’t start any earlier, so there was no mistake there. Even the FIA report concluded Masi didn’t make a mistake in not unlapping earlier
Holdingmybreathforgoodnews
29th June 2022, 10:41
I can’t stand that two faced little whinger!
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
29th June 2022, 11:02
Well that’s surprising. I was thinking we’d have to wait for a post-retirement autobiography for this to come out. He’s not wrong!
Low
29th June 2022, 11:33
So since it pass now n history. So do you still think that your driver is really a champion now. ???
I very doubt so in mine opinion.
iCarbs (@icarby)
29th June 2022, 11:46
FIA ruined the season, so many issues with last year that I can’t fault either driver for, there only job was to keep it within the rules and safe and they failed to do that.
Max drove well, Hamilton drove well they both had there moments of villainy and genius and the toxic fan base did the rest but ultimately I expect FIA to be neutral.
davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13)
29th June 2022, 12:11
Agreed. It will forever in my mind put an asterisk next to that title for Max. They both deserved it, but the rules were manipulated (trying to say “any lapped cars” somehow doesn’t mean all lapped cars, come on!) by Masi, through incompetence I’d like to believe more than malice, and things happened that shouldn’t have. And that inexorably handed Max the title at the very last.
After such a drama filled season for it to end so unsatisfyingly for everyone truly is a shame.
Nev
29th June 2022, 18:56
I would also cite the horrible decision at Spa – awarding half points for 2 laps under SC was the second worst decision of the year and gave Verstappen the edge in AD
A User
29th June 2022, 11:56
If Verstappen wins the championship this year, then he will be champion. Until then, in my eyes at least, he is a not a champion at all.
Qeki (@qeki)
29th June 2022, 14:34
In my mind Massa is a champion
A M (@amam)
29th June 2022, 14:38
In my mind, Massa got gifted Spa, so the right man won in the end
André
29th June 2022, 15:40
Ferrari also had the stronger car that year. And even if you’d think that Hamilton didn’t deserve the 2008 title, he certainly deserved the 2007 one, which he missed because McLaren threw it away with bad strategy in Xanghai. I still can’t believe that Lewis was left out on track until you could see the tyre canvas.
Qeki (@qeki)
30th June 2022, 8:37
I didn’t say Hamilton wasn’t a worthy champion I only said Massa could also have won the title in that year
S
29th June 2022, 16:20
Everyone is a champion
HJ
29th June 2022, 18:55
That’s very inclusive!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
29th June 2022, 12:18
I won’t stop saying this. Masi only broke the rules because of the mistake he did. Masi should have never sent the message out that lapped card would not be allowed to retake, it was far too early to decide that and it set the rest of the mess.
André
29th June 2022, 15:41
Masi also cracked under pressure from Redbull. That radio exchange was clear.
G
29th June 2022, 16:55
As clear as Toto demanding no safety car please, which was just ridiculous. They were both lobbying for an advantage so you can’t say one was worse than the other.
I’d say Masi was kicking himself for not unlapping cars sooner but it was a pressure on pot situation with the eyes of the world on a title decider.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:13
there was no opportunity to let them unlap earlier, as the track needs to be clear for that. Masi simply did his best to turn the WDC over, and broke the rules, perfectly knowing what he did. The reasons behind can only be guessed.
duduf
29th June 2022, 12:47
if you compare it to series, no one will re-watch GOT, or Lost, or HIMYM, because of terrible finales. A shame we had such a fun year and such a shabby end to it.
hindsight being 20/20, it would have been properly awesome to have a red flag call and a restart with 5 laps on fresh tires.
Gary Simmons (@gsimmonsonca)
29th June 2022, 13:18
Yes Christian, you are correct. Max’s achievement last year was diluted… BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WIN IT!
sethje (@seth-space)
29th June 2022, 17:21
He did nothing wrong that race.. he passed lewis correct and with guts.
You can call all kind of fictional situations, but the race was lost the moment the SC came out and Mercedes decided not to pit Lewis.
Btw, the action by lewis in that first corner where he gained a lasting advantage should have beena clear 5 second penalty.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:08
The race was lost when Masi broke the rules. 1+1 still makes 2, no matter how often you state its 3
Palindnilap (@palindnilap)
29th June 2022, 13:35
So disappointing by Horner ! I held him for being better versed in the post-truth world. What happened to “Any doesn’t mean all” ? Putin or Trump would never have retracted that one.
Mayrton
29th June 2022, 13:41
A championship is won over the course of a season, not a single race. Hamilton being level to Verstappen going into that last race was already an unparalleled farce and utter scripting of a season. Lets hope Liberty and FIA never repeat such dreadful season.
André
29th June 2022, 15:51
What are you talking about? Mercedes had to spend half a season catching up with Redbull after the regulation change to the rear floor and rear brake ducts, which made Mercedes and Aston Martin lose more relative performance than any other team from 2020 to 2021. Already in pre-season testing you could see how the Redbull was on rails and the Mercedes was nervous on the rear, so with that advantage Redbull and Max did most of the damage in the first half of the season, particularly the European leg. And they even had a double race in Austria where they held massive advantage. Let’s not mention the Spa farce either, or the completely avoidable Monza crash. Mercedes had to push very hard to reverse that deficit, and Lewis was having a fantastic late-season charge, and was leading the last race with comfort, before Masi handed the title to Max on a plate. We are now in 2022 and Mercedes fell in performance, so from Redbull’s point of view, and from the F1 business point of view, they succeeded in throwing all possible tricks at Mercedes to de-thrown them. The did not do it on track, they achieved it through regulation changes and politics. That stretches as far back as the ban on oil burning, later the 2017 regulation changes, later the front wing changes, later the floor and rear brake duct changes. Mercedes did exceptionally well to resist those changes and win 8 consecutive titles.
Nev
29th June 2022, 18:58
Spot on
Mayrton
29th June 2022, 21:47
Oh please. The mid season change of tyres hugely benefitting the Mercedes. The altered pitstop procedure. The wing gate lobby. Misuse of engine regulations (nr of engines to use) of Mercedes. Mercedes themselves being caught fiddling around with wings. Red flags benefiting Lewis in Italy and England. On top of that the bumping a competitor off twice (Silverstone and Hungary). The season should have been wrapped up 4 races before Abu Dabi. It was a disgrace of a season.
kpcart
29th June 2022, 14:25
2021 will for ever go down as the wrong guy won the championship because of Michael Masi. simple as that. A great season ruined by not the drivers but by a race director. Masi ruined the championship in the last couple laps of the championship with his incompetence. I actually think Masi had an issue with Hamilton in his head, especially by his reaction to Wolff on the radio after making the awful calls, he seemed to be showing a preference for Red Bull. the FIA knew Masi messed up also, that is why he has been removed. Mercedes did the right thing by the sport by not taking it further, but race fans will remember what happened. Verstappen will win fair and square this year i believe, so the stain on his career of being a champion that got gifted in the final laps of a season will be lifted.
G
29th June 2022, 19:59
There is no stain, or asterisk, or whatever. Mercedes fans just need to accept that Max beat Lewis with an equal car and could have easily done so by a larger margin. Apart from DNF’s and being taken out of a high points scoring positions twice by a Mercedes car, he finished no lower than 2nd. He needed to do that too as Lewis was getting the lion’s share of luck with red flags etc. That is why, for me, he deserved the title more over the entire season.
Mayrton
29th June 2022, 21:47
Very limited view of a season based on a single race.
Rod Dee
29th June 2022, 14:30
If Christian Moarner thinks MM made a wrong call in Abu Dhabi and shameful to finish the championship in safety car then you should tell to FIA to award the drivers championship to a rightful one…
Qeki (@qeki)
29th June 2022, 14:40
I wrote this while ago. Stop looking at the statics (well I am doing it too) and let those things go where your doing doesn’t affect at all. Max is a worthy champion so is Lewis, so could have been many more which didn’t win the title. If someone is close to 1st place in the standings he/she is a worthy champion in that series. Every driver makes also mistakes. Race director’s make mistakes in their life and in their job. There is life without F1 but there is also life in F1
Qeki (@qeki)
29th June 2022, 14:40
#deletestatics
André
29th June 2022, 16:01
That is not the point.
What happened in Abu Dhabi is not just a natural part of the sport, it was a deliberate wrong decision which should have never happened, and which literally defined the winner. Masi made a high-profile mistake and that is not equal to any other mistake by a driver. It’s not like rain or a tyre blowout. A judge is not supposed to put an innocent man in jail or wrongly apply the law. That is a serious mistake by the person who is supposed to maintain the integrity of the sport and the competition, so it is completely on another level of seriousness.
sethje (@seth-space)
29th June 2022, 17:22
wrong, that situation was created when the SC showed up and Mercedes decided not to pit lewis.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
29th June 2022, 18:04
nonsense. the situation was created when Masi broke the rules.
Qeki (@qeki)
30th June 2022, 12:46
As said here by many there were many mistakes by Max by Red Bull by Lewis by Mercedes and most importantly by Masi. Masi should be the guy who is confirms the orders and penalties. He should not have been the guy who makes mistakes. He did. As did Lewis in Baku as did Max in Saudi. Everyone makes mistakes some bigger than others. Masi certainly had an effect in the championship (which is a big no no) but so did Lewis, Max, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Qeki (@qeki)
30th June 2022, 12:53
about my latest comment and that’s why statics are pointless. Yes they will tell a lot but Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna should have had more wins but statics tell something else. You somehow have to tell who is the best and the easiest way is to look to the numbers. It works quite well in the standings but there are so many x/y factors if you look the whole history of statics.
Horacio
29th June 2022, 14:43
The 2021 season was awesome, and was ruined by a terrible, terrible decision that put the spectacle ahead of the competition.
Horner should stop blahblying and read the report published by FIA.
jff
29th June 2022, 15:23
Interestingly, he seems one of the few here who has actually read the report and truly agreeing with it (see my comment above).
lebesset
29th June 2022, 15:33
I have given up watching up F1 after many years
for me there is no longer honour in the sport , or should I say business
many years ago stirling moss went to the stewards and got his opponent reinstated from a black flag as it was not correct , and gave up his chance of the world championship
verstappen could have seen justice served by not overtaking hamilton but he lacked the character preferring to win at any cost ; certainly no true champion
S
29th June 2022, 16:25
You’ve conveniently ignored the rest of the season there, lebesset.
Lots of other things happened through the year that could also have changed the result of the championship.
I don’t recall Hamilton or any other person in F1 asking for the results to be changed to favour someone other than themselves – nor for impartial, pure sporting integrity.
Every person in F1 is there for themselves and their team. Nobody on the track or in the garages is there for F1 as a sport, holistically speaking.
While there is something to gain from being selfish, humans will do it – no matter what it is.
Matt
29th June 2022, 16:12
“The reality is, is a championship is won over a season, not over a single race…” to “Nobody wanted to see a world championship won under a Safety Car” ,possibly in one breath.
HJ
29th June 2022, 18:58
Hahaha, the therapysession continues…
G
29th June 2022, 19:02
;) 🎣
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
29th June 2022, 21:08
I really cannot understand why they have this rule that lapped cars can unlap themselves behind the safety car.
If the intention is not to have cars out of position during a restart then it is much quicker (and fairer) to let them drop to the back of the field.
F1 has so many silly rules that it is a wonder that we do not get fiascos like that more often.
Markus
29th June 2022, 21:08
Swap Mercedes for Ferrari and think what would have happened if Leclerc had fought Verstappen in that situation.
I can’t imagine such a campaign of hate and accusations directed at Masi. Mercedes are the most toxic team, they use the British media to manipulate public opinion. They have literally destroyed him. A team that talks so much about respect for another human being.
Masi made one mistake: instead of letting all the cars through, he only let some of them through, and that would NOT have changed the outcome of the championship.
Michael, I’m with you. I believe you made a mistake, but the penalty was not reasonable. No human being should be treated this way. Unfortunately, after Rosberg left, Hamilton appointed himself as the self-proclaimed king of F1, and we are seeing the consequences now. As Bernie said recently – “people talk more about Hamilton than they do about Formula One”. It’s sad because we have many great ambassadors for the sport.
I hope after your lunch with Wolff, what he said to you, how he tried to influence you, you are happy that his team is having problems this season.
Edvaldo
30th June 2022, 23:38
That mistake made the restart illegal.
Do you read the rules before making these assumptions?
Holdingmybreathforgoodnews
29th June 2022, 21:11
As we all knew already it was manipulated just like SLH said…it was blindingly obvious (to those who aren’t blind that is).
Tyler
29th June 2022, 22:49
The mistake he made was not unlapping the cars 2 laps before when Latifis car was off the track. He dithered too long, panicked that he had screwed over a race restart, and then did what he did trying to make it right. Which was a mess. However, if he had executed his job to perfection the race would still have restarted as it should. There was no excuse whatsoever to finish that race behind a SC.
Fred Fedurch
29th June 2022, 23:01
Salty!
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
30th June 2022, 8:48
It really doesn’t matter what Horner says or doesn’t say, or Toto for that matter.
The 2021 season is over, the standings ratified and awards given.
Whether it was right or wrong is therefore completely irrelevant – nothing going to change the result.
Time to move on.
Andrzej
30th June 2022, 10:24
The asterix stays forever.
It was Masi that won it ‘for the show.’
Jason Alder
30th June 2022, 11:24
The fact that as far as I know Michael Masi has not given a single interview about his decisions in the final race, which effectively denied the race win and championship for Hamilton, says it all.
It indicates he got it wrong. Just imagine if Verstappen was leading the race and Masi’s decisions benefited Hamilton and Mercedes. Would Red Bull have just “let it go”?
Bramtech
30th June 2022, 11:53
Yes, the result is now the result and nothing is going to change that, however the comments now made by Christian Horner is proof that the man has no integrity or shame. Horner and Wheatley were the two men badgering Masi into doing what he did …….’ we only need one lap of racing!’ etc etc. If anyone now thinks that Horner was genuinely worried about all the abuse and trolling he got, they are very much mistaken. Horner and Wheatley got the outcome they wanted and didn’t give a toss about Masi at the time. If anyone needs to have a good look at themselves in the mirror regarding the abuse of Masi and the subsequent sacking then it’s them.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
30th June 2022, 18:40
Of course he understood this from the beginning – it’s quite simple however his stance was necessary to defend Max’s title from review. I remember we specifically discussed this here following the finale.
Edvaldo
30th June 2022, 18:54
Really gets dificult to support F1 as a sport when the whole world knows the organization itself intervened in a title decision unfairly.
This is not some debatable stuff. It was crystal clear when it happened yet it was let go for the sake of the excitement.
If any future publications put an asterisk on the 2021 season, i won’t disagree. Nobody disagrees on that matter anymore, it was wrong and everybody knows it. The only reason it stays at it is because it wont change anything.