2021 Abu Dhabi GP Race Review | WTF1 Podcast

The 2021 title battle went down to the final lap in an Abu Dhabi finale not even Netflix could have scripted. We review the thrilling but controversial finish to the World Championship and all the talking points from a chaotic race.
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00:00:00 Intro and fans 3WRR
00:04:20 Last lap drama
00:49:47 Masi gotta go
01:13:21 A worthy champion
01:26:11 Sainz P3
01:32:05 Kimi's farewell
01:34:42 ABCDEF1
01:44:05 Predictions
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[@MambaBreezy24]

Max fan here, extremely happy for him. But Lewis didn't deserve to lose that way. I just wish the final lap/battle happened naturally. It would have been the greatest finish to a season ever.

[@aaryangupte6831]

This season was never great we saw just good racing but the way it was handles was too bad there were better seasons out the e

[@georgewebster7472]

Natural finish would have Lewis as champion.

[@markboots_]

@@georgewebster7472 We will never know. When you see how close Sainz and Yuki finished, Verstappen would still have a chance to overtake backmarkers and drive for the win (but out of his hands, that opportunity was taken away too).

[@Vincrand]

@@markboots_ He wasn't fst enough to catch up.

[@Vincrand]

@@georgewebster7472 And looking at how good the driver-car combinations were Max would have won. Lewis deserved this race, but Max deserved the championship.

[@pandre5458]

looking back at this season the thing that stands out the most is lewis starting alone on intermediate tyres on a dry track will never forget that for the rest of my life

[@domieszter]

The most hilarious moment of the year 😁 Mercedes being stingy with pit stops there too

[@Reiver-93]

Imagine if he stalled it

[@soundscape26]

Yes, but that left me wondering how even more fantastic would've been to have a grid with no cars at all... damn Mercedes. 😄

[@danielwilliams1672]

Wait when was that? Imola?

[@soundscape26]

@@danielwilliams1672 Hungary

[@chanhw]

Agree with Matt. Mercedes in P1 is strategically limited. Red Bull in P2 has “nothing to lose.”

[@rickzwart89]

If Mercedes pitted HAM during SC for softs and RB not pitting Max and resume with hards, we had the outcome the other way around. If both changed for softs, HAM probably won since his engine has the better set up. Fully blame Mercedes for this loss.

[@aidenrylott6688]

@@rickzwart89 Yes. However it could have ended under safety car (as it should have according to the rules) and lewis would have lost. So Mercedes made the correct gamble based on the rules, historical examples and precedent. I don’t care who would have won. But you can’t blame any of this on either driver, or either teams strategy.

[@sebastian0505]

@@aidenrylott6688 I think the teams agreed prior to the race that if a safety car comes out they want to resume to racing as soon as possible. So with 5 laps remaining a restart was not that unlikely even with following the rules. If the lapped cars would have been allowed to overtake right away (when the message came that they are not allowed to unlap) then we would have had the same situation with the restart like we did get in the actual race. Just without controversy of course…

[@rickzwart89]

@@aidenrylott6688 the teams agreed on this earlier this season that a race will not end under a yellow flag or SC. That is why Christian Horner says in the radio to Masi ''we (the whole F1 and not RB) only need 1 lap to race''. So Merc was terribly wrong here.

[@chanhw]

A red flag was used in previous races for lesser incidence. At least everyone could change tires and a fair fight for the remaining 4 laps (stoppage because of red flag).

[@blakebarone1809]

Despite my vehemently rooting against him, Lewis Hamilton, along with his dad, put on a clinic in how to behave under painful circumstances. I would be proud to model such behavior as a father and proud if I had a son who behaved in that manner.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Like not parking on grid and doing no interviews after podium? He literally avoided p2 parking. So yeah ok. Complaining Checo was dangerous when lewis did exact same in 16 to nico. So yeah Lewis was a baby as per usual

[@andrewgarner3428]

@@captaintoyota3171 Knock it off. The guy was hurting. He took a few minutes to collect himself away from the grid, and then acted impeccably during the post race interview and the podium. Not many people could act with such class in such circumstances. It wouldn’t surprise me if merc told Lewis not to do the after podium press as they were in the process of lodging a protest.

[@benlucid3063]

I agree, I’m not a fan of Lewis at all, and usually find his behaviour quite hypocritical. But post that race, losing the championship in the final lap… he conducted himself with great dignity. Have to acknowledge that.

[@adamoconnor8764]

@@benlucid3063 Every F1 Team and Driver are hypocrites, they pick and choose what opinion to have when it benefits them. Thats just how much everyone in F1 want to win

[@mirrrie]

@@adamoconnor8764 your opinion doesn't mean even less

[@MoonlightGuidance]

Only 96 days until the Bahrain GP!! 🇧🇭

[@xaifer2485]

only? 😭😭😭

[@shabnamshihad4310]

Thats tooo much 😭😭

[@disguisedhuman]

@@shabnamshihad4310 Only 3 months 🤷‍♂️

[@Johann_Gambolputty_of_Ulm]

Only 3 months until the next season of "Formula 1 by Netflix" 🤣

[@josephhynes5874]

Heck, we are only 10 weeks away from the new 2022 cars debuting in Spain for testing...!

[@MarcDavidReich]

Biggest gripe of the season for me… engine penalties. First one 10 places, that’s fine. Next 1 to infinity only 5 places. This rule was to help the less financially strong teams. NOT intended to give THE wealthiest team multiple opportunities to get MORE power more often with reduced penalties… I mean Max took 1 which damaged by a Mercedes, which means the durability of the Honda engine is a bit better, but the Mercedes has huge power when new which at the end of the day nullifies the whole penalty…. But only nullifies it for Mercedes….

[@HerbertFitzgerald]

I'd also like to know where all of this pace came from, now that the season is over. Throughout this season, a new Merc power unit never turned one of their cars into a rocketship until this last one. Definitely not buying the whole, "we understand the car better now" statement. Idk, I just can't stop wondering.

[@billymays4110]

@@HerbertFitzgerald I think they were using Bottas as a bit of a guinea pig to see how long the engine could last at full beans

[@HerbertFitzgerald]

@@billymays4110 oh I definitely agree, but why not throw a new engine in his car at Saudi at the latest, especially with how worried they were about red bull playing bumper cars. I agree that they had the engine turned way up. But ultimately I just can't buy that it fully accounted for the massive leap forwards.

[@MarcDavidReich]

@@HerbertFitzgerald red bull bumper cars? I think Lewis hit max in Saudi, and Britain, and the other Mercedes hit half the grid in Hungary. So it’s Mercedes bumper cars for me.

[@Lo33y_]

I mean you said it yourself. The rule has to be there because if a team develops a bad engine they would be hindered incredibly, and it can be to no fault of their own. GP2 engine coming to mind. Removing the rule would just screw over those teams, also having it so that the rule only applies to teams with unreliable engines isn't fair. The rules should be for every team not some.

[@selder_7]

Sainz definitely driver of the season for me. No one would’ve bet on him going to Ferrari, beating Leclerc and helping them beat McLaren while Ricciardo has had a huge struggle. Best of the rest in his first year at the team, sensational. And they all have new cars next year, if the Ferrari ends up on top then he could easily take the lead at the start at least

[@mikepod637]

Fax

[@parkypark22]

Only facts here

[@dean-charlesb.8121]

Nah

[@adamoconnor8764]

@MyGaming Den ok buddy but Sainz beat leclerc

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

For me there were many stand outs, 1st part of the season Lando, mid season Pierre and across the season on reflection Carlos.

[@aquila121]

I'm saying it now, my bold prediction for 2022: Albon puts the Williams on the podium for one of the events. And if he manages a win with that team, I will literally explode.

[@fundude365]

George will spear him into the wall before that happens. "GEEOOOOOOOOOOOORGE!!!" 🤣🤣🤣

[@frankellis9627]

Yeah, that's a bold prediction alright! Hahaha 😂😂😂

[@GG-ng3ce]

LOL🤣

[@jakubkrcma]

Have some paper towels ready for the monitor and the keyboard. Sometimes, I also explode, so I am experienced. 😀😉

[@bananajoe4233]

Latifi will probably forever be known as the guy who made Max a world champion. Just like Glock

[@Joey-bg8po]

Let’s just hope he doesn’t have to live with a decade of regret and anxiety like poor Timo did

[@skyress2103]

Its scary how similar lewis and max won their first championships

[@Skidward420]

Or for being slow

[@lovejoy131]

@@skyress2103 One was a natural event and one was manufactured. Not similar at all.

[@Lelouch980]

Ikr what happened to Latifi btw?

[@jpisaac85]

Absolutely loved every single WTF1 podcast this season. thank you guys!. See you next season!

[@Mafootion]

I love these podcasts, been listening since half way through 2019. These are great for me in the gym. Can you keep making them through the offseason, just for me to enjoy.

[@ziweiwang1704]

same, great for gym, the time length is just perfect

[@selder_7]

Thank you for all of these podcasts over the year, been a great part of the event for me to take scope of what’s happened over the weekend

[@Emorphiamusic]

the communication between team principals and masi will be stopped from next season. that will make a big difference and its a good deceision i think.

[@adamoconnor8764]

They must get rid of Masi theres no way he stays

[@mziyabo]

Just Fire Masi. Probelm solved get a new man who tells every one to shut up.

[@vincentfotografie]

Understandable, but I really loved it

[@contendedracer5861]

Agreed, in my opinion the team/FIA radio has promoted quite a lot of toxicity from fans and the media.

[@charmaine8964]

They will stop us hearing the communication...

[@kanuuu1540]

To neglect sainz from the fight and all the rest behind regardless of whether they would have overtaken max etc was ridiculous. Masi made the point to Toto that this was motoracing yet he actually took actions to essentially bar a whole field of people from the race to focus on two cars.

[@noomade]

well said

[@joshuacorreia5600]

it wasnt just sainz, tsunoda as well as bottas were on the lead lap and were bassically in a position where they could fight either other than each other of course

[@Cailus3542]

Exactly. There are eighteen other cars in that race, all competing against each other. Carlos Sainz had a real opportunity there for P2 or even his first race win if something bonkers happened.

[@ZxBiohazardZx]

As if Sainz truely had a chance on Max.... lets get real man, no way

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@ZxBiohazardZx No, you be real. Let's face it, all it takes is for Max and Lewis to have a moment like they usually do and Sainz only needs to lead for a lap or so and he's got Ferrari's 1st dub in 2+ years.

[@annabellefriedrich162]

I absolutely love your post race podcasts! It's an inherent part of my race weekends. I am so looking forward to next season and I hope your content helps me through off season 🧡

[@frankellis9627]

The incident with Glock was straight racing. It had nothing to do with the FIA or the race Director! 😎

[@panacheautomotive4298]

Exactly

[@Shifftee]

Plus it was a sort of an artificial drama caused solely by the fact that Glock decided to stay out on dry's during the rain which later put him into a similar position Lando was in back in Russia. Had he pitted for inters, it would've never happened and Massa's pit crew wouldn't be celebrating his championship after he crossed the finish line.

[@cbreazienutz]

Race dictator*

[@Sem5626]

here is how you fix the team radio to masi situation: you leave both toto and horner on the same call with them thinking masi is there to moan to, but it's really just only toto and horner on the call see how long it takes for them to figure it out

[@tomar81]

I would suggest to deploy Google duplex to talk with team bosses on behalf of race director

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@tomar81 XD That would be boss.

[@dragospahontu]

@@F1ll1nTh3Blanks man in a football match the manager doesn't call up the referee to talk about the penalty.

[@alextjb]

Lmao, this was funny. Thank you 😂

[@tomar81]

@@dragospahontu in a football match team captain is designated person for this kind of conversation with referee

[@bbb229]

14:00 Brawn already said that starting next year, Team Bosses are not allowed to contact Masi during a race as its unacceptable. It should only be the way around aka Raceleader telling you things to do. Now it was Toto telling to not deploy a safety car. Christian telling its bollocks that the cars couldnt unlap etc. And I can only agree to this. All this controversie started when we gained access to all communications between teams and Masi/FIA which gives way to much inside to public and other teams on what happens and therefor more opinions to be given. In Charley's time we didnt have that.

[@PandzaMan]

100%

[@disguisedhuman]

RIP the FIA Radio

[@damiantosd8720]

Is that an admission of guilt by saying the communications effected the race result?

[@auperion]

Source please?

[@bbb229]

@@auperion Its in a Interview with German News: Auto, Motor und Sport.

[@masonbeck566]

4:43 it’s also quite poetic that Max (the young lion) won on fresh softs against Sir Lewis (the experienced knight) on used hards. Almost as if the universe was indicating the changing of the guard.

[@tobysimpson5744]

The podcasts have been fantastic this year. Tommy in particular puts across thought provoking arguments that are clearly well informed. Respect & thanks for a brilliant season

[@ACsPianoCorner]

I agree with Tom. Everything was OK until the last minute decision by Masi to let the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen go. All cars should be allowed to unlap themselves. Max is a worthy Champion but Hamilton did get robbed by Masi applying a rule in a way that F1 has never done before. For a fan who has watched F1 for years, its disappointing and I only blame Masi and the FIA. Congrats to Max.

[@isaacwilson752]

This is probably the best comment I’ve seen on the matter, especially as a neutral!

[@sydliquid2152]

As a Max fan i totally agree. The decision was just rubbish.

[@simonlawrence7727]

correct, blame at all ends of course but got to look at the people who are meant to be regulating it all and the numerous calamities across the season, only people to blame here are the FIA. Need a good look at themselves before next season.

[@gomguppie2]

As a neutral fan, merc screwed up themself not pitting. How delusional are people these days. Like someone summerized before: - 29 Times Lewis went over track limits in Bahrain - Very convenient red flag after Lewis crashes in Imola (1 lap reset) - Redbull forced to modify their legal rear wing after Spain - Sacrificed Bottas for 2 extra points in Monaco - Max's tyre blew in Baku - Minimum pit stop time set after France - Crashed max out of Silverstone and getting the full 26 points - Bottas crashed max out in Hungary - Max denied full points in Spa, or they would not be equal going in the last race - Max punished for being driven off track in Monza - Tuned up monster engine for final few races, sacrificing Bottas again, and making use of the only 5grid penalty after the 5th engine is used - Rogue marshall in Qatar penalizing Max - Max being punished while also being run of wide and getting rear ended by Lewis - Lewis gets reprimand for driving under double yellow while Max gets a grid penalty - Favoured by stewards after cutting the corner in turn 7 in Abu Dhabi, everyone has to return the position except Lewis Even as a casual Lewis fans who loves hard and fair racing he had the luck and the help of stewards all year long while making more mistakes this years then he did previous 7/8 combined while he is at Mercedes. Its been one hell of a season, but mercedes threw it all way and Lewis knew the moment he stayed out and max pitted he knew and we all did, merc made a big strategic mistake. But to blame fia and everyone else isnt fair if you keep it logical and rational.

[@tonTeufel]

The entire point of having the ownership of F1 and running the races split between F1 group and the FIA is so the FIA doesn't have a conflict of interest between running fair and safe races and putting on a show. But somehow they still do and putting on a show, even if it breaks very black and white rules, seems to have won out this year more often than not.

[@aarnavkembhavi2820]

THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE PODCASTS, THE RACE WEEKEND ONLY ENDS ONCE THIS PODCAST ENDS

[@tensevo]

I think Toto shouting "no Michael that's not right" was perfect, that is what made it for me. without that real jeopardy, you just had the false jeopardy of a contrived safety car restart.

[@josephcole8046]

As somebody who would've preferred Hamilton to win the championship, I was pretty annoyed with how it was panning out at that point, but Toto Wolff's shouting was hard to ignore as an absolutely incredible addition to the 'drama' that was unfolding. It seemed like it was scripted and edited in to some film, that's how perfect it was for the moment. It will go down as a pretty iconic piece of audio for Formula One. It was far better than anything commentators could have come up with at that point - it perfectly encapsulated the injustice of the whole situation. I do agree however that if they wanted to make it seem like what was happening was natural and not manufactured farcical theatre then putting something that sort of makes it sound like that is a pretty terrible decision.

[@jordonez42]

I totally agree lol. I understand Toms perspective but goodness, what drama. Contrived? I don’t know. All I know is, I was screaming

[@tensevo]

@@jordonez42 to clarify I don't mean the situation was manufactured, I mean the response was unusual to make it a showdown when it would normally finish behind safety car.

[@Shifftee]

Given the fact that Toto turned into an ultimate party-animal singing "We Are The Champions" aloud just a few hours after that race, it kinda gives it away that those "desperate-villain" screams were scripted and manufactured for the sake of the showdown. Toto is a businessman and cares more about the overall money F1 makes than the championship of his driver.

[@tensevo]

@@josephcole8046 come on crofty has been ace all season

[@futbolista24]

I think the move Verstappen pulled on Lap 1 was late, but it was on. By the time he'd sent it, Hamilton hadn't even begun to turn in yet (to my recollection, I'd need to watch it back again to double-check), so the gap was there. Now, yes, Verstappen did send it in deep, but ultimately kept it clean and on the road. And, yes, Hamilton didn't have anywhere to go if he wanted to hit the apex of the corner, but by that point one could say he'd already lost the corner since Verstappen had taken the high ground from him. He could have delayed taking his turn to follow Max and stay on the road, that option was available, but he chose not to take it as it would have disadvantaged him further. It's somewhat reminiscent (though obviously not a 1:1 comparison because they're totally different scenarios) of that Vettel overtake in Austria a couple of years back where he took the inside line down into 3 and delayed turning in to keep Hamilton from a cut-back or taking a wide line around him. Granted, it wasn't a late lunge like this one was, but the same principle was there - Hamilton could have taken to the run-off, but in that situation he chose to turn in later than Vettel. Either way, I think the way the incident played out showed the mindset of Hamilton in that there was no way he was going to be disadvantaged by a forceful move from Verstappen no matter what, and regaining a position he had already lost and failing to give it back is - at least from my view - something that warranted at least being looked at when it came to giving back lasting advantages.

[@Cailus3542]

There's one flaw in your argument: that Lewis could have "delayed taking his turn". I'm sorry, but he simply couldn't do that. He'd already tried to turn in as late as he possibly could to stay on the road, but Max overcommitted with his late braking. There was just nowhere for Lewis to go. Forget the apex. He literally had no way tof making that corner because of Max's lunge (and indeed, he only just avoided making contact when he did turn in). When overtaking, both drivers have to leave the space for each other. Max did not leave that space, literally blocking the entire corner with his late braking, giving Lewis nowhere else to go but off the track. Or, to put it another way, Max forced Lewis off the track. If Lewis had ended up behind Max afterwards, Max would have to had to give the place back anyway. This is, I believe, why no investigation was warranted. It was an illegal overtake that was immediately remedied by another illegal overtake. Lewis was ordered to slow marginally to account for the time he gained by cutting the corner, and after that, just let them race. No harm, no foul.

[@alextjb]

I agree. And I’m a Hamilton fan. And think Max’s driving is way over the line on occasion like Saudi and Brazil. But yea ultimately lap one was a solid pass and fair. He done down way late but he kept it on the road. Fair play to him. I don’t necessarily think Hamilton should have immediately given the place back. But I fully agree that they should have looked at it. Because I have no clue how he did not gain a “lasting advantage”. Essentially this is the other problem that the FIA has created… all these new F1 fans have no clue what hard clean racing is. If you’ve been an F1 fan for a long time or have actually driven race cars before then you know that Brazil was over the line and lap 1 Max move was totally fair. That’s the part that really sucks for me. They are so inconsistent over what is a penalty and what isn’t now that new fans have no clue. It’s a real shame. :(

[@alainhofman3894]

@@Cailus3542 Hamilton could have lifted and then steered to the left, moving behind Verstappen. I agree with you that he had no room because of Verstappen's move, except for the possibillity to slow down and then make the corner. Instead, Lewis held his foot down and went straight, cutting the corner entirely.

[@oldmossystone]

Kinda like Silverstone where Max hadn't begun to turn in by the time Hamilton had 'sent it'... I suspect your view of the legitimacy of that move is different though? Only difference being that here, Hamilton turned wide to avoid contact when He saw max on the inside, whereas at Silverstone, Max turned in towards Lewis when he saw him there... oops lol

[@futbolista24]

@@oldmossystone Somewhat different scenario as: a) Copse is a high speed corner taken at a very acute angle; and, b) It's not a braking zone. The most you do is engine brake and let the downshifts bleed off the speed into the corner. You need to win the corner prior to entry I'm not about to argue with a random anonymous internet person trying very hard to pull a "gotcha" moment, but the facts of that situation are also plain to see to anyone who actually looks at the incident: a) As mentioned above re: Copse. b) Verstappen was ahead - marginally, but still ahead - going into the corner and, while he pinched Hamilton to the inside, he still did leave a Mercedes-sized gap on the inside line of Copse and took a wider line c) Because of the above point, Hamilton had not won the corner from Verstappen d) Hamilton was nowhere near the apex of Copse at the time of impact and still had a notable amount of space on his inside from entry to impact e) At the speed Hamilton was going, with the angle of his entry, and the understeer he experienced, he wasn't going to keep on the track; even with the collision to further bleed off speed he barely kept on the correct side of the kerb. The only way that contact was not happening was if Hamilton backed out, or Max disappeared. However, neither happened, so contact occurred. Overall, I think it was fair for Hamilton to try and win Copse on the way in with the slingshot out of Luffield and Woodcote, but the moment he'd gotten pinched onto the acute entry angle without being decisively ahead of Verstappen was the moment he probably should have bailed out of it. On the flip side, Verstappen probably could have run wider and used the runoff area on exit to avoid the contact and we'd never have had the controversy of the impact, but then we'd have had an entirely different online screamfest with people arguing whether he had left the track to avoid contact or to keep his position. Either way, it's a scenario that isn't easy to judge because it happened very quickly and was over in a split second, but I still lean in Verstappen's favor because at no point did Hamilton decisively win the corner from him (and thus the right to force Verstappen to deviate/give way). It's simply a case of "The move was on until it wasn't". He was within his rights to try it until the point he should have backed out because he hadn't taken the high ground.

[@jacobwettschreck958]

This whole season it seemed like the rules have been enforced specifically to keep the fight close and not let one team run away with the lead

[@silvereagle404]

this is exactly what happened. i have no proof but it seems obvious

[@Shifftee]

So basically the competition was manufactured as they learned that when you have someone more competitive than the rest the sport becomes boring. I believe that despite the new regulations the FIA still gonna intervene with controversial decisions to make sure no one gets too far ahead so that the show stays exciting.

[@cloudk2088]

Love you guys and your rapid uploads the past few days, keeping me in the loop!

[@flagfision-5057]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnnOp2Z-fbV7nM0

[@foogattimcr8777]

Some of us watched 23 races, every press conference, every sprint, every interview, consumed everything and then had all that time throw into the bin when F1 heads decided to go entertainment over sport. It really was the worst way for it all to end. Regardless of who you like.

[@jasonuk8333]

Yes. This.

[@scottmeredith3359]

I agreed with all of this until the throw it in the bin part. I'm one of those "every second of every race weekend" viewers, and had many occasions where I was furious with the sport and F1. This really wasn't one of them. It was confusing, but I believe finishing the race with the front runners where they should was the right call, even if Masi screwed up the details. It was NOT a foregone conclusion Max would win. Mercedes knew they were in trouble the second Latifi crashed, this was always going to be ugly for one of them.

[@foogattimcr8777]

@@scottmeredith3359 it was against the regulations. That is all that matters.

[@greenwhitechequered9885]

It was a 22 race season.

[@sekondnature101]

@@scottmeredith3359 Agreed. If what Tommy said about Damon Hill saying both teams agreed prior to the race to do whatever possible to make it end under green flag then it is definitely on Mercedes. A crash with 5 or more laps remaining would have been a guaranteed change to softs for me, regardless of track position. If they didn't have that agreement for the push to end under a green flag, I get their concern for giving up track position, changing to the softs, and have Max win behind the safety car.

[@brandonnoffze4595]

This was my first season watching F1. Before the season started I listened to all of the WTF1 podcasts for the past couple of years. During this season one of the highlights of my weeks were listening to you guys. So glad youre still planning on doing some offseason podcasts. I cant wait!

[@selder_7]

Verstappen deserves to be champion, Hamilton didn’t deserve to lose it like that. FIA need to change and Masi needs to go. This could’ve happened the other way around too, so fans on both sides need to push for change. The teams do to because it was unfair on a lot of them as well. Not to change the result, but just to improve things next year Otherwise, what a season it’s been

[@henkjanvanraikonnen5073]

Can't Toto Wolf and Mercedes let it to rest. Even champions are lucky in their careers. Hamilton first title in Brazil Interlagos. If Timo Glock hadn't let him pass, Ferrari Massa would have been champion by then. All champions are lucky once in their career. See Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda etc. The FIA ​​and Michael Masi should take a good look at themselves next season, because all that haggling with the rules is not good for the sport in the long term. We may not see Masi again next year, after all those blunders and sometimes weird decisions. Toto Wolf let it rest.. One time bad luck and this time you fish behind the net. This does not benefit the Mercedes brand. Next year you will definitely be there again with 2 world drivers

[@MarshTheDarsh]

Would never go as far as to say I feel sorry for Masi (he's been his own worst enemy for the most part) but he was in a no-win situation imo. Even if they threw a red flag out it would have left a bad taste because of the tyre change rules in that scenario. Either way, you're 100% right, massive change is needed, hopefully beginning with Masi getting the yeet (edit for brevity)

[@filipeferreira2281]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 There is nothing about being unlucky or lucky in 2021 WDC decision. It was just an error from FIA and it changed the outcome of the last race. With this being said, I want Mercedes to continue with the appeal, not to change the final results (which almost guaranteed hamilton wouldn't accept it), but to open the eyes to everyone that FIA was wrong and cannot be ruling based on entertainment..

[@TearTheRoof0ff]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 Luck is one thing (definitely agree with your main sentiment here), but tearing up the rule book for arse paper is a different ball game.

[@Firebolt1729]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 Bruh if Glock pitted Massa would never had been in the championship winning position

[@theglitch312]

Matt how do you feel about Sainz beating Leclerc in the WDC? :P

[@noomade]

I am assuming .. shocked like most of us!

[@magicsdolbear19]

Amazing and puts the Leclerc mega fans off their high horse

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

XD

[@Duderino27]

He will come back stronger... still 2 victories against 0... 😉

[@thatguy_chad1160]

Always look forward to the podcasts. You three are the best and I cannot wait to watch more in the future! Have a great holiday

[@wmanns07]

Just want to say thank you guys for all the content you put together. I really enjoy and has helped me learn F1 along the way as I am following for 3 years now. The time and effort that put into should be recognized and in my eyes you are my official F1 commentators!

[@thelonesculler]

ONE HOUR 51 MINUTES???!!! *grabs popcorn, porridge & coffee*

[@selder_7]

Never ever want to hear that the FIA are Mercedes or Hamilton biased. They’re biased towards making it a bigger show, and that’s not their job. And there’s no point being smug now if it worked out for your side because next time it might not, and it shouldn’t be that way

[@Skidward420]

Max got lucky once from it and it’s the end of the world

[@henkjanvanraikonnen5073]

Can't Toto Wolf and Mercedes let it to rest. Even champions are lucky in their careers. Hamilton first title in Brazil Interlagos. If Timo Glock hadn't let him pass, Ferrari Massa would have been champion by then. All champions are lucky once in their career. See Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda etc. The FIA ​​and Michael Masi should take a good look at themselves next season, because all that haggling with the rules is not good for the sport in the long term. We may not see Masi again next year, after all those blunders and sometimes weird decisions. Toto Wolf let it rest.. One time bad luck and this time you fish behind the net. This does not benefit the Mercedes brand. Next year you will definitely be there again with 2 world drivers

[@aaronb4936]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 in all honesty Hamilton has been one of the luckiest drivers I have ever seen over the years.

[@hellothere-us7iw]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 unlike Hamilton first title was won by luck but Max first title win was manufactured so Liberty Media and FIA will earn more money in the future. Hamilton's accidental luck vs Corporate Win to increase revenues.

[@ronrolfsen3977]

I do believe sometimes the steward might sometimes be biased one way or the other, but indeed I do not think FIA is at all. To be clear. Not saying the steward are biased to one driver or another. But maybe a bit biased toward a certain driving style or really hate certain actions. This is why I prefer a fixed set of them. This type of bias might still exist, but drivers will quickly learn how they operate and adjust to it as in my opinion they will be more consistent.

[@GeeTee90]

I haven't missed a single podcast this entire season! What a year it was. Thank you guys!!

[@NightOwlooo]

Thank you all for the podcasts! I look forward to them so much after every race 💕

[@kaziam4318]

Glock going slow is completely different to the race director deciding to unlap a few cars

[@Vincrand]

And Glock wasn't on inters on that wet track.

[@kaziam4318]

@@Vincrand I can't believe she even entertained that comparison in the podcast that's embarrassing.

[@kenwaller670]

Tommy loves max won dirty look at his smug face...

[@zeejemusic8843]

"Massi and his ever changing rulebook" that should be on all the formula 1 merch cause it's an accurate representation of the sport and that's what people want on t-shirts

[@theshirokuma5620]

@@spacewombat4569 replaced by 20 sided dice

[@PandzaMan]

@@spacewombat4569 BRILLIANT!!!!

[@eddeduck]

At a random point in each race, they should announce ' A WILD REGULATION HAS APPEARED' and then make up something on the spot.

[@PandzaMan]

@@eddeduck BRILLIANT!!!

[@PandzaMan]

Announce it like in Boxing..." MMMMmmmaaaaaaasssssiii Mmmmoomenttttt!!!" followed by and airhorn and the organ like in Ice Hockey when a Goal is scored :)

[@jdc7472]

Thanks for all the great content this season!

[@42mag]

Love the F1 chat. Thanks for all the content you guys put out. It's been a part of my F1 routine for a few years now and I'm looking forward to next year.

[@aha1106]

We may disagree on some things but there is one thing we all agree on. The WTF1 Podcast is the essential part of the race weekend.

[@milanwyd441]

no its not

[@Jonathan_sin88]

Been waiting for this since the race ended

[@wombatracing7131]

That's the thing i need after seeing all those bad posts on twt and IG. Why is it so hard for people to accept that both drivers were lucky and it's not like anyone got gifted anything. Those hardcore lewis and Max fans are part of the reason why i currently don't like the F1 community (not all but some). To listen to an unbiased (yeah i said it) podcast is actually really refreshing

[@WTF1official]

@@milanwyd441 And yet here you are 😂

[@flagfision-5057]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnnOp2Z-fbV7nM0

[@BOBBOBBOBBOBBOBBOB69]

The season ended in the manner it has been conducted the entire year, so a fitting ending.

[@rogerioit]

Which could've been great if the fight wasn't tampered. Fu** FIA

[@ATOnetwork]

@@rogerioit The fight has been tampered with all season, controversial from start to end.

[@Firebolt1729]

@@rogerioit True, FIA is just so inconsistent. Max deserved the championship, but not like this...

[@HazwanGiloz]

very true. it is a fair result for everyone but WTF1 still crying about it

[@danilicious2308]

@@HazwanGiloz they're Brits. What do you expect? Edit: troll comment. The WTF1 guys were very fair in the podcast.

[@TheMediocrityalt]

Always makes my day when I see a new podcast :) it always feels like im just having a laugh with my friends when i listen to them :P

[@TheDragonaf1]

Horner: "The time has come, execute order 44" Nicholas: "It will be done my lord"

[@Sarah_2094]

😂 i think the palpatine in helmut marko

[@paoaiipi5580]

Who would have thought that Latifi would decide the 2021 championship

[@Sem5626]

mclaren fan here so i couldn't give the slightest about who won it the point is that the end was manufactured by masi... what a disappointing end to such a great season, and also Max deserves better he deserves to actually win it off his own back as he's such a talented driver, but his first is going to always be remembered for this.... also after all the BS that Max carried on with... massive kudos to how Lewis handled being robbed like that, just look at how he handled it in comparison to how Max and Horner have been behaving the past few races then... don't get me started how the Max fan boys have been behaving online ever since on all the comments sections, they're embarassing

[@Sem5626]

@MT-Guitars yeah thanks for proving my point about Max fanboys you didn't even read my comment... get something new to say as well, every single one of you have for some reason discovered the word "salty" in the past couple of days, you know it's not actually an insult right?

[@chutneyful]

@MT-Guitars Funny you mention wingman when Perez helped Max a lot… that’s what team mates are for.

[@Sem5626]

@MT-Guitars salty or what about DR lol 🤣🤣🤣

[@Sem5626]

@MT-Guitars so you like them young

[@Snowridertn]

Can we also talk about how the abu dhabi track is still terrible? If it weren't for last lap drama, the race would have been practically uneventful. It doesn't have character, it's not historic, it's not fun, it doesn't produce nice races. It's a total waste for the last race of the season. You wanna keep the arab's oil money, fine, just slap it at the beginning of the season and forget about Dubai already, please.

[@yesfinallygot1]

and it's here to stay until 2030! woohoo....

[@teamracing07]

But the rich pay so much to F1 to have it as the last race which is why we will never lose it from the calendar. I bet we are talking millions if not tens of millions extra paid to have it on the calendar

[@S85B50Engine]

Hot take: It's in Hamilton's best interest to say he's against the appeal. The PR he would get from being an example of what good sportsmanship is would far outweight the 8th title.

[@matmul4850]

So you’re happy to let things carry on as they are? MB HAVE to appeal, if not for themselves then on behalf of all the teams.

[@supreethmahadeva5262]

Lol, none of Lewis's fans want him to stay quiet. It is not about him getting an 8th world championship. He can reject the 8th championship but still appeal with mercedes to make FIA apologize. FIA made a sham of this race and they need to change things. If Mercedes let's this go, we cannot go back to FIA breaking their own rules again in the future

[@terencecaron2922]

Toto congratulating Max, Ham admitting he lost, and now the whole team is goin back on it. This indeed doesnt make any sense

[@kityhawk2000]

@@terencecaron2922 why? It's not Max that Toto and Redbull has a problem with it's the FIA. So it's possible to say Max was deserving to be champion but also not agree with the way it happened. Isn't that what half the people in the comments are saying?

[@davidrubinstein5359]

@@matmul4850 lmao 😂

[@sunshine7631]

Love you guys. Thank you for your hard work, banter and insight this season. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your podcast. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@strixaluco7423]

Me going straight to ABC to see if Perez got his deserved A* His fight with Hamilton was outstanding and I would argue the best fight we have seen this season, with Alonso vs Hamilton coming close second.

[@charmaine8964]

Honorary mention to Yuki first his defense 😀

[@kevingeorge9727]

Just goes to show how good Hamilton must be if you give Perez an A* just for holding him up for a few corners. He's like Muhammad Ali. Other drivers become famous just because they're in his orbit.

[@strixaluco7423]

@@kevingeorge9727 I would give him an A* because he did the absolute maximum possible in that race and evenly fighting/holding off 1 of the 2 possible champions who was in the faster car and on fresh tyres while Perez tyres were done. I wont deny Hamiltons skills, but dont talk down the achievements of others only to boost your favorite guy.

[@Lo33y_]

Alonso held on for longer and it a significantly worse car. For me that's the best defence of the season. Also both their defence is what racing actually is, positioning the car to cover the overtake or re overtake into the next turn. Not pushing a driver of track. Pushing someone is not hard racing and people need to stop saying it is.

[@suckieduckie]

@@kevingeorge9727 typical that you make this about wanking Lewis. He's good, but this was amazing because Perez had dead tyres and Lewis usually breezes past most people on the same tyres.

[@jayjonesss]

Watched F1 since 2001… this makes me feel like it’s a show not a sport… odd feeling as a neutral especially that I love the rule of law

[@henkjanvanraikonnen5073]

Can't Toto Wolf and Mercedes let it to rest. Even champions are lucky in their careers. Hamilton first title in Brazil Interlagos. If Timo Glock hadn't let him pass, Ferrari Massa would have been champion by then. All champions are lucky once in their career. See Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda etc. The FIA ​​and Michael Masi should take a good look at themselves next season, because all that haggling with the rules is not good for the sport in the long term. We may not see Masi again next year, after all those blunders and sometimes weird decisions. Toto Wolf let it rest.. One time bad luck and this time you fish behind the net. This does not benefit the Mercedes brand. Next year you will definitely be there again with 2 world drivers

[@jayjonesss]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t that Toyota playing the long game with dry tires while everyone changed to wets then the Brazilian flood gates opened. I remember these seasons and incidents and events and honestly wanted to see who could win without FIA cheese brains lol Max or Lewis. It’s just sucks too be honest

[@jayjonesss]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 also have a blessed week my friend 😁 and a lovely winter holiday however you spend it

[@James-js2tr]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 How are you dim enough to not understand the difference between one driver passing another on track as a result of changing weather and one driver passing another as a result of manipulation by race control?

[@jayjonesss]

@@James-js2tr woah James, lets not guess peoples intellect online lol especially when we don't know each other. Maybe he just forgot. either way. share love my friend. share it!

[@cammiles5197]

Great balanced roundup guys, thankyou for these podcasts!!

[@charliewhittaker6429]

Lewis could've pitted for new tyres under the VSC earlier and been 5 secs behind Max with fresh tyres and 20 laps, this is what everyone is talking about not pitting under the last safety car

[@electricmocasins7789]

Given how much of the race was left I'm surprised they didn't pit Lewis. The teams are meant to take different possibilities into account when making decisions. Did they not consider that max would gain on them with the new tires and if a late safety car happened they wouldn't be able to pit like what happened at the end. I think Hamilton definitely would have had the pace to catch max if he pitted under the vsc. Even if max stayed out and didn't get new tires under the vsc Hamilton would have had much younger tires and a big advantage of max.

[@jenneilifill6147]

Well, Lando pitted, and look how that worked out.

[@charliewhittaker6429]

@@jenneilifill6147 didn’t pit under the VSC like I said Lewis should have in my comment, he pitted afterwards in green flag conditions because of a slow puncture.

[@jenneilifill6147]

@@charliewhittaker6429 I completely forgot about the puncture

[@bigmini2870]

The rule book does not need changing. Everything is there and fair. Article 48.13 does not override article 48.12 as every one is written with the assumption that the rest is followed. Article 15.3 does not give the race director overriding control over the safety car, it gives him overriding control over the course clerk when it comes to issues such as the safety car. Example, if the course clerk suggests something, Masi does not have to agree with it and if he does not, it does not go through. Mercedes' protests got dismissed not beaus they were invalid, but because its going to the FIA to protest the FIA, and the stewards misinterpreted the rules and pretty much said "this happened because it happened".

[@ronrolfsen3977]

"Article 48.13 does not override article 48.12 as every one is written with the assumption that the rest is followed" and that is just your assumption. While I might agree with you, the fact you use the word assumption when talking about rules proves they need a rewrite. There should be no assumptions. If this is in fact how the rules should be interpreted. Then it should be noted that this is the case. If you can assume something, you can also assume it differently. And also the example of any cars. It should be all cars or it should be clear who and how the "any" is decided. Even if the rule is just that it should be decided by the race director on the spot, this should be explicitly stated in the rules.

[@bigmini2870]

@@ronrolfsen3977 Yeah I agree with you, it should be changed to be more specific. Also the "any" wording has to also change because it does not say any lapped car, it says any car that has been lapped. The wording is just messed up but its kind of clear the way its supposed to be. But even without that any car rule, the main violation is still that the safety car is required to come back into the pits the following lap. There is nothing ambiguous about that article.

[@advitrastogi736]

my only problem is that the rule was broken and not even all cars were allowed to unlap themselves, only the ones in bw them, if I'm being honest, a finish under sc wud hv been better if not red flag directly for 5 laps of racing with both on fresh softs

[@sihfbaozgfengieg]

had the procedures be conducted properly, i.e., all cars unlapping on lap 56 immediately after track was clear, 57 safety car in, and 58 green flag, we will still witness the exact same thing with max verstappen snatching the victory from lewis hamilton in fresh softs

[@flagfision-5057]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnnOp2Z-fbV7nM0

[@advitrastogi736]

@@sihfbaozgfengieg well no cuz they wud hv let em past a lap later and wud hv ended under safety car

[@Ceece20]

@@advitrastogi736 they were the ones that incorrectly originally said no cars could unlap themselves. That rarely happens.

[@BA22E1_]

Why aren't drivers on the lead lap allowed to overtake the lapped cars under the safety? Saves time and we get the same result anyway

[@rodrigoguillencastillo6410]

It was a pleasure to enjoy this season with the three of you, i love the three of you, you have a friend in México.

[@xiaoweiwong8833]

[@MrMattie725]

Simple conclusion for me: I'll give F1 half a season to show things have changed. If there is no decent racing, bad or inconsistant ruling and Masi being Masi, I'm out.

[@zamteipachuau5160]

Bye²

[@3BGamersHD]

Please leave now no one needs your opinion anyway

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@3BGamersHD 12-0

[@cpthornman]

Same. And seeing lot of others with similar sentiment. F1 has a very big problem on their hands and I don't think they have a fuckin' clue how big of a problem it is.

[@7BD273]

Artificial drama and forced mass entertainment > clean racing, the integrity of the sport, following the rules. I think on Sunday it became clear what the FIA and Liberty Media prefer. They were greedy, and fabricated a last lap "showdown". What has happened was utterly disgusting and pathetic. I don't care if you hate Merc, Lewis, Toto or if you find their dominance boring, you have to see that this was a completely blatant, conscious and unfair intervention into the WDC title and the integrity of the sport took a big blow. There have been numerous questionable decisions throughout the year, and BOTH teams and drivers have benefitted from them. But Sunday's mess was another level, totally inexcusable. This was not a 50-50 decision. This wasn't a subjective or discretionary decision. The SC rules are clear and they chose to ignore and bend them because they deemed the outcome of following the rules [ie finishing under the SC] "not dramatic enough". So they intervened into the race in a completely arbitrary way just so they had a show to sell at the chequered flag. I sincerely hope that Merc's action, if anything, will change the way this sport operates. This is not WWE or a reality show. Edit: also, ANY means ALL, this is not a grey area. The FIA know that as well, Masi after the Eifel GP said the rule is to let cars unlap themselves. That's why in their defence, they rely on 15.3 and not the any vs all debate. (15.3 is bs as well imo, seeing as it gives the right to the RD to have control over the use of the SC but within the RULES (!...).)

[@7BD273]

Not sure at which point in this mess, Lewis said to his team on the radio: "This is getting manipulated man". And he was not wrong. To be clear, Max undoubtedly had a phenomenal season and would have 100% deserved to win the title. Did he have bad luck? Yes (and so did several other drivers who were fighting for the WDC title throughout history). Does that mean the FIA should bend the rules in an attempt compensate him in the last race? Absolutely not. I don't think they Max to win, I don't think they were "biased", but since they desperately wanted it to go down to the last lap they ignored the regs, and given the track positions and the brutal tyre advantage they essentially knew they were handing the win and the title to Max.

[@zafert85]

Just curious, were you furious with FIA in silverstone and Hungary as well?

[@magicjack4076]

@@zafert85 you don’t get the point, silverstone was just a crash like every other crash it came with a punishment that was deemed necessary. This however just creates artificial and fake drama everyone knew max would “win” as soon as masi said no cars would overtakes resulting in merc not pitting and then changing his mind for a last lap “showdown”

[@7BD273]

@@zafert85 why would I have been? did the FIA crash into Max? Lewis and Valtteri were both penalized for those instances, which were crashes that happened in racing situations (anyone who says those were deliberate and calculated moves does not have a clue about racing). I know that those events had a massive effect on the championship, and would have made Lewis' victory from Max's pov "unfair", or "undeserved". But these incidents are part of the sport, just like Monza and Baku were (and you could argue that had Max not been so aggressive in Silverstone, he would have come into Abu Dhabi with a big lead). Silverstone and Hungary are not comparable to the deliberate and arbitrary intervention of the race director.

[@alberts9781]

@@7BD273 yes they where because both of them where caused by the fia not caring about concequences in their decisions. Silverstone should have been a dq and hamilton should have won this last gp if they did care about making decisions fair. But thats not how it works atleast for now.

[@robgraham5016]

I can't remember if you keep going over the winter break, but I truly hope so! Love all the content!

[@ImRezqoo]

You guys made my F1 season even better🥰.. Thank you guys so much🔥🔥🔥

[@charliesmith9689]

I know it's great 'drama' but maybe we should ban Horner and Wolff from arguing with Masi? In other sports you aren't allowed to argue with the Ref, and maybe then Masi will be able to focus more on the job in hand?

[@user-iw1nw4du8x8]

Well, you are too late

[@Mike23443]

I think FIA is cutting the channel between team principals and the race director next season. They tweeted they were heavily considering it

[@danonthestrings]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It just looked like 2 children complaining to the teacher the whole season.

[@erikhuisman2487]

Agreed. There should be communication ONLY if the race director initiates it in my opinion

[@Lucky5tr]

It will be banned for next season

[@lukemontgomery1774]

From what I saw, when the safety car was coming through the final sector on lap 56/58, that was when the last marshal's had jumped off the circuit to behind the barriers. I'm making an assumption here but from that point isn't that when the track is deemed safe to let lapped cars through? So from that sense, Masi had the entirety of sector 1 and 2 on lap 57 to send that message to the teams to let all lapped cars past, which under safety car conditions is probably about a 90 second window, yet it took him until right the last second to decide to only let some through. So got no clue what he was doing waiting so long there.

[@theglitch312]

He had plenty of time. People arguing about Masi clearly bending the rules fail to realise that if he was doing his job effectively, Max’d likely still have won without any controversy. Well... If I was a Lewis fan I’d still feel robbed because losing due to a SC is just shit, even if the rules are followed. Anyways, Masi being slow led to the cluster fuck in the first place. He made his own bed, he needs to go.

[@jasoncp3257]

Thhe rules book dictates 1 lap after the incident is cleared up which was 56/58 so they could only be released on 57/58. And under the rules either none or all cars are to unlap, and if any cars are to unlap, the saftey car cannot come in until they return to the queue. Masi broke 2 rules in one go when the cars in front had to let max past anyways due to blue flags. That should have been the only way max could have won... but Masi doesn't like the rules he has to follow.

[@matthewcamina8508]

@@jasoncp3257 You’re right. Either the lapped cars stay as they are and we have one lap of racing, or they un-lap themselves and it finishes behind the safety car. I believe Brundle even said these were the two options in commentary. Masi couldn’t have released the cars before lap 57 as the track wasn’t clear. When he did release them then the rules dictate the SC comes in the following lap and Lewis wins the race. What actually happened was a total mess.

[@matslver6294]

@@jasoncp3257 the safetycar Can Come in without all cars returning to queue, but we rearly see that couse the safetycar is supposed to stay out one more lap After letting lapped cars trough

[@richardalldredge9129]

Only certain cars?

[@jasonbaroi4506]

after each race, the only thing that i look forward to is your podcast... Thank You Guys

[@tanyasmith5977]

Just got into listening to the Podcast this year and been wondering where it had been all my F1 life! You guys have done a great job, and as much as you have fave drivers have never shyed away from being honest about the bad and good. Katy I love your rant corner!! Maybe her rants could be there own video/podcast...

[@batdroid2705]

I will watch this episode at some point in the future when I am calm and have been to come to terms with the debacle. However, i wanted to thank you guys for your hard work and dedication, it's been amazing to go through the season with you. Keep up the good work

[@RS-hk3zt]

There should be a multiplier for how outrageous a pre-race prediction is

[@sgtnatko]

Great podcast. Once again the three of you hit the nail on the head so many times...

[@tinayoung5436]

I know I'm really late, but hey I'm "across the pond." Thank you so much for having your WTF1 podcast. I watch every one. I thoroughly enjoyed this racing season, and You're big reason why. Keep up the great work. See you next season. Bye👋, bye👋, bye👋

[@joeblack4026]

I was actually surprised Lewis was defending as hard. Fresh soft vs worn out hards it like racing Ferrari against Dacia. Lewis knew he had no chance to defend this. There could have been 5+sec a lap difference in favor of the softs at least.

[@aaronb4936]

No chance it’s 5 seconds a lap. Yes he was a sitting duck and fought hard though… no idea why he left the door wide open into turn (6?) both on lap one and the last lap. And Lewis knew the screwed up by not pitting

[@chiyolate]

​@@aaronb4936 Yeah, huge mistake by Mercedes. if they pitted HAM then it's a checkmate for RB.

[@JM_daDoc]

All tires were cool after such a long yellow flag period, even Max his tires. Only later in the lap his tires would have been more on temperature...

[@aaronb4936]

@@chiyolate actually staying out on 40 lap old hards was the checkmate.

[@GoDseForPM]

@@aaronb4936 how can he pit ,he would have lost track position and Masi would decide not to allow lapped cars unlapped

[@MikeLikesBikes095]

OMG, 2 hours! Thx so much guys. Don’t go too crazy making content over the break😅

[@henkjanvanraikonnen5073]

Can't Toto Wolf and Mercedes let it to rest. Even champions are lucky in their careers. Hamilton first title in Brazil Interlagos. If Timo Glock hadn't let him pass, Ferrari Massa would have been champion by then. All champions are lucky once in their career. See Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda etc. The FIA ​​and Michael Masi should take a good look at themselves next season, because all that haggling with the rules is not good for the sport in the long term. We may not see Masi again next year, after all those blunders and sometimes weird decisions. Toto Wolf let it rest.. One time bad luck and this time you fish behind the net. This does not benefit the Mercedes brand. Next year you will definitely be there again with 2 world drivers

[@MikeLikesBikes095]

@@henkjanvanraikonnen5073 I wouldn’t say this is bad luck though. Bad luck in my eyes would be if Ham had pitted(hypothetical), is catching up to max. And right before he can get close enough to overtake, there’s a safety car. That’s bad “luck”. But what happened was FIA involvement. Not to mention they took way to long to make a final decision.

[@TheBlackopsbeast360]

I’m with you when you say Hamilton was on eggshells when it came to wheel to wheel. That last lap was so shocking that he didn’t even seem to try to even throw an inside dummy at him

[@jasonlew8074]

Thank you guys for another great year and Katy's rant corner, we need that on a tee STAT

[@magicsdolbear19]

A Worthy World Champion thank you Tom you said it right. Hamilton was robbed this race but Max deserves the championship 100% did so much and Silverstone should have been a win and if that was the case Max only needed to come 2nd this race to win

[@3BGamersHD]

Baku , hungary it should of been done weeks ago

[@math.m9495]

baku happen because of RB lower tier pressure.and don't forget monza when max crash to Lewis all I'm saying is all things happen in this season when Lewis got disqualified from Brazil qualifying we all think max got championship but Lewis won that and 2 more races.

[@RobertoHa-rt3gi]

Well, even if in Silverstone MV33 could only managed 2nd he would still have the bigger upper hand for the finale.

[@bizarrebunny5579]

Nah silverstone is way too deeped. Accidents happen all the time and will always continue to happen as that’s just the sport regardless of whether in a championship battle or not- they know what sport they’re in and it’s just part of. Let’s not forget monza either and he was gifted a win in Spa. However Baku was completely not his fault or anyone’s fault at all, and that’s where the championship should have been won for him

[@nestroit5010]

@@bizarrebunny5579 Lewis literally took Max out and won the race, wtf

[@dawsonwelsh437]

If you go for an overtake and make the track, then pushing the other driver out is fair. Otherwise, you will never see an overtake under braking again because drivers will just drive over the runoff

[@teamracing07]

Lewis had to drive off track. When max came along side him, Lewis had to make an evassive move to not hit Max and at that point he was already off track. Yes the outcome on if he should be given the place to him is a question, but the Fia needs to sort out the rulebook. All these incidents that have happened in the last three races, should have a clear rule. Now Masi just made up his own mind on them. If there is a "incident" of some sort, Masi should not have the power to make the desicion on his own. Why even bother to have stewards if these incidents don't go to them?

[@joshuasoo443]

Loving your podcasts being a voice of F1 reason this season. Bracing myself for a 17h long season recap podcast.

[@gilgoodman1012]

I love how the podcast is so long, Katy’s windows go from bright sun to near darkness by the end

[@christinagrieser5664]

I get that it was a shame how it ended, but in my opinion that was all on the FIA. Max was a record breaking 18 times on the podium this season. He was without a doubt the best driver of this season and a worthy champion. So can we just put all the controversy aside and appreciate this fantastic driver.

[@Bawa-qw7jd]

Hard to just brush the scandal under the carpet and just move on. Easy to say as a Max fan but that final part of the race is criminal.

[@fidelramos5336]

But the last 4 races lewis do it with out help of teammate

[@captaintoyota3171]

@@Bawa-qw7jd look Max did nothing wrong the Fia did what they did but Max deserved it. After Silverstone and bottas wiping max out 1 race after Max shoulda had 30pt lead no matter what.

[@euanmacleod3738]

He was the joint best driver, and a worthy champion. There is no world where he was, without a doubt, better than Hamilton. Sorry. He had the faster car for more of the year, and pushed the limits of acceptable driving in a way that Hamilton did not. If not for Hamilton heroics this is a much more boring season of Verstappen dominance. He still deserves it, and I think he was as good as Hamilton, but I certainly doubt that he was outright better.

[@alextjb]

That would be like saying the Patriots should have won the super bowl when they were 16-0. And the NY giants that came is as the #6 seed who went on to beat 3 teams on the road (something that no team had done before) and then beat the Patriots shouldn’t count or matter. The final game always matters. Can’t just say “oh he’s more deserving so it’s fine”. I can think of many occasions where the “best” driver or team doesn’t win the championship. That’s why you play the game.

[@WaemYt]

First of all, Hamilton did only make one mistake and not giving Max the position back in the start. Mercedes lost because they chose to have old hard tyres in the last laps. They had two chances to change, and they didn't. A lot of things can go wrong when you are on old tires. Stop blaming everything else, mercedes lost on strategy. And I'm not even a Max fan. Waiting on hamilton fans to rage.

[@ikp_leon]

here it is. why would Lewis give the Position back after beeing pushed off? lewis would have been behind max if he had pitted. so not pitting gave them the greater advantage, until the fia broke rules just to make max win

[@WaemYt]

@@ikp_leon I don't think Hamilton was pushed off. He did absolutely nothing to defend, Max was even ahead at the apex. What did Hamilton aspect? Max was on soft, and he opened the corner completely. What if Hamilton had a puncture because of the old tire or the tires just gave up? Would you blame pirelli.? There is always a risk on old tires even Hamilton said he wasn't sure they would last to the end. Imagine if the safety car came 5 laps before, then Hamilton would have been totally screwed. So for me, staying on the old hard tires is a as big of a gamble as pitting and maybe loose position. Remember hamilton was faster.

[@kityhawk2000]

People keep saying the Merc strategy was wrong but it wasn't. Max pitted for new tyres under the VSC and couldn't make up the time. Fact is Lewis would have won by about 10 seconds if not the the SC. As for pitting Lewis all the would achieve was guaranteeing he would be behind Max and probably wouldn't be able to catch him. Unless you are saying Merc should have know Masi would rewrite the rules about SC it made no sense to pit. Redbull won the race by being second nothing to do with any strategy.

[@WaemYt]

@kityhawk2000 mercedes strategy was the right if nothing had happened. But it's a bold strategy because you can't do anything on old tires. Safetycars always favor the one in second. So if mercedes pitted earlier they would have won. Toto knew this thats why i cried to messi no saftycar please.

[@hollyjenkins1500]

Great content I’ve subscribed 👍👍

[@Xx-Zeppelin-xX]

Great stuff, great team!

[@faresmuthana]

I just want to point out in the chaos, Yuki P4, love to see it

[@karlloovali4531]

Thank you for that, I actually did not notice :D

[@kwnortherner]

They won’t get rid of Massi. He’s a character in the sport now.

[@placeholder2924]

Because of the FIA radio and this incident, he's now become a mainstay and would be a great asset to Netflix. Like Guenther Steiner was.

[@Warhaawk]

@@placeholder2924 When I hear people saying something like "Will the FIA have Massi's back if it goes to court?" my immediate mental response is yes, because Liberty Media has to be loving this. People who never talk or follow F1 are talking and paying attention.

[@MrCheesyPerson]

Hamilton and Verstappen is just Goku and Vegeta unlocking more of each other's power level every race

[@mayraalejandramoralesqueza5203]

Thank you for the podcast and content

[@anichtyofagist]

Masi releasing a new cologne? probably, he knows there's a stink to hide.

[@DoggedJoe]

The FIA should do the following to attempt to fix this problem 1. The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP is null and void due to the race not following the rules. Verstappen still wins the championship on countback (even though Spa happened....). It's still not fair but it is the best thing possible. 2. Michael Masi to leave Formula 1 3. Official apology to the drivers and fans 4. Review of the sporting regulations to ensure that it is clear to all how an F1 race is to be run with minimal room for interpretation (driving standards) or manipulation by the race director. 5. Change the way the rules are enforced during a race weekend. Team -> Race Director communication should be "only speak when spoken to". If teams need to report things then they should have an official channel and middleman/woman who runs in between the teams and the race director. 6. Professional full time stewards who do as many races as possible during the season. Ensure they are fully trained and consistent through a season. Standins possible but they should have certifications and experience in lower formulas before being allowed on a F1 race.

[@joeisens837]

Trippin

[@PIXELLOBSTER]

Bahrain Baku Silverstone and hungary too happened

[@rabiozo82]

I was waiting for this.

[@alejandrorubio4707]

We love this podcast!👏🏎🔥🙏

[@simonbrunner3062]

29:30 It's simple: Bottas should have been there to limit Red Bull's strategic options. He wasn't, so Mercedes was screwed. Verstappen had a proper wingman in the final, Hamilton didn't, and that made all the difference.

[@oozaru8361]

honestly that is pretty accurate. had bottas been p3 the safety car mess wouldnt of happened

[@peekay5998]

I started watching F1 this year only and in addition to the very very exciting season that the teams and the drivers pulled out, it was content creators like you who had me hooked to F1. I wonder how you people are much engaged in it and how much it matters to you. Coming from India and obviously being a cricket fan, I was able to relate quickly to the unpredictable and complex(wrt regulations) nature of the sport. Having said all that, I feel the way you and the other content creators who cover F1 are normalising the Race Director/ Stewards behaviour from last 3 races which is not correct in my openion. You go on criticizing the Stewards and RD's actions for an hour and then in the end say that maybe Merc would not (or should not ) appeal in court because it will do no good to sport. If the Stewards do these kind of things and get away from it, then what do you think will stop them from doing this again next year. In last podcast you said you people can understand how the penalties were decided so that both contenders will be on equal points going into final race. And in this podcast you said you can understand why they made that decision in last lap. These things which were done only to put a great show should not be understood. At least not from people like you who have invested years in this sport. You accept that the rules were bent left and right and Masi should be held responsible for it. But if merc won't appeal, I don't see how FIA changes the race control. They bent rules for creating a great show and they were actually successful in doing that and managed to get a lot of traction for this season. If the intention was to put a great show only, they should be rewarded for it and not sacked. You should be asking questions to FIA(which you are doing I feel tbh) and at the same time you should also be rooting for the suffering party(Merc in this case) to go all out and pull this up in courts. Then only the FIA will realise that something is not correct and they need to change it. I am a new fan and I started watching it for the unpredictable and thrilling nature of it. But I am also smart enough to understand when this thrill is inherent and when it is artificially being created. I came for the thrill which is the essence of this sport and it will cost some boring and some anticlimactic finishes too. I did not come for a movie here. And if this sport is going to be artificial going forward, I will lose the interest in it faster than I lost in Fast and Furious series.

[@mvgsports]

It's nice to listen a relatively unbiased take on what happened in Abu Dhabi. Good stuff!

[@TP_Gillz]

Finally a calm honest conversation about this. Well done. I may have gotten a little angry at Matt for his initial reactions and I apologize, glad to of gotten to listen to the podcast as always. Can't wait for next year. Thanks WTF1.

[@supreethmahadeva5262]

" it was written in the stars it would happen on last lap". Lol. It was engineered by Masi to cause this last lap drama

[@kelomanogranich6247]

It is really easy to say after the storm, but i think the most fair thing to have done by FIA, seing Hamilton had not pitted, was to red flagged the race just before 3 laps were left. Then everybody on softs. Standing start and leave them all to fight like crazy. One warm up lap as always: that is one lap down and 2 laps left and.... imagine all of them fighting with the same tools for the last two laps. That would have been impresive and we had gotten at least 10 more minutes of F1, because waiting 95 days more... come on. Love F1 :)

[@scottmeredith3359]

The teams had already agreed with Masi that no red flag would fly for a crash in that corner, including Mercedes.

[@alextjb]

Red flag is only for safety. Can’t be used just cause some folks want a dramatic finish. And yea, I agree that it would have been a great finish. And definitely better than what we got. But it shouldn’t get used just for entertainment sake. The available options were finish under safety car, or 1 lap with all cars staying where they were. Red flag is iffy at best as an option. And Massi picked option Z. Make it up. Smh

[@Plesjoor]

Why are so many people arguing that it should be “fair”? It has never been fair, safety car timing is luck or misfortune.

[@ultrafex1]

Hahahaha! 1:07:21 that’s so true! It’s SO weird haha! “Nooooo Michaeellll” 😂😂😂

[@ruthgibbons397]

I cannot believe Katy’s Michael massi fragrance being called “disappointment” didn’t get more of a reaction - had me in stitches 😂😂

[@alanx216]

"I was expecting Hamilton to be more aggressive to take it back" .....Ok, even the fact he held on for a few corners on almost 50 lap old tyres vs brand new softs on Verstapped was enough of a miracle

[@itsmeprasad1987]

@@neodiniankatanaflake9666 still had life yes but not so much to go against new tires...stop making it seem like lewis is a lucky champion...

[@jerryldavis1823]

That was mega from Lewis . His fight back was great.

[@TheRyan498]

@@neodiniankatanaflake9666 Hard tyres perform like soft tyres? You must be new here or just a Hamilton hater

[@alanx216]

@@TheRyan498 this is where we post the wtf?! meme

[@alanx216]

@@neodiniankatanaflake9666 old hard tyres are slower than new hard tyres, they do not act like softs when they are 40+ laps old 😂

[@MrMattie725]

37:51 That article is about the RD and the Course Clerk. The RD has autority of over riding the Clerks descissions, not just all other rules.

[@jks6739]

I’m one of those people who only started watching f1 because of drive to survive which lead me to find your channel & I absolutely love it, also how cute is Katy? 😍

[@kemismits6158]

As a Dutchie every time Matt says Max cape about Tom's Orange cape my mind goes like no it's not a Max cape, it's a juich cape. Designed by a supermarket for the whole Dutch sports season lol