Did Formula 1 Break Their OWN RULES? | The F1 Breakdown | Abu Dhabi GP

[@Driver61]

Right, which option would you have picked if you were Masi? What do you think was the fairest option? Keep those comments civil, just like you guys normally do! Cheers for watching guys, *don't forget to subscribe!*

[@corduroyspoon9346]

Whilst I agree that any does not mean all, I will point out that the regs say any cars that have been lapped, not any lapped cars. This would imply that the use of any means not all cars,and it then goes on to specify which cars (those that have been lapped)

[@corduroyspoon9346]

A red flag may have been deemed unjustified due to no barrier damage and we might all still be having these conversations if that had happened. I would have gone with the option of trying to get all the lapped cars past so that it remains fair and sainz and tsunoda may also have had a shot at the race win

[@SpeculativeConjecture]

I think it's key to remember the teams and Masi agreed they wanted to end the races racing after Baku. This was the key boiling point in this whole mess!

[@elessard]

Red flag would’ve made it fair for everyone to battle for positions for 3-4 laps, and on new tyres. Some rules must change and must also be applied correctly.

[@mEDVINd_golf]

I would love for it to be a rule stating that if it is less than 10 laps left , a car dnf on track would lead to a red flag. I also believe that people can make a wrong call, just like any other sport. Once a race it should be over just like any other sport. If Masi realized he was in the wrong, admit it and move on, shit happens.

[@Pro_Blunder]

In a sport where you can get disqualified from qualifying for a 1mm discrepancy in a rear wing, how is it that the rules aren’t kept as strictly for the director, stewards and FIA?!?

[@andrewgreen5892]

Simple answer is that Red Bull were given a different and often diametrically opposite set of rules. The actual rule was that the FIA wanted s new champion

[@Rob2000]

Disqualification, forget it. He had two races to get by. Disqualification is not driving at all. Masi made a lot of strange and not uniform decisions this year, but he was trying to finish teh championschip racing. I think in the end he just got fed up with Toto screaming and begging to him. (I know I would have)

[@RaptorV1USA]

It was like .03 mm for fucks sake...

[@andrewgreen5892]

@@Rob2000 But he didn't get sick of Horner doing the same and worse. Funny that

[@artnull13]

@@RaptorV1USA 0.2mm but you know far less than 1mm

[@Tomwithnonumbers]

If Masi can choose how many cars can unlap themselves, it means he has the power to give anyone he wishes a double digit time advantage at his whim

[@jt80995]

The only drivers who should have been allowed to unlap is Vettel and Leclerc. Then the order would have been the same as before the safety car, and the restart would have been fair.

[@theruztygaming6406]

Well yeah, He has the choice as to whether he wants to deploy a VSC or a Safety car. So yes he inadvertently has the ability to bunch up the pack. He also has the chance to introduce a Red flag which can again nullify a lead.

[@DRSRACING]

🧂

[@kekke2000]

Just like a football ref can give a red card to an innocent player.

[@yeah2011bb]

It’s a lot worse than that ... his interpretation means that he can give us an unsafe restart by simply allowing a train of cars to just overtake the leader and then immediately restart the race ... this isn’t permitted by the rules explicitly.

[@brentmcknight5344]

How about Sainz? 100% gets forgotten in that mess. He had a chance to fight for that win. That decision to only let the lap cars between LH and MV totally disregards every other competitor. As you mentioned in this video he pretty much did said exactly that. Put the spectacle before the sport

[@pup76]

I agree, If Sainz gets past Max on his new softs... he would have probably got Lewis too. lets not forget P4 also could have challenged and had a say in the outcome. My view is it should have finished under the safety car, would have been a bit of an anti climax but there would be no controversy. The end of this season has left a very bitter taste, regardless of who you wanted to be crowned champ.

[@btoiscool]

Bro just stop. He was slower on old mediums, he wasn't winning anything

[@weedfreer]

completely agree...the fact he was on older mediums matters not...just, what exactly was Hamilton using again? Ferrari are meant to be the oldest/longest running and, therefore, most respected manufacturer on the track. Regardless, they were in the running for a podium position...not just the podium position that they were effectively pinned down to by the race director.

[@btoiscool]

@@weedfreer you are absolutely buggin if you think Carlos was in the running for anything but third at that point

[@josearaujo8616]

Did Sainz and Ferrari appeal?

[@jcchaconjr]

Bah, at the end of the day, it seems senseless to have ANY rules if there's a rule saying that the RD can decide not to follow them... and honestly, I can't blame Mercedes for not pitting, so close to a race end that could have ended under caution. If Red Bull were in that position, I doubt they would have pitted either.

[@stevewilliams2498]

Yeah. But don't cry tears when it back fires ?

[@robertoriordan4083]

Exactly, what if Mercedes pitted and race ended in safety car, all fans would be amazed at such a stupid call

[@jayb2705]

5 laps left, avg duration of a safety car is 3-4 laps. The incident itself isn't serious, neither the car, driver or barrier is badly damaged and they are at a corner that has marshals and moving equipment. The chance of the race resuming is very high.

[@robertoriordan4083]

@@jayb2705 it is more about the release of lapped cars, not the actual restart. First to say lapped cars to stay, Red Bull give out, then change mind to lapped cars can over take but only the cars between Leeis and Max and not the other cars.

[@jayb2705]

@@robertoriordan4083 I get your point. But the Mercedes strategy team can only base their decision on what they know at the time. That is the accident is minor and there is a chance the race will resume, the teams also wanted green flag finishes where possible. Only 5 lapped cars to pass is a different thing, the Mercedes team wouldn't make their decision to not pit thinking lapped cars remain in place, they assume Verstappen stays out if they pit which reverses the order.

[@tomgates316]

Add a rule that when say, when 8 or less laps remain in the race, any incident that may draw a Safety Car is immediately Red Flagged in these last laps. Clear/repair the track and put the cars back out on the track in the exact order they were. No moving lapped cars out. Or move them all to the back in their proper order. This would eliminate the time/laps wasted while the Director ponders options and preserve the ability to finish under Green Flag conditions. Automatic stop, sort it out, make sure the right and proper actions are taken. Under this "end of laps only" Red Flag - no tire changes or car alterations/fixes. Red Flag begins at moment of the incident, no Boxing because you were a turn or two from the Pit Entrance. Probably needs some work, but could be a start. Freeze it, Figure it out.

[@raymondhartmeijer9300]

I agree. Make it 10 or 5 laps remaining, whatever seems appropriate. This would also apply if the SC is already out. If the rule of thumb is "A race must finish under Green Flag (normal race conditions)" then you have to make a change to SC regulation. So, indeed. X laps remaining and there is a SC situation? -> Red Flag, all cars to the pit and we wait for racing to go ahead. Then we wouldn't have this debate (an exception could be made with heavy weather)

[@arnoudjanschut]

Once the race has started, race time keeps ticking during red flag, so they should add some exception there, too. But I like it. 10 or less laps to go and SC? Instant Red Flag. Even with the standing restart, if it would go wrong again, the same rule applies again. Maybe add a provision that after the red flag, the restart is always minimal 3 laps. To have some racing. and maybe if it is less then 5 laps, no DRS.

[@matpk]

@@coletrickIe Lewis should race in Indycar🥳🥳 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKG0d3aZiK5jprc

[@raymondhartmeijer9300]

@@coletrickIe well, that's a worst case scenario. So OK, make it 5 laps or less, no standing start, it would be the same SC situation, just a "pause" so the laps won't run out, which means no repairing cars, drivers will remain in the car. Then it's one lap with SC that won't count as a lap (backmarkers can overtake), SC comes in and then we would have a couple real racelaps to go. Even a single lap is possible. The 3 hour window should be well enough time. So maybe not a Red Flag, but a "cars follow SC through the pits" with a stop

[@RockSolitude]

No. Cars should be able to pit and change tyres.

[@adams0020]

Thank you so much for your analysis. I'm Dutch and obviously want Max to win, but it really felt like the carpet was pulled out from under Lewis and that this race (like many more this season) was decided more by the race officials than the drivers. Thanks for putting the arguments to that feeling, it helps everyone who wants to know what exactly happened.

[@Nate34]

I feel bad for both drivers because Hamilton lost what he was surely going to win and Max’s well deserved championship is tarnished by Masi’s decision

[@josephb6652]

Both are great teams and drivers, and a clear race victory was expected and accepted, whichever way it went.....we are F1 fans and know this was wrong....

[@Alanjamessouthey]

I'm a LEWIS fan , but was having happy feeling max might get his first world championship. But the poor boy will have to live with this win , that was not quite a win Sadly

[@james-faulkner]

May I ask, why does being Dutch compel you to want Max to win? Nationalism? I am American, does that mean I am not allowed to even watch since there are no drivers that represent my country? That isn't a serious question. This was the first race I actually watched to completion. just some highlights here or there or NASCAR when stuck at other's houses. I did get sucked in and for some reason when Max passed Hammy I shouted NO! I felt ridiculous. I don't really care about either but I know Hammy more because of Top Gear and Max, he is so hard to look at, you know. Not what you would consider the dashing racecar driver that man for sure. So it is just Nationalism for you? I have never felt compeled to support anything just because it was my country and I had to. I do agree and that explains my outburst as I stated earlier, was that it didn't seem right and then when I learn more, it doesn't seem fair. Not to the drivers really but that the FIA gets to play so loosely with their own rules. I do think Max did earn the championship win but maybe not this race win. You know? Yes I know life isn't fair but nobody said it doesn't have to be and that the house is still on fire and we are all just watching the tele.

[@adamshaw5999]

Good work, Daan. Being Dutch and being that open to the arguments around the race is awesome Restores faith in the F1 fan population

[@alecsimpson6423]

Sainz"s final lap was compromised by the decision- he was denied the opportunity to challenge for second place.

[@tompotter84]

Spot on. But allowing Sainz a shot at Verstappen or Hamilton might have ruined the media shots of the Merc & RB at the finish line. We can't have that you know.

[@chanjustin4373]

@@tompotter84 it also meant that it costed Bottas a shot at the podium, as he said

[@caio5987]

This is a red herring as realistically he wouldn’t have done it But look at tsunoda. He finished 4th but was denied trying to go for third which would have been his first podium

[@alexandremarino3531]

exactly! it was an advantage to Max also, he was never challenged in the restart by Carlos because of that cars.

[@bek00l]

@@caio5987 he was also ‘robbed’ of the chance to finish 5th mate

[@just-a-yt-guy]

My question is what's the point of rules when there are other rules that in effect say they can be ignored by the Race Director. How can teams make important strategy decisions when the rules on which they base those decisions can just be ignored with no notice given. Surely the overide rules should only be used where safety is an issue, not simply to make a better TV spectical. The FIA will never admit the end of this race was a shambles but that is what it was.

[@Jacopski]

I agree, they need to make a set of rules that make sense for once instead of just changing them every time someone exploits a grey area, I’m in favour of max and glad he won but it’s clear as day that the fia want to make money, we have seen too many tracks from terrible human rights countries been signed for massive pay checks and what’s sad is that drive to survive will probably make a hell of a lot more money from a simple decision of bending the rules at the last race, I don’t believe they wanted max to win I just believe they wanted to make more money and they have definitely succeeded in that

[@kralg]

@@Jacopski They even raised the popularity of F1, thanks to this 'incident', check out the number of videos and comments on the topic. I bet even the appeal of Mercedes is just part of the show, because it will keep the attention on for a long time...

[@CorvusCorax12d]

@@kralg they ready dropped it. Look at Toto drunk crowdsurfing on Sunday night. That's not someone that's bothered by the choice and fighting the FIA over it. All the teams knew and all the teams know how to respond to these things. Having more fans and views wouldn't hurt anyone in the grid, teams or Race Control. And I'm not mad about that. If that means we can make F1 great again and then focus on the driving for the next season, all the more to them. For the past 5 or 6 years F1 has been more of a show than a proper motor racing sport IMO, and it's time we focus on the racing part of the sport and not the money/advertising

[@jnc1771]

Even this rule quoted was inconsistent with what the rule said. It did not say Masi could ignore rule 4.12 or those around it merely said Masi had overriding authority between him and the clerk of the course. So if there was a problem Masi had final say with the local clerk of each race as he had supreme authority. This however did not mean he could ignore the safety car procedures because of the show he had to apply the rules as written and do them even if we finished under safety car.

[@Jacopski]

@@kralg yep i wouldnt be surprised if merc and the fia reached a settlement secretly just like with ferrari a few years ago

[@brg456]

6:19 Masi states that the purpose of letting cars unlap themselves is "so they don't affect the racing". But Sainz, in third, was left with two lapped cars between himself and 2nd place Verstappen - so his race was affected, along with many other drivers further down the order who might have had a chance to improve their position at the restart. Having said all that, congratulations to Max - he delivered many outstanding races this year and made sure he was in a position to take advantage at the end.

[@dominicfrank77]

This is a HUGE point that I never considered! Carlos should appeal as well for not getting a chance to win the race! Masi is the worst and rewrote history.......Lewis is the real champion and we all know it...MAX and his deadbeat dad know it.....Horner knows it.......what a sham.

[@sukisuki9120]

But they were doing flying lap and Sainz didnt lap those cars that max and hamilton lapped.So he cant overtake them to be behind Verstapen because he wasnt phsycaly behind Verstapen,only on time.So no his race wasn't affected because he was no where near Verstapen on time or on schedule of the driver orders because he didnt lap the cars that Max and Ham lapped...

[@brg456]

@@dominicfrank77 I notice that someone further down has made a similar point, so I'm far from the first to spot it. Max is an outstanding talent and a worthy champion nonetheless. And I've never met his Dad, so I'll be civil and reserve judgement 🙂

[@MpumiM-1]

@@sukisuki9120 that doesnt make sense Verstappen never lapped the ones in front of him, thats the very reason he was behind them in the first place. Verstappen was also no where near hamilton, a full 10+ seconds behind before the SC so why apply that logic only to Sainz Regardless. time and schedule and who lapped how many doesnt matter, the safety car bunches up the field and wipes any gap advantage anyone had. The regulations state that any car lapped by the leader(hamilton) has to unlap themselves, and that includes more than just the 4 between Verstappen and Hamilton

[@C.I...]

I would say it was worth considering telling all the lapped cars to enter the pit lane behind the safety car, before releasing them when the field had come past. Not entirely sure why that's not already the rule - 1 less lap of fuel/tyres isn't going to make a backmarker that much more competitive.

[@anthony-joewaked5139]

1. The way I see it, since article 15 is about the officials, the “overriding authority” of the race director is overriding the clerk, not the rules 2. Not impeding the racing is applicable to all cars without any exception, not just the top 2 3. A “general agreement” is not above law and so is every single official

[@DERP_Squad]

If 15.3e gives Masi authority to overrule 48.1-48.15 then 15.3d gives him authority to overrule 38.1-38.11, especially 38.10, so why bother with qualifying, Masi decides who starts where.

[@pfm57]

Thank you for point 1, this "overriding authority" argument is just sand in the eyes. The rule text is clear cut. The race director has overriding authority over the race clerk (the person who supervises the track-side marshals) not over the rules. The notion that the race director would have overriding authority over the rules is just absurd.

[@bensabraham4863]

masi basically said that just max and lewis matter or only max matters as except the 1 and 2 positions nothing else matters ...is this a sport or a kdrama with masi as the director

[@Kestrel626]

@@pfm57 Correct, as I read it makes it clear he has the authority to override any decision made by race officials. It doesn't allow him to change any rules. The any lapped cars wording should be changed to all lapped cars, although I believe it refers to any of the cars in the race that have been lapped & in no way means some of the cars.

[@stormmeansnowork]

15.3 allows the RD to have overriding authority IN THE FOLLOWING MATTERS (i.e. the ones listed under the paragraph shown in 4:52) and the clerk may give orders ONLY WITH [the RD's] express agreement. Article 15.3 is a rule that opens the door for complete authority on the said matters. It is not the problem of this particular RD, but the ones that wrote the laws. 15.3(a to c) clearly stated that the overriding authority has to be in accordance to the Code or Sporting Regulations, where as 15.3(d and e) did not have such mentioning. This is why there is a wide opened door for some to interpret 15.3(e) as having overriding authority over all rules in relation to safety car usage, which I see as a mild bending of law as this would defeated the purpose of having so many rules in different aspects in the first place. But if one have had a chance to write regulations or user agreements for a company or school, there is usually this kind of things that allows the ones who write the laws to have final say when there's no agreement on a matter...

[@Darrow1991]

There ought to be rules on what to do when there is a safety car in the last five or ten laps. The rules should be different to prevent finishing the race behind a safety car. Maybe Red Flag the race immediately during that time if normally you would have a safety car. If NASCAR can figure this out, the FIA and Formula 1 should be able to figure this out.

[@glenchapman3899]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@PetrosJJ]

If safety car with less than 10 laps they should freeze the amount of laps remaining for finish ;-)

[@agentrevan5492]

@@PetrosJJ if they just freeze the laps then you still have the issue with fuel the only real option is to force a red flag reset and then go racing unless they allow the cars to come in for more fuel but in race refueling is banned

[@jackmeoff2396]

Please dont turn it into nascar.

[@gackauo]

There are rules for this that have worked fine for years, sod the show, the only people who thought that was a more exiting ending are plastic f1 fans that would happily lobby for hamilton to have a 100hp engine deficit next year because they don't care about fair sport.

[@jnc1771]

I m sure some will have said but those cars allowed to unlap themselves were denied the chance of finishing in the positions they had been before the ruling by masi. So all those teams were disadvantaged also. This is more than just Lewis and max. It affected detrimentally the whole race order.

[@robertslaughter7044]

Maybe, like the FIA says, they will fix it next year... The entire Yellow Flag, Double Yellow Flag, Vertual Safety Car, Safety Car, Red Flag, un-lap/or not, Standing Start, Rolling Start, and Pit Lane Starts... All of this fiasco is what one gets when they let every idiot in the room submit any stupid idea they can think of... So long as it's a safety idea... Safety ideas can't be criticized... So how about... One can't pass, at the scene of a crash, under any Local Yellow flag... One can't pass any-where when the entire track is Yellow Flagged, but if possible the pits are open... If the track is unsafe at speed, a Vertual Safety Car is deployed, the pits are open. If the track presents a danger; to the drivers, spectators, track crews or marshals. Then the Safety Car goes on track and leads the entire field onto the pit lane, the pits are closed, and a Red Flag is displayed. The Track is Closed, until it is fixed, and safe to race on again. No laps are counted. Once the track is fixed , the safety car drives one lap to confirm that the track is safe. Then, and only then, the safety car parks and the cars exit the pit lane in their proper order.... With their Pre-Safety Car spacing, and at the pit lane speeds, entering the track under a Green Light. If the track is opened with too much rain the cars could be allowed to enter, under a full track yellow light, until it's safe to pass. I defy anyone to think of a safer way to restarting. All this Safety Car leading a pack of cars around an unsafe track is a stupid idea. If the track is unsafe.... GET OFF... Restarting from the pit lane preserves the race status. Restarting from the pit lane is at pit lane speed + a single car at a time. Nothing could be safer. How fast one goes once they enter the track, is up to each driver and their individual skills. Under Green or Yellow. The Safety Car Nevers does more than 1 lap as it leads the cars to the pit lane, and then later, 1 lap to confirm that the track is safe. The Safety Car, with the Doctor inside, fallows the start from the grid as it does now..... But the restarts ALL take place from the pit lane, with the safety car parked in it's home spot.

[@aditya4622]

@@robertslaughter7044 drivers will start racing at the pit exit as there is no speed limit there and pile up on each other as this sport is so competitive that every point and every position matters....all the above rules you made up do make a bit of sense but have loop holes for teams to exploit....

[@richfoley7885]

Unh?? The cars that were allowed to unlap themselves ended exactly in the same position that they were in under the Safety Car. Were you watching a different race?

[@robertslaughter7044]

@@richfoley7885 ... I believe that the cars, that were allowed to un-lap, we're in 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th. They were involved in their own race for points. That is why Lewis Hamilton burned up two seconds passing them. Being the fix was in, they had to move these cars out of Max Verstappen way. There is no way Max could have passed them and Lewis too. But the lapped cars behind Max Verstappen, 6th, 5th & a back marker were not allowed to un-lap... So why were 7,8,9,&10 not promoted to 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th? According to the actual rules, all the lapped car should have been allowed to un-lap if any were allowed. What about Ferrari? They re-started the race with two lapped cars between them and Max, how is that right? This is what happens when Cheaters are allowed to cheat. Max Verstappen is the Cheaters Champion.

[@robertslaughter7044]

@@aditya4622 ... Each car would be released (green light at the end of the pit lane) according to their race position, each according to their timed spacing. In this case Lewis Hamilton would be released, WHEN THE TRACK IS SAFE AGAIN... then 8sec later each of the 5 lapped cars 1/2 second apart... then Max Verstappen... then a few seconds later the first of the three cars.... Etc... Until all the cars, on the pit lane, have been released. The pit lane is closed to maintenance, but those that want to work on their cars could enter their pits for service, instead of lining up on the pit lane. those that pit would be released after the last car on the pit lane.. and in the order they arrived into their pits.

[@condellmaurice8597]

Love how it is automatically assumed that from carlos sainz in backwards you are not a part of this race. the teams lower down the order need to say something about this. Carlos had a legal right to get a shot at Max and so on and so forth. The last lap was not a race.

[@mugshotmarley]

You must not watch sports, because if you did, you know that there were a handful of times that a shady or wrong call heavily impacted the championship game. The world isn't perfect people. The world isn't fair. Sometimes you get lucky, most times you get the shit end of the stick. It just so happens that Max/Rb got lucky this time. If you wanna blame someone, blame Latifi for crashing after battling the Haas for ZERO points. If he didn't crash, then LH would've won.

[@8Dsmiley93]

@@mugshotmarley why blame Latifi for racing when Masi's at fault

[@ExclemationMark]

@@mugshotmarley true spoken. Otherwise go watch some lawyer stuff, if you don’t like this sport.

[@TheEmolano]

@@mugshotmarley Latifi commited a mistake, Masi did the mess from his mistake.

[@Maderasdesign]

@@mugshotmarley Life isnt fair but this is a controlled sport with rules in place. Rules were bent/broken. Any F1 fan should be pissed about what happened. Dani already called it fucked up.

[@nickabbott3081]

The wording of the rule stating that "any" lapped car must pass the safety is not ambiguous at all. The meaning of "any" depends on the structure of the sentence surrounding it. "Any" is a word used to quantify something. When it is used to quantify part of a sentence, i.e. "Get me any pen", then it does not mean all. However, if "any" is used to quantify the ENTIRE sentence, i.e. "Any fruit found to be rotten must be removed", it is quite literally a synonym to all. That is why you'll find them listed as synonyms in all thesauruses. In the case of the rule: "any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car" the word "any" is quantifying the entire sentence making it synonymous to "all". I can understand the confusion since the word can mean different things based on the structure but the rules of the language dictate the meaning and therefore the rule has a clear, unambiguous meaning when read by someone trained in legal language. Red Bull's defense was wrong, that's why the stewards decision accepted Mercedes' appeal and didn't reference Red Bull's argument in their decision. This is not saying that the result should or should not have been overturned, that's a larger discussion, but the specific point about the word "any" doesn't hold any water.

[@jm5142]

Great analysis here!

[@JimmyJJJohnson]

THANK YOU 🙏

[@tompotter84]

Lovely explanation and one which I understand but couldn't articulate. On a lighter note, when you say it doesn't hold any water, does that mean it doesn't hold SOME water? That was not a serious question.

[@brandodurham]

In 2020 masi himself clarified the rule specifically meant ALL cars when they had the prolonged safety car. He was quite happy to get preachy about follow the rule to let ALL lapped cars through back then before the fie decided they’d like a new “champion”

[@unthenner5519]

@@brandodurham That's because he's someone who can't be wrong in his own eyes. He simply preaches whatever he needs to in the moment to make himself correct and feel powerful. He's been doing this for 3 years.

[@chung-fankuo3068]

I think I saw someone mentioned this before. The way Masi did, showing that he thinks only two cars are racing and rest of them are just the background. Imaging other drivers feeling in that situation. I would feel my existence on the track seems negligible if I am one of them. Yes, it is the final; yes, it is the championship deciding moment between these two cars, but the decision doesn't seem to show any respect to other drivers at that moment.

[@mingc4698]

Ferrari won over mclaren!! Imagine that $$!!

[@petertromp8786]

In those circumstances "only two cars" were effectively racing, as bad as that may sound, because it was a championship decider. I understand Masi's decision, even though it wasn't strictly speaking the "right" decision. I don't think he was showing favoritism as much as he was trying to ensure within his powers that there was at least one "meaningful" lap of racing to end the season and the championship - something the teams agreed on, so he effectively had cover in making his decision. All of this was really down to circumstance - less than 5 laps to go in which to make a critical decision effecting the outcome of an entire season, the rules being "interpretable" rather than clear cut, the powers of the race director being less than clear, the teams having come to an agreement beforehand - more than it being a grand conspiracy. Here's the big lesson: people need to stop thinking of F1 as a sport in any traditional sense - it isn't, and never has been; it's first and foremost a spectacle. It's effectively WWE+ - entertainment with the veneer of a sport, although not "openly" "rigged" like WWE.

[@coolwater3238]

@@elvewizzy It's irrelevant whether we give a fuck. Things are done officially or there's no point in even having a championship.

[@tr4nnel752]

Even most drivers didn't make it too hard for neither Hamilton or Verstappen to pass the last few races. They understood it was not their battle.

[@blargd]

You don't need to imagine we have the radios for how they felt, Sainz, Tsunoda and Gasly were over the moon as it saw them 3rd 4th and 5th Bottas less so, Alonso thought it was the right move before hand regardless etc.

[@delusionalaar4031]

It’s insane how the teams have a direct phone line to the race director. I was never on board with this because they could influence him. Bizarre

[@richardweerasinghe3296]

How can Masi be allowed to decide that only the first two cars deserve to go racing? Sainz might’ve had a chance to overtake Verstappen or Hamilton if they get involved in an overtake incident. No way should the director be able to choose options that might affect the outcome like that.

[@SyeDrums]

This 👆spot on.

[@shepleonard8695]

Lewis broke the rules and it was ignored when he passed out of bounds yet was allowed to stay in 1st. In every form of racing lapped cars yield to cars on pace. GET OVER IT.

[@SyeDrums]

@@shepleonard8695 clearly you haven’t got over the first lap incident. Hypocritical much? 😂

[@pedretti810]

There was no possibility of a red flag because it was not a case that security was impaired and the regulation says when the placard is sole, all the cars can pass to the sc and it was only a few then the lap is not necessary because they are not all

[@Melon623]

@@shepleonard8695 and you haven’t gotten over the first lap incident which didn’t have a major impact on the overall race considering how Lewis dominated

[@SushiParty]

My biggest takeaway from this is; what's the point of having a rulebook that all drivers must follow if the race director, just 1 person, can change and break them as he pleases? How do you as a driver and team principal plan your strategies and tactics around something that can be changed at a moment's notice? I don't care who wins the championship if they had red flagged it, everyone is even and raced their hearts out the last 4 laps. Michael Masi had many options but picked the worst, most controversial option to end this race and it's not only ruined a potential historic 8th WC but also tainted a 1st WC for 2 great drivers. Whether you're a Max or Lewis fan, I think we can all agree that both drivers deserved better than this after a wonderfully crazy and wild season like this.

[@ignatiuse6857]

Exactly absolute bollocks. That championship came down to the final race and whether you like or not have to agree that Lewis was robbed in the final lap of the race. Dominating from start to end to have it end like that after such a tough season. Wouldn't be surprised if he considers retiring and feeling that those in power simply do not want him to beat Michael Schumachers record. 8 time world champion in my eyes. Sir Lewis Hamilton.

[@disco.lemonade]

@@ignatiuse6857 Sure, then by your logic Verstappen has dominated most of the championship and he was robbed in Silverstone and then again in Hungary, by direct competitors. Not even mentioning Pirelli's incident because, well, Pirelli polices Pirelli. Mercedes asked Lewis that in case of a SC, which compound he wanted and he said "none, this hard feel great". They had two chances to pit, didn't take the risk. So all this crying from Merc, tho some with some reason, is kinda a distractor from their obvious mistake.

[@disco.lemonade]

ALL RULES? ALL OF THEM, or just the ones regarding those 5 points in article 15.3? I disagree with your statement, in fact saying Max's title is tainted is miserable of you, when the guy did everything to deserve it, while Hamilton just stepped on the gas in the last races. So, you're biased and thus your opinion on the matter goes to the way of Hamilton/Mercedes. Not supernatural, if that would've happened to Max/RB then their fans would be pissed. Meh, you guys are getting boring

[@HanzytheHeretic]

Well said.

[@ignatiuse6857]

@@disco.lemonade what mistake? If they pitted they’d be behind verstappen… and then what just hope michael masi didnt finish under the safety car? They made no mistake. Flawless performance by both teams. But it was Hamilton who out performed Max in the final, title deciding race and the rest was history.

[@esce69]

Imagine what went on in Lewis' mind. He just had to get the car safely over the finish line. The only thing that could've prevented that would've been a puncture, but with a second per lap to spare he could easily avoid the dangerous curbstones...and then this happened and absolutely nothing he could do about it. He became a sitting duck! I really felt sad for him, although I believe both drivers deserved the title, based on the whole of the year.

[@johnnydinnissen]

He could have just pitted for other tires Problem solved

[@adamjulian_drifts]

His team should have taken tires under the VSC or SC instead of staying out on old tires He didn't stand a chance.

[@BullshitJr]

@@johnnydinnissen pit for tyres so Max can stay out and the race could finish under a safety car like it should have done? Massi did something unprecedented, so it was impossible for Merc to make an Informed decision. It's easy to make comments like yours in hindsight, but when you think about it, it's a ridiculous thing to say

[@sobversion3]

@@BullshitJr very ridiculous; Merc were making the best decision they could in regards to current regulation precedent. The Idea of _lew should've changed tires too_ is beyond stupid 🙄; no way for him to expect Masi to do what he did because that shit wasn't supposed to happen

[@EternityGamesVids]

@@adamjulian_drifts He couldn't on VSC. It was placed into effected when Lewis had just passed the pits. Verstappen then pitted and when Lewis came around the pits again, the VSC had just ended. Meaning that if he'd stop there, he'd fall behind Verstappen by 4-5 seconds. He couldn't on SC either, if he stopped (being 12 seconds ahead of Verstappen), Verstappen wouldn't have stopped and that would mean Hamilton would go second. And since there are no guarantee that they would resume the race, they would've lost the championship. And even if they resumed the race, Verstappen's tires weren't as used as Hamilton's were on that last lap, meaning that Verstappen's car wouldn't have been gapped as easily as Hamilton's got. Lastly, Verstappen's driving aggressiveness makes it way to hard to gamble on a "possible" overtake on the last lap. There's no guarantee Hamilton would've been able to do so as Verstappen could've simply driven very aggressively to prevent him from getting ahead. So in any way, Mercedes did the only logical thing.

[@btet19]

Rules only work when they are easy to understand.The rules should be you resume the race as it was when it was stopped .Meaning Hamilton starts behind the safety car .Then the 4 cars start were they were behind him same distance and time at that moment behind Hamilton then verstappen . Verstappen was given two advantages 1 he didn't have to make up 11 secs .2 he didn't have to pass the 4 cars Hamilton had to pass to maintain this 11 second lead .That's the easiest way to do it start the race as It was when it stopped .

[@jantje.96]

No reason to do so. The treath of a safety car or a VSC is part of te exitement of f1. Both teams are able to react to it and pit when it happens, Mercedes just failed to bring Hamilton in.

[@Amanda-ps5gz]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 💙 nude.snapgirls.today/ikechan 💙 PRIVATE S*X👆 THREE IN ONE L...❤❤❤... KZbin: THIS IS FINE. THREE IN ONE SOMEONE: SAYS ''HECK''. KZbin: BE GONE Life's story is a short journey so have fun before sleeping forever #Чо #эт #делает #на #2 #месте #в #тренде #однако #я #люблю #таких #рыбаков .#垃圾. Megan: ''Hotter'' Hopi: ''Sweeter'' Joonie: ''Cooler'' Yoongi: ''Butter'' Жизнь, как красивая мелодия, только песни перепутались. #ライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！#この日のライブ配信は、#かならりやばかったですね！１#万人を超える人が見ていたもんね（笑）#やっぱり人参最高！#まさかのカメラ切り忘れでやら1かしたのもドキドキでした！#今後は気を付けないとね5). . !💖🖤❤#今後は気をライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！#この日のライブ配信は、#１万人を超える人が見ていたも ん（#笑）#やっぱり人参最高！#まさかのカメラ切り忘れでやら1かしたのもドキドキでした #今後は気をライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！（ #笑）#垃圾

[@ozijay3000]

@@jantje.96 so u felt Hamiltion should pit and loose track position so that SC can cruise Max to finish line then everyone will blame Mercedes for the gamble lol, gt a life.

[@tonywatson987]

You are forgetting the crucial change of mind of Masi; the initial order was that there would be NO unlapping of cars, that's why Max went in for soft tyres, letting the 5 backmarkers past. THEN the order was that only those 5 cars could unlap themselves, thereby giving Max a free pitstop. Even some of the other drivers could not understand that biased decision!

[@julesn2168]

BTC, I think the safety was called, Lewis was told not to box, Max boxed. Then Latifi’s car was towed away in about 2 laps, whilst Masi announced no unlacing, before Horner argued that they only needed 1 racing lap, to which Masi changed his mind, in contravention with the rules. Personally, I think that’s either corrupt or incompetent, but given Masi has previously explained that the rules require another lap after unlapping has occurred, I suspect the former. If I were Mercedes, I’d be hiring a private investigator. Horner was interviewed with 10 laps to go and thought they needed something from the racing gods. 5 laps later, Masi answered his prayers.

[@peacefullights]

Exactly,if Mercedes would know that lap cars are gonna be passed, they would have their own different strategy.

[@BenjWarrant]

Nobody can understand Masi's decisions, except Red Bull and Max's fanbois, and I expect even Red Bull know that what happened was a cock-up.

[@peacefullights]

@@BenjWarrant nobody want hamilton to win, including FIA and almost all F1 current drivers excluding lando and russle, and team like Mercedes,otherwise all of them don't want hamilton to get the 8th title, i don't know but i feel racism is the reason somewhere.

[@BenjWarrant]

@@peacefullights I hope you're wrong about the racism, that would be awful.

[@aiistyt]

The FIA have admitted that they didn’t “fully” follow their own rules

[@euclid-94]

They haven't followed their own rules all season. Not sure why you or the creator of this channel is crying so much.

[@aiistyt]

@@euclid-94 I think when moist of the drivers found it an odd decision and the leader of the drivers association finds it “unacceptable” then there are clearly questions

[@baptistejungers1231]

@@euclid-94 Stop seeing crying people everywhere please :D

[@lightningtwostrikes4317]

@@baptistejungers1231 😢 never gonna happen

[@stormageddon248]

@@euclid-94 you know exactly why this is a big deal mate. Masi chose the champion! This wasn’t Brazil or silverstone where it’s subjective. This was black and white in the rules. So yeah I’m not happy about it and we all have a point. If this was happening to max you would feel different I promise you.

[@tobyodonnell9353]

"He can break his own rules, as written, in his own rules " I love that 😂

[@stuartmcmahon8870]

It’s strange how he said about cars passing, after max had fitted fresh tyres. I’d have to go back and watch that lap again to be sure…

[@TC-wt5ix]

his rule is no rule

[@leeaggas8447]

Only 1 problem he didn't write them 🤷‍♂️

[@tihs87]

man, breaking your own rules that's kind of a job of a director. he is being paid to make on the fly decisions in situations which weren't foreseen before. its not the problem that he broke the rules, he is the one with authority, and hopefully competence to do it. problem for some is that he lacked that competence to make right decision. funnily enough majority of the losing team fans think decision was wrong, and fans of a winning team say it was right. ain't that surprising ?

[@roadbiker8333]

@@tihs87 This is a sport, NOT a circus. So Massi CAN"T change the rules on the fly. The job of a race director is to ENFORCE the rules. Race directors can override the clerk of the course, but NOT the actual rules.

[@PopeBrak]

Seems a Red Flag was really the only fair thing to have done. Max's championship victory would have been all that more justified had it been a more evenly-matched final sprint. At the end of the day, I'm extremely proud of both Max and Lewis. They are two of the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen, and they gave us one hell of a season. Love your balanced analysis, mate. Thank YOU for a great season, as well!

[@Fredz1234Yahoo]

Safety car all the way in? Most common

[@erikgonzalez2486]

Hahah typical WWE delusional fan 😂

[@PopeBrak]

Hail Brak!

[@diotough]

"Any" followed by a condition followed by "required" can only be sensibly understood as "every". The whole rule does not make any sense otherwise. 15.3 does also not mention the safety car procedure but only "the use of the safety car". Masi never had the authority to break the rules or overrule one with another according to 15.3. 48.13 also cannot even overrule 48.12 since 48.12 puts a requirement on when the SC can be called in. Furthermore Masi explaining his solution would have been the only one to not compromise the racing is ... laughable. He did directly interfere with the racing and gave Verstappen an advantage by eliminating Sainz out of the equation as well. Where is the rule that says that only P1 and P2 are worthy of racing? 15.3.c can furthermore be very much understood in a way that Masi could have suggested a red flag to the stewards as a solution outside of the Sporting Regulations. This was the worst performance of Masi ever and that's quite a feat considering his track record of terrible decisions. Since RB and Verstappen are not responsible for this mess I think it's unfair to strip them of the title. On the other hand Hamilton was indeed robbed of a fair chance. This mess demands consequences, one of those being Masi to be fired and stripped of all FIA duties as he's proven to be unfit for the job.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

But then also Max was robbed of first place at the beginning. That could have been the decider for the race.

[@H14RXV]

@@Robert-cu9bm I don’t think so mate. Lewis was way too quick and would of definitely took max at the next corner again. Max’s tyres were shot.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

@@H14RXV Tyres were shot in the first laps of the race? If Lewis was way too quick, how did Max overtake 🤔

[@jaycope3652]

@@Robert-cu9bm because he had brand new softs and masi moved the backmarkers out of the way for him? Stop being dense

[@andriusa.6444]

@@Robert-cu9bm how was he robbed? Max lunges his car with an attitude of either other driver does not fight back or he simply crashes and he did that way too often this year. To my point of view, this is not racing, Checo defending against Lewis was pure racing, that was wonderful. Lastly, considering Lewis’ pace, he would have overtaken Max on track or undercut him.. this was Lewis’ race, he was much faster.

[@davidcronfalk8389]

Good video, I would also add that from a drivers point of view these decisions set a worrying precedent. Can they trust that following the rules will be beneficial in the future. I think all drivers and teams should be concerned with the bending of the rules. I’m surprised we haven’t heard more from the other teams on this.

[@petertankg]

@@Amanda-ps5gz Ferrari won't get involved because this is payback

[@kralg]

You sound to be a little naiv here. Do not forget that all of them is part of the show and all of them benefit from the show. None of them is really allowed to comment now, up until they find the 'right' idea to communicate to settle this problem around F1 now.

[@cybadred]

The Drivers be ok unless some of them find them selves in HM'S POSTION. But none of them is HM Right!!

[@lj9523]

I'm still pretty much gutted about how it all unfolded. There were different situations on the table. Even though Max definitely deserved the title, it's a shame that it was taken away from Lewis - in the decisive race, he completely dominates Max and ends up getting knocked out by this controversial decision by a third party. Just to have a good show, you should not bend the basic rules of the sport, not in the last lap of the last race of the championship. It would have been just as much of a farce if it had happened the other way around, this has nothing to do with sport, but solely with entertainment. And that can not please a real fan. And yes, Max has certainly taken some penalties this season, which is perhaps why many are talking about compensatory justice. In my eyes, he deserved many of the penalties, but again, is definitely also a deserving world champion. Still, this final was for me a distortion of competition.

[@laszlonagy02]

He would be stronger than max with the same tires but he didn't pitted.

[@pet3r387]

@@laszlonagy02 because he would have lost track position, if he went in then Max would have stayed out and be in front of Hamilton, all the while it wasn't clear if the race would have ended on the safety car or not.

[@RidwanNurzeha]

Hamilton deserved the Abu Dhabi GP. But Max deserved the title.

[@omiitopa5498]

This sums up everything v nicely - ironically the one lap shoot out that was engineered just meant the leading driver was at a massive disadvantage. But I suppose in Masi’s eyes this is fair racing lol

[@lilRicky891]

Would he have been in the lead if he wasnt given the free pass on cutting the corner

[@sensibleandrational6682]

Bravo for the unbiased and thorough analysis. Real racing fans with common sense will judge fairly regardless of how the appeal goes.

[@spikem6039]

unbiased, erm I'm not so sure about that.

[@StevieTruth]

This was not unbiased. But we won’t know for sure, since he never responds. He drops content then cuts and runs. See ya buddy!

[@jayb2705]

This is biased, he says rules were broken based on his interpretation. There are many 'non British' people who don't agree with that.

[@DeeSeaAreEss]

Thank you for a very clear explanation of the facts. Was I mistaken in hearing a call that lapped cars won’t pass, followed by one saying they should? Also the race is not just about the leaders but the mid field battles too. By only allowing a few cars through he negated these battles as well. All in all a very unsatisfactory way to end a season.

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

Max won. Very satisfactory.

[@sayfami3927]

Snake oil Salesman MaFIA & Co SIMPLY MANIPULATED A PREFERRED OUTCOME, AS INTENDED! BENNIE ECCLESTONE IN THE TIMES ELUDED TO A CHANGE OF GUARD As DID maFIA (deliberate inconsistencies of directive) & LIBERTY MEDIA (hollywood reality celeb tv culture). ALL COLLUDING FOR A MAX OUTCOME SADLY FOR COMMERCIAL GAINS SUPPOSEDLY AND TO NEW SWAN SONGS. REGARDLESS OF MB STRATEGY THEY WERE GOING TO GET PLAYED DIRTY. ITS A FIX BUT EPIC FAILURE! MAX IS A PAPER BOY - AN HONORARY CHOMP, WE CALL BS, RUN ALONG YOUR PAPER ROUNDS🤡🎁🎅

[@NemuruYama]

@@sayfami3927 Ummm, wut dis

[@Tommmmmmmmmmmm]

@@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP Max was gifted a win* lewis dominated the entire race.

[@djocker0366]

@@Tommmmmmmmmmmm Max was the better driver the whole year.

[@naveensenthil3419]

Red flagging the race was the best choice. Imagine Lewis and max both on even tires, 4 laps to go that will make or break their season. Might have been the race of the century.

[@leeneal6969]

what kind of motor racing fan says something like that?

[@65kgio25]

@@leeneal6969 what kind of motor racing fan are you? just curious

[@philrod1]

Probably the best option, all things considered, but apparently not an option. Is this a power Masi doesn't have?

[@15209091]

I really dont understand why they couldn't red flag the race? They knew they handed Max the championship as soon as they made that call considering the tyre situation. If they red flagged the race it would have been a much more thrilling fight to the end but they premeditated murdered Lewis restarting the race that way while he had those old tyres.

[@yaumelsanchez2641]

Red flagging the race wouldn’t make sense for the reasons they should call one the shit calls and flags they’ve made this year I’m surprised they didn’t but a red flag would be called on a incident that’s really bad and would need way more time to clear out for a safety car or vsc to be called out on . Either way there should be a better way to handle an incident to not end under a safety car or vsc with that little bit of laps to go. Whether or not it means to give the race directors the authority to call for a restart just to get everyone in order like the lap cars needed to so that they wouldn’t be in the way of the title fight. It definitely would’ve been the best and safest option to help max fight but also keep the Mercedes’ fans happy since he would still have a better chance of attacking max using newer tires than old ass hards

[@MegaIronica]

"The race dictator" phrase is both hilarious and extremely accurate 🤣

[@jamtalawah2231]

As the old saying goes "there's many a slip betwixt cup and lips"

[@JedidiahDS]

😂 😂 😂 😂

[@roadbiker8333]

"the whole point of letting lapped cars to pass so that they don't affect racing." How does this make sense if only lapped cars between lewis and max was cleared???? What about other drivers? Do they not affect the outcome of the race? So Let's say if Carlos was directly behind Max and he made a dive into a corner and Cause some incident making Lewis and Max become P7 and 10. Would that make a difference in the race? The FIA are a bunch of clowns. The race is NOT just lewis and Max and other drivers do make a difference in the race and the outcome. Yet Massi decided to use a back marker to keep the rest of the field away from Lewis and Max so that Max on a 1.5s faster tyre can take the championship. No-one cares if the championship ends behind a fling safety car. What we want is a race that's not decided by penalties and stupid FIA decision, yet they still fk it up!!!!!! Pulling in safety car is one of the easiest decisions you can make as a race director. There are clear rules to follow. And there is no ambiguity whatsoever. You see the track being clear, you let lapped cars pass, then 1 lap latter, you pull in the safety car if the track remains clear. SIMPLE. HOW HARD IS THAT? And no, as a race director, you only have the override authority over the course clerk in make decisions if there's a discrepancy between them, NOT overriding the actual rules in there. Can a race director said "Hey I don't want any stewards in this race, let's remove them despite the rules saying we need a panel of them"?

[@Tootle222]

I reckon anybody who had a bet on Hamilton to win has a legal case against the FIA

[@selcukcilek555]

Regulations 15:3 clarifies your doubts. The Race Director HAS A OVERWRITING AUTHORITY over all other SC rules.

[@roadbiker8333]

@@selcukcilek555 Wrong. 15.3 does not say that racing director has overwriting authority over all other SC rules. It only say racing director has overriding authority over the clerk of the course on SC matter. regulation 2.1 states, all officials must observe ALL regulations in the sporting regulation. Meaning Race director has to obey Rule 48.12 to it's fullness. Too bad that you have ignored the rule that states all officials must obey all rules. Ignorance from Max fan is real.

[@roadbiker8333]

@@selcukcilek555 Not to mention, It's weird for you to think that it's fair to artificially restart the race against regulations knowing the fact that Max has a 1.5s per lap quicker tyre on and call it "race fairly". What about all 54laps before that? Shame that Max fans didn't notice how Max was gifted the championship by FIA. Not to mention, It's also very unfair to Everyone else on the grid as well since they have got back markers in the way. The only person who benefited was Max. Yet All you max fans think that a decision violating regulations benefiting only 1 driver out of the all 16 drivers on track is completely fine........... wtf is on your minds really?

[@kralg]

@@roadbiker8333 Not all Max fans, believe me.

[@0rthell0]

Am I missing something? 15.3 surely doesn’t mean that the rules relating to the deployment or withdrawal of the safety car can be ignored and overridden by the whims of the race director. But only that if there was ever a disagreement between the race director and clerk of the course on wether it were safe to bring in the safety car. Then the race director would have the overriding opinion.

[@kevinmac2200]

A very important point that is being ignored. Rule 15.3 clearly is designed to say the race director has final discretion on when to deploy the safety car. It DOESN'T mean "all those rules which describe proper safety car protocol? .. those ones we've herein laid out?.. those are redundant, as actually it's all down to the race controller and he can do whatever he thinks is most fun".

[@adamjulian_drifts]

The buck stops with massi.

[@chris_wicksteed]

Yep. Can't believe how many commentators have completely ignored the context of rule 15.3. You can't just cut half a sentence out of a clause, and use that as your justification! You have to take the clause as a whole, and determine what the intention behind it is.

[@endthisnonsense7202]

What 15.3 ACTUALLY means is that the Racing Directors is authorize and is accountable. The fact the responsibility can be delegated doesn't change a tiny bit of that. So if the Racing Director feels "this is not going right" or "I will get into trouble with my accountability", he HAS TO step in and override.

[@based_yeoman9138]

That's legal writing for you 😑

[@Chris67831]

“It’s a motor race,” but his decision pretty much made the first 54 laps null and void. I don’t think anyone could have made the right call in that moment, but the decision to finish the race not under safety car and after the second place driver has pitted for softs, after he allowed only the cars between the race leaders to pass, you can’t say it was a fair restart. It was the smart move to stay out for Lewis because he kept track position and if it wasn’t red flagged and Max pitted, either all lapped cars should’ve been let through, leading to a possible win under SC or Max should’ve had to fight from position. But instead, he made a decision that gave Max the clear advantage. Regardless of popular opinion, the fairest way to end that race was under safety car or red flagged. I do believe Masi did everything to his best ability to ensure that the race didn’t end under SC but by doing that, he failed to realize that it was his decision, not the teams nor the drivers, that determined the Championship.

[@Exevium]

If he just let the lapped cars past the SC a lap sooner, we wouldn't be in this mess. Cameras show Latifis car almost behind the barrier in lap 55. Lap 56 lapped cars overtake, lap 57 safety car into pit and lap 58 the last racing lap. This would've given them an extra lap to sort out the racing order as well. It's the right result, under the wrong conditions.

[@tom___258]

@@Exevium But the track has to be cleaned up and ready for racing to let the lapped cars overtake the safety car. And as I remember this wasn't the case.

[@davepayne164]

Masi is a wet fart of a human being, and not fit to lead a scout troop

[@billyfletcheriracing9833]

@@Exevium very well said, that sums this entire fiasco up perfectly

[@Amanda-ps5gz]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 💙 nude.snapgirls.today/ikechan 💙 PRIVATE S*X👆 THREE IN ONE L...❤❤❤... KZbin: THIS IS FINE. THREE IN ONE SOMEONE: SAYS ''HECK''. KZbin: BE GONE Life's story is a short journey so have fun before sleeping forever #Чо #эт #делает #на #2 #месте #в #тренде #однако #я #люблю #таких #рыбаков .#垃圾. Megan: ''Hotter'' Hopi: ''Sweeter'' Joonie: ''Cooler'' Yoongi: ''Butter'' Жизнь, как красивая мелодия, только песни перепутались. #ライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！#この日のライブ配信は、#かならりやばかったですね！１#万人を超える人が見ていたもんね（笑）#やっぱり人参最高！#まさかのカメラ切り忘れでやら1かしたのもドキドキでした！#今後は気を付けないとね5). . !💖🖤❤#今後は気をライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！#この日のライブ配信は、#１万人を超える人が見ていたも ん（#笑）#やっぱり人参最高！#まさかのカメラ切り忘れでやら1かしたのもドキドキでした #今後は気をライブ配信の再編ありがとうです！（ #笑）#垃圾

[@TeamOT]

One needs to ask oneself whether Masi would have made the same decision if this was the third race of the season or if Max/Lewis and RB/Merc had wrapped up the championship well before the last race. It seems that the answer would most certainly be "no" in both cases.

[@tbpotn]

What is your point with this exactly? That circumstances matter? Do you think Hamilton would've gotten just 10 seconds if Silverstone was the last race?

[@Mrbasspro95]

Might as well then think about if Lewis would have pitted and was behind Max in race position, you think that clown would've waved the lapped cars between them thru? I think not.

[@eden5260]

@@tbpotn yes absolutely he should have, you aren't really good with understanding an argument are you? and if you think the right call is getting Lewis disqualified for what happened then he should be if in Silverstone and if in Abu Dhabi that's exactly the point. you don't care about manipulating the rules because you don't care about the sport you care about the show you wished for being fulfilled

[@TheLibermania]

@@Mrbasspro95 Of course he would've. I see the critique on wanting to make it a show and therefore make the shootout but f*** off with your conspiracy theories.

[@TeamOT]

@@tbpotn point is that the marshalling/refereeing/decision making (or wtv the hell you want to call it) has been inconsistent and arbitrary AF this season and it's frustrating.

[@billyfletcheriracing9833]

I’m a huge Lewis fan and I was gutted over what happened. Over the season, Max 100% deserved the title, he’s been awesome. For Lewis to loose it like that though? Was horrible. I hope the results aren’t over turned. It needs to stand as RBR did nothing wrong. The FIA though, they need to own up to that shambolic show from them

[@maxmustermann369]

yeah, absolutely agree. wanted max to win, he did the better job over the whole season imo. but this was just strange. kudos to lewis though, i always thought he was a little crybaby. turns out its actually toto wolff. if they end up taking away the wc, im gonna stop watch f1. fia needs to get their shit together and make rules that are clearly defined so this cant happen (and all the other controversal decisions as well).

[@felixnickel9526]

so if your car was stolen and another person bought your stolen car, can the buyer keep it as he did nothing wrong while the thief is going to jail?

[@edi8872]

that’s like Manchester United winning 2-0 and referee goes last goal win and Liverpool score like??

[@LeicaFleury]

@@edi8872 It's not because soccer doesn't have safety cars nor race cars.

[@michaelb6420]

Doesn't mean RB deserves the win because they don't!!! Regs disregarded rules not followed.. championship not earned by RB bottom line & EVERYONE knows this but few have the balls to say it...

[@backnine39]

Alonzo , at the time, was calling for lapped cars to pass the safety and have TWO racing laps. But there was a "no pass" order out at that time. Alonzo should be the Race Director

[@johnwilkins7321]

you should only allow the lapped cars to unlap when the circuit is considrered safe and clear. seeing as they were still clearing the track during lap 36 (and were shown doing so on camera), that wouldnt have been possible. F1 is a dangerous sprt, its the reason why regs and protocols that are in place should never be thrown out of the window for the sake of spectacle

[@backnine39]

@@johnwilkins7321 It should also be consistent and absolute, NOT wishy washy and arbitrary

[@johnwilkins7321]

@@backnine39 absolutely. ive said before, on this one, he should have stuck rigid;ly to the regs..the RD has had an unacceptle level of influence on the result of this race

[@DaVoKanfr]

@@johnwilkins7321 And team bosses/race strategists too. I've never seen any sports where a coach could talk directly with the referee and tell him what to do.

[@backnine39]

@@johnwilkins7321 Here's an example "In case of a yellow flag within the last 10 laps of the race, all cars MUST PIT immediately with no modifications/repairs/changes allowed. Once the track is deemed safe, all cars will line up on the grid for a standing restart to finish the race." This way a race will NEVER EVER finish under a yellow flag. EVER.

[@89liveforthemoment]

Hamilton had to work his way through the traffic that Masi let through in the run up to the safety car. He would have known that Verstappen had put fresh rubber on. He knew he was going against his own rules and anyone would have known that was going to hand the race to Verstappen after Hamilton had clearly won already. Wrong. It doesn’t matter who you support, it was wrong. Not taking anything away from either driver. They both did amazing this year and provided us with the best season in years and both deserved the win. Well done to both of them. Let’s just have consistent rules and stop meddling with the race please! I want to see them fight each other and not the FIA.

[@x808drifter]

@@JuanCEOs725 And if he did the large majority would be fine with it. That assshat needs to be fired.

[@roastingminer6919]

I just feel that max was given an unjust and extreme advantage from all the bullshittery. Not saying this is maxes fault at all, but what the fia did was unacceptable.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

At the expense of everyone else on the lead lap, not just Lewis. Masi is out of his depth.

[@starptgr]

Just like Mercedes and Hamilton had been given extreme advantages from bullshittery earlier in the season. It has all balanced out, and the better driver has won.

[@megawave79]

@@starptgr how? They literally had regulations imposed against their car which put them behind redbull

[@orange8003]

@@starptgr The very fact you’re saying that is clear that we should all be focusing on exposing the FIA

[@islandboi1988]

@@starptgr you can knit pick at every little thing for the whole season and go back and forth. We ALLLL know what happened in Abu Dhabi.lol

[@Graffititude]

I watched every race this season (amongst other seasons). I LOVE Formula 1. But, the way this season ended was one of THE most disappointing things I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t of cared who one the race (as ling as it was fair), but to see it having ended the way it did made me lose faith and love for the sport. I literally cried when it happened. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right and if they made the decision to increase better racing/viewing pleasure, it definitely didn’t work for me……it had the absolutely direct opposite impact on me. I’m still sad and will be for some time😔. Thanks so much for your videos and happy holidays everyone!! Be well and be merry!!

[@ozijay3000]

You are right, I'm Hamilton fan but also loved how Max went hard this season. I wanted the best to win only this time Masi did.

[@knutpohl339]

I fundamentally disagree on the "any doesn't mean all" argument. In the context of these regulations it very much does. Try arguing with your landlord that you only pay the damages you want to, because your contract states "tenants are liable for any damage"

[@jasonuk8333]

Yep. I find that argument from Red Bull to be pathetic. In that context 'any' clearly means all, and always has done until Masi decided to make some new procedures on Sunday. If Hamilton and Verstappen's races had been swapped, Red Bull would be going crazy at what happened.

[@DanielFiskvik]

Yes. Also; «… any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car» Strange how the word «required» is used here. If «any» means «some», then «will be required» should be replaced with «may be ordered».

[@matpk]

@@DanielFiskvik Lewis should race in Indycar🥳🥳 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKG0d3aZiK5jprc

[@Shades_of_White]

I'm not understanding this overwhelming desire that everyone has to have the race finish under race conditions. Yes, it'd be anticlimactic for the race to end behind the safety car, but plenty of races in the past have ended this way and so could this. Yes, people could say it was a bit of a let down, but it's not as if Max and Lewis were fighting wheel to wheel all race and the safety car stopped it. Lewis had the race under control and Max was powerless 10 seconds down the road. They ran out of time to end it under race conditions, or they would have if they followed procedure. Honestly, it was so blindly manufactured to allow the top two go toe to toe on the last lap that I've lost all respect for the sport, or at least the sport under Liberty Media.

[@marco6798]

If the race was in the middle of the season there is no doubt it had ended with a safety car. Masi wants drama, seams to be director of Netflix

[@MrElpajita]

Max Verstappen is YOUR 2021 Formula 1 World Champion! Max Max, super Super Max!

[@jamesf8864]

@@MrElpajita Thanks for that valuable contribution to this technical debate 🙄

[@salem2410]

Considering in Spa they happily ran an entire 2-lap race under safety car I find it hard to believe the same people would say the race shouldn't have ended behind the safety car after 50+ of racing with a clear dominant winner. The aftermath of this mockery of a final race is almost as unbelievable as what went on. F1 experts are choosing to play dumb or stay silent to protect their jobs. Highly influential people like Bernie going on Sky news to say it was won fair and square; adding that he was happy Schumacher's record wasn't broken and hopes it won't be whilst Schumacher is alive. With probably only 2 years left of LH's career, if this doesn't tell you that some people at the top just don't want him to ever get the 8th then not sure what will. Bernie concluded by saying " well, we'll see if it happens" when asked aren't records made to be broken.

[@andrewgreen5892]

I'd go further than that: Masi was happy to have a race entirely play out under a safety car, so long as Max won (Belgium), he was happy for a race to finish under a safety car, insisting that all lapped cars had to pass, so long as Max won (Eifel GP). Race control was relatively lenient on forcing drivers off track, so long as it was Max doing it (Saudi Arabia, Brazil). I understand that media figures want to seem 'balanced', but the only real consistent pattern in Masi's decision-making is that he has has favoured Max

[@davidsquires2363]

The best option for next year is to get rid of 'Messy', and put someone with real experience of F1 on the judges bench.

[@andyandy2731]

But this will not give the title to HAM which he fully deserved

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

Stop crying

[@rwouwenaarrw]

@@andyandy2731 no not really the whole season has been bad calls so should also mean all FIA mistakes should be reviewed. Wich also means Hamilton being disqualified for the Silverstone murder asault wich is a way poorer decision on FIA their part.

[@sparqqling]

And keep the same stewards for all races!

[@GravellordNito]

@@andyandy2731 😂😂😂 Talk about selective memory

[@jg-tp4up]

The way I look at is that Max had no chance to win the race with 4 laps left and what Masi did after Red Bull complained is not right. He took a car that did not deserve the win and gave him a chance to win. What Hamilton did for 57.5 laps meant zero. For those who say they should have changed the tires it would not have mattered with 4 laps Max would have had to get by 5 cars plus Hamilton. I’m a Ferrari fan and I’ve been wanting Hamilton and Mercedes to lose but not like this they were ROBBED. F1 2021 Champion is Max but not to me, for me it’s still Hamilton.

[@realisrealite5554]

He took a driver that didn't deserve to win and gave him the championship and all I see is F1 wanting Lewis gone so people that look like them can win.

[@robfer5370]

Spot on!

[@Jaredscott89]

"any" in this context should actually be interpreted as all cars. The entire sentence must be read down, you can't simply hold out one single word and read down that meaning alone. Then the 15.1 rule in context means the director can over rule the clerk of the course, not that they can make up rules on the fly as to the use of the car. It is an overriding authority. Say if the clerk had a stroke mid race, director can now control that aspect, or other such scenarios where needed. It isn't intended to give the director discretion to inject himself into the championship outcome. Which is what has happened, an artificial scenario made to provide a last lap shootout at the expense of all credibility. Masi needs to resign at the very least. F1 can't continue this way and the rule book obviously needs to be altered to make the language airtight so that they don't get these idiots making it up as they go.

[@gioponti6359]

I second every sentence. Plus, Masi‘s comment „its car racing“, when being reminded to stick to the rules, makes it all more difficult to accept Masi still has his job.

[@danielmurawski5926]

To override means to cancel someone else's decision, so I think it's not for situations like clerk having a stoke. Instead, it's probably meant to be used in situations where rules leave some room for interpratation (like red flag rule)

[@Jaredscott89]

@@danielmurawski5926 It is exactly like the situation I described, I didn't intend my comment to be limited to that, it was a simple a example of an extreme scenario that shows why it was included in the rules and the context for its use. No decision, is also a situation in which someone can override too.

[@dtrainmclean4867]

The team principals should not have a direct line to the race director

[@allanpiacente]

Yeah! Horner asking Masi and he stuttering and saying he needed a minute, then changing his decision. Also Toto screaming "No Michael, No No". What a joke.

[@DoodlesMcpooh]

@@allanpiacente Can't blame Toto. He was in shock that the regulations were being completely ignored to gift Max the win.

[@CYMotorsport]

6:20 the issue which I’m fairly certain Merc will press at ICA is 48.15. Masi’s defense is perfectly fine until it invokes a rule that would force the race to end under SC if they go one more turn to start the final lap thus giving motivation to start the race. I was fine with the “any” vs “all” wiggle room as well as overriding authority - but not at the expense of other rules. If the results hold, the FIA have just said rules don’t matter, sometimes. You’d think Totd who won at ICA in 99 via Ferrari’s Suzuka challenge would be paying attention to this. Ppl keep talking about the damage to F1’s reputation but pending what happens next, it’s the FIA under the microscope

[@552MB]

These rules aren't designed to decide a race, i.e. advantage or disadvantage anyone - I don't agree with them being seen this way. It's not like the rule Masi broke reads: If a SC is called within 5 laps of the end, the race will end under the SC'. Merc are just doing a great job of whipping this up.

[@ildoninojoao3478]

If Mercedes doesn't go through with this I don't think Lewis will come back next season.. and I won't watch it f1 again until Masi is out.

[@552MB]

@@ildoninojoao3478 I think Lewis was going to retire anyway.

[@ildoninojoao3478]

@@552MB i wasn't sure but now I'm he will retire. Lando in Mercedes next season.

[@ER-1.1]

@@ildoninojoao3478 doubt LH retires. He’ll be wanting revenge on the FIA and get that 8th title. Also Norris is under contract so he won’t be going to Mercedes even if LH does retire.

[@NopeP]

What I don't get either is, Max drove infront of Lewis when Lewis was acting as the safety car, that is an immediate 5 second penalty, just like if your cross the wrong part of the pit entry. Why did Max not receive a penalty for that. It makes no sense

[@renzanfortineri196]

If im not wrong its been investigated after merc doing double complaint (this and the restart) and the data said Max is still clear, so no penalty

[@kubhak]

Cuz hamilton was playing games and was trying to catch him off guard and stewards knew this its not like max did IT on purpose

[@NopeP]

@@renzanfortineri196 obviously because the FIA wanted Max to win the championship. Exactly the same in Saudi, that brake check is an automatic DSQ by any driver. That is a deliberate action to crash another driver, that's an immediate DSQ, but nothing for Max. What about Qatar, Max cried on the radio and then Gasly let him past, cheating again. Brazil, completely forgot to give Max any penalties for his driving. Spa gave Max a race win and 12.5 points for qualifying on pole. Great job The FIA gave Max two race wins within 3 laps this year, what a joke.

[@NopeP]

@@kubhak It doesn't matter, Lewis is the acting Safety car, if Lewis drove in front of the actual Safety car he'd receive a 5 second penalty whether it was deliberate or not

[@renzanfortineri196]

Im not going back to "what about other track"ism again since many post always bring back to that topic, without seeing AbuDhabi race objectively... From what i see, your question in 1st post is just a normal complain of Merc to FIA. Since Merc didnt push it more. The main beef is the controversial restart one... And, Even if FIA want to give Max chance, That restart is so idioticly bad that if he really takes side, he should just done it better by letting the lapped car, unlap themself earlier, like Alonso pointed out when SC called. Yet when Masi got asked by Horner, he said "Safety first before unlap" That is why for me, Im pretty sure Masi didnt side with anyone (because he just made everyone enemy lol) I just saw it as collossal fucked up from Masi/steward side (as always lol), especially since he got pushed by Horner and Toto while race still going In the end no one "win" at that night, What i mean no one win is : -As Merc/Ham, they got robbed, even tho their strategy do nothing wrong and as per rule stand, Lewis should have won the race. Its unfair for Lewis -As RB/Max, They DID NOTHING WRONG, becaus they did as "per rule" that get set by the referee / race director. And if somehow the court nullifies Max's title, its unfair for Max. -As the other driver, example : Sainz, Ricciardo, Stroll.... They got robbed as well since Masi didnt even consider they exist on track because of 5 cars only unlap. They only consider P1 and P2 battle, conflicting what he said "we want race" -As a neutral fans we got robbed of what "sports" are, and we got a race that focused on "entertainment" not sports For me its like Max deserves to win WDC 2021 But Lewis totally deserves to win AbuDhabi GP I think Norris, Ricciardo, and many other drivers also think the same

[@grimmjowww9452]

I think Hamilton and Mercedes didnt pit for new tires during the last sc since they thought the race would end during the safety car but instead it went to the pits early and the cars between the two were allowed to unlap themselves which just messed them up. Im also pretty sure that the word ANY is immediately confirmed to mean all since the next rule says "LAST lapped cars" which techincally means all the cars. Then again with the lapped cars being in the way of actual racing, the literal permission to allow only the cars between Ver and Ham affected the racing of the rest of the cars behind Verstappen. It made it look like the only race that mattered was the one between Lew and Ver. I mean it was the most important but jesus christ.

[@Soutar3DG]

If Mercedes and Lewis did decide to pit, Max would have stayed out and it would have ended under the SC instead to give Max the win that way.

[@andyr3802]

Pit and give up track position to Max with just a few laps left? Is that a sensible move??

[@grimmjowww9452]

@@Soutar3DG Which is why they didnt... but the rules got bent and their strategy (i think it was) fell apart.

[@MegaIronica]

In this context "any" definitely means "all". If a law says any person entering the country must submit a proof of a negative covid test, I dont see myself going to the airport to argue "we'll it didn't say all, so let me on the plane".

[@grimmjowww9452]

@@MegaIronica Yeah if it was the more common meaning of any which is literally any then Masi can literally just choose who can unlap themselves and maybe give advantages to certain drivers.

[@steviesteve750]

Whoever you wanted to win, I think all parties can agree that it was an absolute farce that made F1 look like a clown show. The FIA needs to get a grip on itself, and quickly. Whilst they're at it, would be great to seem them take WRC seriously as well.

[@jakubkrcma]

I, a life-long F1 enthusiast, am VERY close to stopping watching F1. The whole season, there have been fuck ups after fuck ups by the officials. ALL THE FUCKING TIME... :-(

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

I wanted Max to win. The race was fair. Go and read the rules.

[@aztronomy7457]

@@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP I'm sure if lewis had won this way, you'd be repeating that same line in Max's defeat. I'm glad you enjoy WWE F1. Oh, there's nothing in the rules that technically states you can let only some of the lapped cars go

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

@@aztronomy7457 No...have a bottle🍼🍼🍼

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

@@aztronomy7457 Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal.

[@fabiankummer3536]

What I‘m wondering is: Was there only racing between P1 and P2? Why didn‘t Masi care about the lapped cars between P2 and P3 or even behind P3? Are these guys not racing? If Verstappen had a direct opponent on his rear wing, wouldn‘t that (maybe) effect the outcome? Masi had quite some options, he was surely under huge pressure, but in my eyes: He chose the only, let‘s call it „dumb“ option…

[@mralexmead]

Max overtook Lewis because he had pitted and was on a fresh set of tyres. Even though Lewis clearly had the faster car he couldn't compete with Max on a fresh set of softs. I don't think Verstappen was under threat from anyone behind him who hadn't even pitted.

[@Exevium]

He could've called the "Cars can overtake the SC" a lap sooner, instead of having them stick around. The cameras confirmed the track was almost clear at lap 55, Alonso and Vettel called the track clear to race around that time as well. Lap 56 cars should've been let past, lap 57 safety car comes into pitlane, and lap 58 would've been a racing lap. This would've given them an extra lap to sort out the racing order, and maybe could've given Norris a chance to get back a lap and get back P5 in the championship.

[@gerhardvaneeden5615]

@@Exevium I specifically watched the race again, and noticed that as the cars were passing the scene of the accident on lap 56, a marshal was seen jumping over the barrier, FROM the track, to safety. That leaves the upcoming lap 57 to let the lapped cars through, AND to bring the SC in, which is what happened. Alonso's radio dialogue confirms that once you have passed the SC, you can go full speed (but may not pass until the SC line). So it would've been too dangerous to call for un-lapping any earlier. What Michael did was the only option to enable a finish under a green flag, imho.

[@gerhardvaneeden5615]

Further, there was most likely not enough time to let ALL the lapped cars through, and I honestly don't think Sainz would have involved himself (if he was even able to) with this incredibly fractious WC battle.

[@lisasun2890]

@@mralexmead that's assumption. Anything could possibly happen. The last lap call already proved my point

[@woodybenjam]

Michael Masi does not get to pick an option as your video suggests. The rules of F1 are printed very clearly in black and white. He is the Race Director which means he gets to implement the "rules" . Not how he decides, not how he likes, not down to his opinion. His overriding use of the safety car, doesn't mean he can change the rules or he gets an option around how the safety car is used, it means that he gets to decide when the procedure of the safety car is implemented. It is very clearly stated in the rules. Hence why he was let go. He did not implement the rules/procedure correctly which meant only one driver was allowed to race for the championship on that final lap. It was shameful and corrupt. Maybe you will do a video explaining this^.

[@stevenwitts6968]

It is sad that Driver61 can’t just tell the truth and say that Masi didn’t follow the rules. He did what Horner told him to do.

[@shaggminator]

@@stevenwitts6968 Exactly... This guy was absolutely biased which is sad.

[@Raven-Creations]

Even with the rules in front of you, you got it wrong. Option 3 (i.e. Masi's original choice) does not apply. Only if it is unsafe for lapped cars to pass the safety car is this an option, and clearly it was perfectly safe or he shouldn't let any cars past. The "overriding authority" does NOT apply to the rules. It's saying he has authority to override a decision of the Clerk of the Course. Look at the context of that paragraph. It's talking about what powers the Clerk has and where the Race Director can override him. I've been through the rules with a fine toothed comb, and nowhere does it give the Race Director any power to change any rules. On the contrary, the few situations where the Race Director can deviate from the norm are explicitly called out, and modifying the safety car procedure is not one of them. Also, the very first paragraph, even before section 1 says that the FIA undertake to apply as well as observe the rules. There's nothing about changing them to get a mad Horner off ones back. While I'm sure some of the rules are ambiguous and need to be reworded, there isn't any ambiguity in the safety car rules. The use of "any" is in the context of "if there are any lapped cars, they ALL must pass the safety car unless it is unsafe to do so". The last sentence in the section, which you quoted, "once the last of the lapped cars has passed the leader..." removes any possible ambiguity, despite what Christian would like us to believe. As for "not affecting the racing", what about Sainz? He was stuck behind a lapped Ricciardo (whose race was effectively ended by this decision). Had he been allowed to get back on the lead lap, Ricciardo might have been able to get into the points. Masi was right not to red flag the race, especially not once the track was clear, but given that it was safe for lapped cars to pass the safety car, there was only one legal option - he should have let all lapped cars past, and brought the safety car in at the end of the following lap, which would have been the end of the race. By breaking the rules he changed a certain Lewis victory into an inevitable Max victory. That is "affecting the racing" in the worst possible way. I certainly think there's a case for cutting direct communication with the Race Director. Masi was already under pressure to get the race underway as soon as possible, and Horner's badgering was pretty unseemly at best, and may have been instrumental in him making the bad decision. Of course, if you've got an ineffectual, and barely respected, Race Director who's prepared to "offer" a team a deal or no deal over penalties, when he should have said "give the place back, or get a penalty", the team principals are going to smell blood and try to exert whatever influence they can. Masi brought this upon himself. I'm a neutral, and would have been happy for either driver to win legitimately, but this stinks and I'm wholly behind Lewis on this. I'm not at all against Max, just the illegal use by Masi of non-existent powers to change the outcome of the whole championship.

[@radgiegadgie2486]

This is the most accurately correct statement I've seen on the events in how they unfolded. The only thing I would add is that it appears to blatantly point to Nepotism being used to bring about the inevitable outcome, once that decision was taken and also, how politically driven the side show of the sport really is. Which makes it now unwatchable for me.

[@mysterynl9335]

clearly you havent read the rules. because the stewards have to give the track green thats its safe (thats a must ! ) so masi had direct contact with the steward because time was running out , so when they give it clear he reacted to that and give people the race they want its not unfair.and finishing under yellow flag with this championship battle after such a long season would be a bummer . it sucks for hamilton in this case but he could pit aswel for fresch tires even after max verstappen pitted he would still be in front . but mercedes gambeld wrong . and lewis let the door open for max to overtake him .

[@marcmorris1746]

Very well put. Thank you

[@tihs87]

you comment is spot on, however i think you overestimate Masi authority. I think FIA made MAx a Champion sooner then later, and RBR is paying them from immense gains they gonna get out of it. They can cash in on very high popularity of F1 much better then MB can so they won.

[@matttaylor050]

You forgot one very important point. When the SC was first called, Massi clearly said “no lapped cars will pass” this would’ve had a huge impact on Merc decision to stay out and not put with a tyre change. However Massi was influenced by Michael Horner after red bull had already pitted asking for the lapped cars to go through. The real Croix here is that Massi back flipped on his decision with little to no warning for Merc with nil regard of the consequences

[@stupidas9466]

And you miss the very important distinction that he didn't say they would not go through at all, just not at that time, because of the issue of the car and debris on the track still being cleared. Once it was safe to do so, then cars were allowed to pass, but it was decided that if every car was let through there " might" not be enough time to finish the race under green flag conditions, which is the PRIMARY goal in these situations. In short, the "best case scenario" in these circumstances is to have the race settled under green, without backmarkers getting in the way, and the rules have been changed over the years to make this most likely to happen in most circumstances. And this is exactly what occured. I hate MVS but have no issue with the rulings for this, and only this, reason.

[@chrisp4170]

@@stupidas9466 On what basis do you say green flag racing is the primary goal?? If it was, it would be written down. It is very much a secondary or even tertiary goal, fully subservient to the rules of racing. These rules were the basis of the pit stop decisions by both teams. You can’t just throw them out the window, if you don’t want comparisons with WWF!

[@Funkybassuk]

@@chrisp4170 I agree with you. A general agreement between the teams that it would be ideal to finish under green flag conditions can’t override actual rules and the teams’ / drivers’ expectations of what will happen when a safety car is called.

[@candymancam2390]

@@chrisp4170 i agree with you. Green flag racing is the LAST goal based only on a teams agreement. Τhe main reasons are the rules of the sport, these racing rules were the basis of the pit stop decisions by both teams.

[@indyguy5570]

@@chrisp4170 If it is not green flag racing then it is not RACING period. Finishing any race under a SC is weak and complete cowardice. I love at least one of NASCAR's approach with the green white checker, ALL races should end under green, if a red flag is needed fine, but end them racing not a final parade lap. F1 has become nothing more than timed laps and very little true racing.

[@manalterkeinfreiername2140]

what has happened this year with the FIA is that formula 1 is seen as a show and not as a sport. that is pretty bad in my opinion.

[@bboyjunyor]

from a sporting perspective.. yes. from a $$$ perspective.. no! people come for the drama, for the show.. entertainment, not for the sport! Think about baseball! WHO on earth likes that? nobody! they just say they do while they go to the event only to drink beer and talk.. nothing happens on the stupid field! so... think about it!

[@hellogodblessyou6946]

🤔🤔🤔Hmmmmm

[@7mmalltheway]

It always has been .. And especially in this season FIA had to do a favor of one of two F1 giants and a British living legend. But at the same time it had to support a new-young hero who brought in lots of young fans , and who was expected to end boringness of F1. FIA did it’s best to create spectacles and was bias to two drivers. Midfield drivers would have had no chance to get away with severe penalties.

[@evilformerlys4704]

@@7mmalltheway Hero to who? WTF are you talking about, he drives a race car and comes from a wealthy family, who the hell is Max a hero to? Please go on and explain in detail, I hate when folks just say some really out of pocket stuff, Max is a hero to who silver spoons?

[@7mmalltheway]

@@evilformerlys4704 First of all, do your own research before claiming ‘out of pocket idea’ whatever. Max is the most favored F1 driver by all age groups, and the 2nd most favored driver(after Lando) by young F1 fan age group. Second, If your distorted communistic view was correct , Churchill, Newton, Gandhi and all the great kings, nobles, and great ppl from wealthy backgrounds(you name it) don’t deserve the title, heros. But ppl and even historians do call them heros. So ppl are all insane, right? 😀 Although Lewis wasn’t born from a wealthy family, he was lucky enough to receive the most exclusive and elite racing education and fanatical support from McLaren. If you hate silver spoons boys, go watch some other sports. You can not become a F1 driver if you were from an ordinary family. I do sympathize ppl like you who’s trying to false-accuse particular wording instead of understanding the whole meaning of the paragraph, due to lack of comprehending ability. You would’ve sound much more convincing if you oppose my idea about FIA being political or statistics that shows Max is supported by a lot of young fans. FYI, I am a Lewis fan who can see facts not emotionally but objectively.

[@woodybenjam]

The rules are very clear how the safety car is to be used, Masi didn't follow these set out rules and decide to change them to let only one driver race for the win. If you or anyone is implying that Michael MAsi is allowed to interpret these rules how he likes, then that is CLEAR RACE FIXING AND CORRUPTION. Every other team and driver was left out in no mans land apart from RedBull.

[@drosslander4369]

I really believe Michael Masi has to go. His inconsistent rulings made it way more dangerous out there for the drivers who couldn't get a clear answer as to what was legal and what was a penalty. The whole year was frustrating in that respect and really comes down to the race director's inconsistency. In the end Lewis has been ripped off and Max has a tainted championship - no winner.

[@ildoninojoao3478]

Masi is the drive to survive director not the race director.

[@Well_be_right_back]

Really in a nutshell Masi proved to be a hypocrite because remember, last year during the eifel gp he said ALL lapped cars must pass, but now he is like oh screw the rules let's just break our own rules. Really he should go and instead of max being stripped of the title, lets share the title with both max and lewis. There everyone is happy and its a first for f1, especially considering how close things were for the whole season.

[@comeatmebro3229]

just to play devils advocate, has Masi been inconsistent all year or have the stewards? sure the end of the race is on Masi but any other time its the Stewards, Masi as race director cant actually hand out penalties thats solely on the stewards, the race director can refer things to the stewards and suggest teams give a place back but he cant actually dish out penalties.

[@JotaSE30]

4:46 - The rules say that the race director have overriding authority *over the clerk* in the use of the safety car, not overriding authority over the rules themselves. So for instance if the clerk doesn't deploy the safety car, the race director can override this and deploy it.

[@garrygills]

Spot on. Exactly how I've always read the safety car rules too.

[@yeah2011bb]

Yes, this is obviously the meaning of the rule ... to make the restart more safe not less so.

[@GorgyCL]

He didn't break any. By calling in the SC before all lapped cars went through the wording of 48.12 is nullified because it says when the LAST lapped car passes, the SC goes in at the next lap.

[@JotaSE30]

@@GorgyCL Except the safety car didn't go in the next lap, it went in the same lap.

[@coenvanwyk1]

It was a victory of Hollywood style entertainment over racing.

[@nevillegrimshaw7758]

Absolutely spot on Coen! All I can say as a fan of F1 for nearly 50 years I was disillusioned with the way it ended, I feel sorry for both max and Lewis.

[@J5L5M6]

@@nevillegrimshaw7758 Hear, hear

[@matpk]

@@nevillegrimshaw7758 Lewis should race in Indycar🥳🥳 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKG0d3aZiK5jprc

[@glenlivingstone4949]

Thank you for cleaning up all the noise about the final green lap, it’s more apparent now that race director was overwhelmed with the 2 teams influencing him at an extremely time sensitive part of the race, best explanation yet.

[@benzina5917]

Absolutely outstanding video and EXACTLY what I have been saying from the start. Masi had 4 options all rooted in rule and precedent and he chose to take a phantom 5th option that created this mess. It is fair to say that only one of the options (finishing under yellow) really favored Hamilton but that's life sometimes and there would be no real grounds for complaint if one of the 4 options were used. Furthermore, I totally agree that the race director should not be accessible by the team owners. This is a terrible practice that undoubtedly distracted Masi and hampered his judgement. Lastly , moving forwards this entire issue could have been solved by employing a rule used in IndyCar in America. When the yellow flag was thrown the pits could have been closed (an option available to the race director in Indy Car). This would have avoided Max doing his pit stop, would have maintained everyone's track position, and would have set up a one lap dash based on the tires every driver was on and had based their long term race strategy on.

[@MaioliRHCP]

Yes! The "legal" options favored Hamilton, but... He actually deserved that, didn't he? He launched with Mediums, and passed Max at the first Corner. Then we had that incident at the first lap, but... Lewis showed during all the race that he actually had the pace to beat Max on track. So, if we only look at this one race, Lewis deserved the win, as, for the championship, he and Max deserved because they were LEGENDS all season, leaving absolutely no space for any other driver to compete with them. People are saying that Max "deserved more" based on the season, but... Not always the driver that appears to been better the whole season wins... And that is the sport (any sport actually, we have the expression "Underdog" for a reason), Lewis winning would be fair giving what he has accomplished at that particular race. And as for your suggestion of closing the pits... I'm not sure but I guess they actually can close the pits at F1, I just don't know if this can be done at any time.

[@melmoore6885]

Makes sense to me, well done sir.

[@MGK734]

@@MaioliRHCP good point. But FIA can do whatever they want, so it's doable.

[@tropicaltree1196]

Well put.

[@efivos5362]

Thank God there are still sensible human beings on this planet!

[@mrpersjo]

I was hoping that Max would win and initially I was glad he did. After a couple of days of letting the race result sink in, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth that he did. Looking at how the first 54 laps went, Lewis deserved to win, and I feel sorry for him. I also feel sorry for Max who will most likely hear for many years to come that he didn't deserve to win. In some regards thats true, in some regards it's not. And most importantly it was not his fault it ended this way. FIA f*ck*d up. It's not only Masis fault, but rather the organisation and its rule book.

[@shelldahl5080]

❤❣

[@jasonuk8333]

That's the saddest thing. It's a tainted championship, and Max deserves better than having his first be seen that way, which it always will by all but those who are fans of Max above F1 itself. I would have had no problem with Max winning the championship if he had been faster and won by a decent margin. Instead it was gift-wrapped when he was being well-beaten on the day. That said they can't now just reverse the result and give Hamilton the championship (not that they would) as it would be just as unsatisfactory. Just a shame that a classic season was ruined in such a way right at the death, seemingly to please the Netflix generation of fans by engineering a last lap that gift-wrapped the championship for Max.

[@NemuruYama]

I am a Max fan and felt sad and happy at the same time when the result happened. I was happy that Max won, he deserved it a lot after this entire season, but I was sad because it was stolen away from Lewis in the last lap trough a decision by the racing director. It was not Masi's decision to make Max the victor (I'd hope at least), but it was a mistake what he did, just like a lot of the past season was shit. If Lewis had won, the championship would also have been tainted, because of Silverstone, Hungary, and (I believe) Monza. This entire season was hard racing, with either person deserving the win, it's just that Max got a bit of his luck back at the end after being unlucky in other parts of the season. But yes, I felt horrible seeing Lewis sitting in his car for like 10 minutes after the race. I may think he is a pretentious twat whenever he speaks, but he is one of the greatest drivers in F1 history and deserved this championship just as much as Max did.

[@vanislandrider7982]

totally agree, it was a shame to have it end the way it did. Solution - Max V Lewis, Budget rent a car and 20 mile race to breakfast.

[@NemuruYama]

@@vanislandrider7982 That would be so much fun

[@notzainul9577]

"To get the lapped cars out of the way of racing" apparently the only race happening in the eyes of Masi is only between Max and Lewis

[@andorka555]

Especially the overtaken cars (like Lando) were in a race, but unable to catch up as the SC was forced back too early.

[@greatcornholio5541]

It’s all just made up BS by the race director…Hamilton had fastest lap, pole, race pace, lead…everything that weekend was his. Max needed his team mate, brand new fresh tires and a stupid race director to win.

[@vincentdaniels7818]

loooool 🤪Director is a clown.

[@frituurvlieg]

​@@greatcornholio5541 yea, just like in Silverstone Max had it all but was kicked out of the race by who again? Lewis got lucky there that he could win the race. Max got lucky here by a race director that was creative in a solution to race instead of a parade to the end. And yes, that was perhaps unfair for Mercedes that expected a different outcome of the SC situation, but not stupid.

[@greatcornholio5541]

@@frituurvlieg The thing is Hamilton had the lead and could’ve pitted for soft tires himself and then not lost positions to max if the rules were consistent

[@tshepokgoale5378]

1:03 - Inaccurate statement from my view point. Those 5 cars you mentioned didn't jam themselves between Lewis and Max because of Max pitting, they were always going to come into play. Lewis lapped them before the crash/Safety Car. If you recall team radio between Bono and Lewis, Bono clearly stated Max had to contend with back markers, hence gap was communicated as 12 seconds + lapped cars. Martin Brundle and David Croft from SkySportsF1 even said the DRS train is going to make Max struggle passing the cars because on the 2 DRS zones, because they had DRS on each other. This meant Max would struggle passing them on the straights. And have to wait for the slower corners for them to move out the way. The Redbull went low down force changing the rear wing for the final race, compromising slow corner performance. You can do the maths and strat why the changed Max to the supersoft and pressured Masi to clear lapped cars only after they saw were Max came out. Why did Horner wait for Max to comfortably behind the "gap of lapped cars" to call for 1 lap shoot out, why not a 2 lap shoot-out with both cars on super softs. Lapped cars can work both for you and against. Max once used Schumacher for DRS to defend Hamilton in the last lap, rewind Circuit of the Americas. Horner at one stage was going off at Haas to get Schumacher out the way so as to not slow Max down but fortuitously he picked up a slip stream and DRS. So Mercedes and Bono strat was based on no lapped cars passing as a buffer between Max and Lewis, had they known the lapped would go through, Lewis could have had an option to pit. With all that said, I think Mercedes strat failed them, they should have pitted Lewis during during VSC for a brand set of Hards or scrubbed Mediums. They had the better ICE and race pace, yes Max was gonna be hard to pass but not impossible especially with DRS enabled. Just as he struggled with Perez but passed him eventually. Liberty Media will pressure the FIA to increase staff compliment and stewards to assist Masi. Maybe ask for a Deputy Race Director and Communication Director as entertaining as Sunday was, the screw up is bad for the sports. Recall Jeddah communication to the teams......very very poor, unclear and unorderly. That's why you need the a Deputy Race Director to review footage, Race Director to make the call and Communication Director to issue comms in a structured manner to the teams. They also need to relook at enabling DRS rules after Safety Car. If the gap was significant prior to safety car 2 laps should be enough to re-establish it, if it was below 2 seconds maybe, enable the DRS on the first lap. If Lewis had DRS on the last lap, Max wasn't going to maintain the pass or lunge knowing Lewis had DRS.

[@mushieslushie]

I remembered when they first introduced this un lapping thing. Everyone thought it took so long to do and a lot didn't like it at first. And I think in this case 'any' lapped cars does mean 'all' lapped cars. It doesn't say 'any lapped cars which the race directly hand picks' or something like that.

[@Gusto20000]

Any - means from zero to all of them

[@DanielFiskvik]

«… any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car» Strange how the word «required» is used here. If «any» means «some» then «will be required» should be replaced with «may be ordered».

[@pwadjo]

@@Gusto20000 No, "any" as an individual word with no context means that. "any" in that sentence means all. This is as clear as day to anyone who is a native English speaker.

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal.

[@tascrphs]

@@pwadjo precisely. Any is always interpreted as ABSOLUTE. Only in F1 is any interpreted as some. That's tantamount as One meaning Two. When major operations (Business, Sporting events, organizations, etc.) begin to practice this sort of deliberate malfeasance or material manipulation, it is certain to create a precedent that can have major unintended consequences...

[@grim-upnorth]

For a rule to exist there has to be a reason for it. Most of the time, that reason is included in the rule itself. But sometimes the wording of the rule can leave it open for abuse. For example... "any cars that have been lapped" It has been pretty clear for literally decades that this means all cars that have been lapped. But Red Bull argued the point in the stewards office that "any does not mean all". We know from decades of formula 1, that it has always been all lapped cars but Red Bull are desperate to keep the result and are therefore abusing the slightly ambiguous nature of the languaged used in the wording of this rule to fight their corner. Another example is the wording of 15.3 which states the RD has "overriding authority of".... "The use of the safety car". It's my understanding that this simply means "whether or not to use the safety car" and not "can unusually alter the specific safety car procedures as he sees fit". Once the RD decides to use the safety car, then the rules governing the safety car should be followed. It doesn't say in the rules that the RD has "overriding authority of the safety car procedures" only "the use of the safety car". Masi's defence here is based on abusing the natural ambiguity in language and wording of the rule, applying his own personal interpretation of the wording in order justify his wrongdoing. In the case of applying an interpretation of the rule, one has to consider how that particular rule has been used previously (known as precedent). In this case, there has never been another instance of that rule being interpreted that way. In fact, Masi set his own precident previously at the Nurburgring which contradicts what he did here... therefore we can conclude that either a) all safety car procedures for decades have been carried out incorrectly or b) Masi has wrongly interpreted the rule. If an organiser of the event has directly contributed to or altered the result of the event, by making a mistake or by running the event incorrectly, it is definitely possible for them to re-adjust the classification of said event, back to the point just before the mistake was made. In this instance, they do have the power (although I definitely don't think this will happen) to reclassify the race back to the order at the point the safety car was initially called. The only people who would be unhappy with that, are Red Bull, Max and the Max fans. Remember, the teams make decisions on whether or not to pit under the safety car based on these rules being applied consistently. The drivers that lost track position because they pitted for new tyres, were expecting to be able to race.... but only the 5 cars between Max and Lewis were allowed to pass, not the drivers behind Max... creating a now unfair turn of events for more than just Lewis. Lewis isn't the only one that got screwed here. We all got screwed

[@sganzerlag]

Agreed, we all got screwed.

[@penguy99999]

You summarised my thoughts perfectly! Thank you

[@Coleskatemane]

Well put

[@RayBellis]

re: 15.3 - yes, it's supposed to dictate _who_ can deploy the safety car, not _how_ .

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

Masi/FIA are just straight up dirty, either that or they're pour of their depth. They're not stupid at all, I refuse believe they're so foolish as to pull this and then ride 15.3-8 as a defence. They have been bashing the TP's over the head with the rule book safety procedures season long and rightly so, so for them to now go back on that this time and contradict everything like this. It just tells you where they're at right now.

[@thom9918]

Do not interfere with the race. To ensure safety and to let the race finish in accordance with the rules, whether the spectators like it or not.

[@brandonfromlondonuk3484]

thank you

[@quigglyz]

Agreed. All lapped cars should have passed immediately. Max still would have won, but at least the Brits would have to find another excuse to cry.

[@colz848]

@@quigglyz no he wouldn't you plank as if the rules were followed and all cars were told to pass the laps would have ran out as the saftey car would still have been out! Jesus how thick are you people

[@brandonfromlondonuk3484]

@@quigglyz your a fool if you think its just the British people kicking up a fuss its the whole world my brain dead friend go and watch the last race in 2012 that finished under the safety car GO ON

[@stratman9449]

is that the official (british) statement of the mercedes and Hamilton fanblock???....:-D

[@benwoollard7948]

Why have I just found this KZbin channel when I am concidering stopping watching F1?! Great clear analysis. Wish most TV channels were as good!

[@beckfordp]

"Let them race!" - Well he didn't allow those who were lapped but weren't allowed to pass the safety car to race... Their chances of passing the ones ahead who were allowed to pass was over. Likewise with Lewis, on 40 lap old tyres... His ability to race Max was over too... The exact opposite of what Masi claims was his motivation. BIG FAIL.

[@wasbruno]

Huge

[@DERP_Squad]

He didn't let Sainz race either.

[@tmive69]

Yes, but dont overthink it. Mercedes simply didnt want to lose position by pitting, and red bull had nothing to lose and took the chance. Do you prefer these "holy rules" and have a safety car finish to close a championship? Get over with it

[@daquarius1222]

well that was Mercedes fault really... Yes if Lewis pitted he lost track positions to Max, but Max pitted and lost track position to entire field lol??? They could have pulled in Lewis at that current Lap of the safety car and still come out pretty much okay to still be in the race lol. They gambled on Masi letting the Race finish on Yellow Flag, and they failed!. "if you look down the barrel of a gun and it goes of, you'll shoot your self" :)

[@richardhobbs7360]

@@tmive69 I'd prefer to the rules to be followed, yes, if that means ending under SC then so be it

[@yvespeckstadt5099]

Sadly, I only see the rules being changed if Mercedes pushes through and wins it. If FIA changes the rules, it's basically admitting things went wrong. It's funny though, why do you even have rules if the race director can change them on the fly, which is defined in a rule itself. It's like adding an eleventh command to the ten commandments. "You shall forget what you just read"

[@A-BYTE94]

sadly sport judges are very iritating with they inconsistency in all sports

[@Nixerman]

Because rules are like weather forecasts, you can only predict so much. There's no perfect scenario.

[@justrecentlyi5444]

At this point, the remaining FIA authorities with the power to review these decisions no longer have power to change the official GP results. As a result, I think they'll be able to come down pretty hard on the extremely loose interpretation of the rules that the stewards used to justify Masi's illegal restart, or at least close that loophole for the future.

[@pablovi77]

In every sport there are judgment calls. And in real law as well.

[@arnoudjanschut]

Nothing wrong with admitting you are wrong every now and then, we are all humans.

[@MegaIronica]

In this context "any" definitely means "all". If a law says any person entering the country must submit a proof of a negative covid test, I dont see myself going to the airport to argue "we'll it didn't say all, so let me on the plane".

[@jcfregoso5087]

Yeah, but you got no rule over the plane/airport. Someone who actually does can say "well, any does not mean all, so these 3 guys can go on without negative COVID test" It is unfair, but fairly legal.

[@RobJa]

Exactly 👏🏽.

[@eden5260]

just lawyers bulls&it anyone who is taking it seriously is a fool

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Also it says the safety car will only return to the pits one lap after *all* lapped cars have gone past

[@MegaIronica]

@@Alex-cw3rz Any Max fans that has some integrity should just recognize it was not fair and say we are still happy about the result. Notice how I said "any Max fan". Here is a real example where it definitely does not mean all.

[@ajsikkepit]

I was rooting for Max all season long (proud Dutchie here), but I feel that Mercedes was scr*wed by this clear deviation from the rulebook. No fun in winning a race in this artificial way and had the situation been the other way around, I am pretty sure that Horner would have agreed. Let's deviate from the rulebook again and award a joint championship title to both Max and Lewis. They certainly both deserve it!

[@MrPatchtkennedy]

good on you. I wanted hamilton to win, but I felt a little awkward when he 'gave the advantage back' at the start of the race, but actually didn't at all. I'm sure hamilton planned that, he knew max would lunge and knew he would have an excuse to cut the corner.

[@warfam_clan6933]

At this stage in the proceedings, I too feel that the one and only fair outcome would be a shared championship title. So many rules have now been broken by Masi and the FIA that doing this would be fair to both drivers and help Masi save face. It's this or Masi resigns.

[@Powaup]

Also, want to say thank you as a content creator for addressing this as fact. A lot of F1 creators are dodging the gravity the situation because it seems they’re worried of repercussions from Max fans or F1 itself. I really wish we could get a word from liberty media, or even other F1 drivers to call out what happened instead only GR has had the courage to stand up and voice his opinion

[@lukasralys6096]

@@stysner4580 well we dont talk about monza, brazil, and saudi as well

[@OTWW]

@@stysner4580 Well said. If anything Mercedes got taste of their own medicine. Nobody talks about Lewis cutting short a corner in the first lap of the last race and not giving the position back or almost killing Verstapen at Copse and getting minimal penalty...

[@johnlord5687]

Well said Powaup 👍

[@GethAndroid]

If Liberty Media address this it'll be full on PR speak damage control and spin it as "The human element of F1 is what makes the sport so intriguing" or some such nonsense.

[@CR-jt5pv]

Huge George Russell fan, but he had to say something since he’ll be with LH next year, and it was in his best interest for LH to get the WDC record this year. Either way, at least next year the WDC is going to be a three way battle if RB and Merc put a good car on the road. I’d guess Merc already has the 2022 constructors title in their trophy cabinet.

[@pauljoyce32]

Thank you for the clear analysis. It's a great shame that Masi felt the need to change the rules to increase, in his view, the entertainment. This isn't how sport works. F1 has really let itself down, the fans and everyone else involved by cheapening itself in this way.

[@KasumiRINA]

OH NOES the faster driver with the fastest lap time actually won, what horror, they're trying to RACE and be FASTER in my F1 championship instead of legislating away the win!

[@AZWings]

If this race had occurred in the middle of the season, it would have finished under the safety car. Masi made a bad decision in the name of the "show." I don't have a problem with Max winning. All credit to him and Red Bull for playing the situation they were presented. I have a big problem with the way the race direction was handled. What are rules for, if you're just going to change them when it suits you? If this same situation had taken place with 10 laps to go and they had cleared Latifi's car and let all the lapped cars through, as per the rules, then had X (2? 3?) racing laps where Max had fresh softs on, then I'd have no issue whatsoever. Hard luck for Lewis, but that's racing. As it happened, though, it just wasn't handled properly.

[@bafanamsibi4478]

Totally agree. 👌🏾

[@pineapple0427]

Exactly, no issues with Max winning, but Masi has to go and the rule have to be revamped. Imagine if Lewis is in P1, Max is in P3 and Sainz were in P2, does that mean Masi will have to unlap all the cars between P1 and P3? Nobody knows the answer to that, only Masi knows as he is free to do as he likes.

[@fcgerrit3578]

i get what you're saying, but the teams all decided with the fia that they would do anything to let the race finish under green flags, mercedes en red bull both agreed with that, so masi did that..

[@KepleroGT]

It would've ended like in Baku, under a safety car... yeah

[@oldschool8330]

Exactly. You can bet that in your scenario, there is no way Mercedes would have stayed out. Mercedes made their strategy call based on the previous safety car events and protocol followed. But masi decided to change the rules to suit his boys at red bull.

[@michaelpfister1283]

My opinion: Hamilton stayed out to preserve track position. Verstappen pitted to get fresh rubber, RISKING his position if anyone behind him stayed out. The consequences of that risk was that 5 drivers stayed out. I am all for "let them race", but the risk vs reward calculus here should have dictated that they go green a lap earlier, with 2 full laps to race, and with 5 lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen. Risk / Reward, both drivers get the benefits and consequences of their choices. As it played, Hamilton had no choice but to try to defend on old tires while Verstappen was allowed to shed this consequences and go after Hamilton under ideal conditions. Masi basically gave Verstappen every possible advantage because having Max overtake on the last lap and win his first championship with that last-minute move would be thrilling and good for business for F1. Even this controversy is good for the sport overall, particularly from a PR perspective. The mistake was only letting the 5 cars between Hamilton and Verstappen through, and not the rest. It proves he was manipulating the race down to a final lap, mano-a-mano show-down. Which, ultimately, was not fair or just to Hamilton as he was in the position of advantage but also did not have the freedom to react to the circumstances. If he had known he would be allowed to snuggle up behind Verstappen, he might have chosen to pit for new rubber himself, and the positions would have been reversed. What we can never know is whether Michael Masi might have wanted to slant it toward Verstappen? Not because he is partisan, but because it serves F1 more to have a fresh new champion, stoking the fire of the rivalry into next year? No way to know that, but I personally suspect it was part of the calculus that brought us here. And that is a shame.

[@andyb5259]

They should ban pitting for tire changes on yellow , it creates a tremendous disadvantage to whoever is leading the race, and that’s hardly fair. Max is a great driver and I hope he wins another world championship at some point where the victory isn’t tainted like this one. Whoever folks believe should have won at Abu Dhabi , it was F1 as a sport that lost.

[@dawnmaster68]

to be fair the choice to not change tires is one Mercedes has taken a fair number of times this season. all out of fear to lose position. even to an extend that Lewis had to limp home on three tires once. when you gamble you can win, but you can also lose. they won most of those gambles and only once lost that gamble. and taking chances and being fair ... if Max hadn't crashed in Silverstone the season would've been over two races ago.

[@TleafarafaelT]

Did Formula 1 Break Their OWN RULES? Yes, but the *entire year*

[@SpeculativeConjecture]

Exactly this

[@cpthornman]

And why this entire season should be thrown out.

[@lordmaximus]

The entire season was a farce and "made for TV". I knew this was going to happen when an American media company purchased F1. Their goal is to make it into another reality show laced with drama and excitement. Then when they have sucked every possible dollar out if it, sell it to the highest bidder, at which time the "new" fly by night "excitement" fans will have moved on the next flashy object. The new owner will try everything to get fans back, but it will be to late. I quit watching the NFL because of the terrible officiating, not it this has come to F1! Sad days indeed…

[@pvaity_1289]

F1 simply made its spectators look like idiots. We spend our time and emotions only to watch a sport that is possibly fixed behind closed doors.

[@shelldahl5080]

THIS IS NOT RIGHT !!! - Max Verstappen has all season intimidated other drivers by aggressive driving, and gained special considerations from responsible drivers that wanted to avoid DNFs for themselves and Max. - Sir Lewis Hamilton has all season showed consideration and responsibility in regard to every driver and Max particularly. He has showed outstanding skills and excellence in performances, and proved himself superior. - This final and decisive race for the season Lewis Hamilton exposed he undoubtedly is the best driver, and led from start until the final lap ... on which he due to an outrageously spectacular scenario was overtaken and lost the leading position, the win and the Championship. THE END OF THIS RACE WAS MINDBLOWING DISHONEST, UNFAIR AND UNRIGHTEOUS !

[@Rambotato]

the confusing part to me is the lapped cars behind Max, aren't they also interferring with the race as much as those in front of him, because he doesnt have to be concerned about defending while trying to attack Lewis!?

[@tropicaltree1196]

True

[@nickm2913]

They are interfering with everyone else racing behind Max, yes. So had one wanted to get a better place, they'd have to overtake the lapped cars (or would also be slowed down by those). But the race, at that point, was only focused on Hamilton and Max. This is what Mercedes is arguing.

[@MegaIronica]

Exactly. The rule never said "lapped car shouldn't interfere with the championship contenders" it said they shouldn't interfere with the race as a whole.

[@nevarran]

Lewis and Max were a gear above the rest. And without considering that, it is unlikely that any other driver (apart from their teammates) would've wanted to interfere with the battle between the two. You could clearly see that when Max or Lewis were finding themselves behind another driver after a pit stop, there was pretty much no attempt to defend the position.

[@visiblyvisible6451]

@@nevarran that doesnt matter they are all drivers it's not like someone can't overtake max just because he is max

[@carlpetitt2241]

As others have pointed out, 15.3 is about the RD having authority to override the clerk, not to override the regulations. No matter how you look at it or try to spin it, it is indisputable that 2 concrete regulations simply were not followed: 1) ALL lapped cars should have been required to pass. This was not done, only cars between Lewis and Max were told to pass. 2) the safety car should have returned to the pits on the lap FOLLOWING the lap where the last lapped car has passed. This also was not done, as the SC was ordered back to the pits after those 5 back markers had passed -- on the same lap -- rather than at the end of the following lap. Horner's contention that Masi's actions were proper because 15.3 gives him authority to override the regulations is dubious if not disingenuous. Also, in a legal document there is no distinction between "any" and "all" in this context -- and any court would rule as such if it came to that (sorry @Driver61). What I hope we will see happen henceforth is: -- Mercedes should pursue appeals, but not with the goal of stripping Verstappen of the title and awarding it to Hamilton. That would be no less farcical than what we've already been subjected to. They should proceed with their appeals, including up to the CAS, for the purpose of forcing the FIA to real reform. --Masi should step down, or be forced to step down, mainly for the optics, as it may go some distance to placating aggrieved fans. --Beyond Masi, F1 should also recognize that they must look bigger picture than just replacing one person -- the solution needs to be centered around clarifying and making unequivocal what any RD's scope of responsibility should and should not be going forward. --As another commenter mentioned, F1 also needs to reform the rules and punishments related to drivers gaining position by forcing other drivers off the track. This is a dangerous and chickenshit practice and shouldn't be allowed. I know some will disagree and say that's just hard racing, but IMO it's a subtle form of cheating -- you force your opponent into a dangerous situation where their only option to avoid contact or crashing is to veer off course. As the commenter rightly says, if this continues unaddressed, it will become commonplace as all drivers will be forced to adopt the tactic to remain competitive. P.S. Did anyone catch the verbal exchange between Wolf and Race Control at the end of the race, as Wolf was protesting? The speaker on the other end (was it Masi? the voice sounded British rather than Australian) responded to Wolf in a surprisingly snarky and condescending manner, saying something to the effect of "Toto, it's called a motor race." This really stood out to me, as I thought this was extremely unprofessional for an official (in any sport) to communicate with a competitor this way. If it was indeed Masi, then simply add it to the list of reasons he should be removed from his position. Really unprofessional and inappropriate -- whoever it was.

[@EspadaMK]

Yes it was Masi. Oddly I was under the impression that motor racing had rules which should be followed unlike modern F1 which seems to depend on who you are as to what rules apply. I remember Norris and Perez getting penalties in Austria for less aggressive moves than Verstappen’s overtake on turn 6.

[@rb16b95]

Most try hard commentary, no wonder why Mercedes it is like it is. Their fans make a perfect example of how they are.

[@sumanthatbang]

@@rb16b95 Seriously? That's your comeback? You are not even trying hard to make your point but just want to win the argument? No wonder Redbull is like that. Their fans are wired just like them too.

[@NotThatOneThisOne]

Also reg 2.1 requires the race director who follow all regulations, which would firmly suggest that 15.3 only gives them the final decision on the safety car in terms of when to send it out, the speed it goes, and whether it's safe to start the end of safety car procedures.

[@rb16b95]

@@sumanthatbang 15.3 gives the RD full authority over SC. Each driver is told separately if they can unlap themselves or not. Why is that difficult to understand?

[@oneworld2724]

A race is a a race. Merc tactical move to stick with worn rubber was their choice and a big blunders.

[@dheerajsp]

IMO these "gentleman's agreements" should never supersede regulations written in the book. Masi should not bend written rules for unwritten ones. He should've let the race end under the SC and used the rulebook as his shield instead of doing whatever he is doing right now. At least his stand would've been stronger then. It's pretty weak now.

[@thegrandplay1780]

Why should it end under sc??? The track was clear the only problem is that not all lapped cars went through and that wouldn’t really have that big of a change anyway

[@MaioliRHCP]

@@thegrandplay1780 there would be 5 cars between Max and Lewis, 5 cars fighting for points actually. So they wouldn't just all pull aside at the first Corner to let Max through, meaning that, by the end of sector One, Lewis would have a massive advantage over Max, and was hardly going to be caught and passed, because the sector 3 of the track (as Checo showed us earlier on) is quite impossible to overtake at. So, things would've change A LOT if Masi didn't lap only those 5 cars unlap themselves. The race didn't needed to end on SC, but, the result would most likely have been different if the lapped cars remained between Lewis and Max (so, the same result as ending on SC).

[@MrSultandxb]

IMO the worst races are ones that end with a safety car. Unless it’s for actual safety concerns, which was not the case at the end of this scenario. The risk and danger wasn’t present so Masi green flagged. The controversy should be with how many lapped cars should pass, not about the safety car.

[@MaioliRHCP]

@@MrSultandxb I'm not talking about "good" or "bad" races, I'm talking about facts. If Masi just lefted the 5 lapped cars there, we would be anxious to the last lap anticipating if Max would catch Lewis or not, that would be fun. But, as he literally handed Lewis to Max to beat, we were just anticipating on which corner Max would pass Lewis :/

[@StringyPete]

@@thegrandplay1780 how do you or the race director know that? Each driver might be on performance bonuses from their team, if all cars unlap then it might affect championship positions, podium positions, etc etc. It stunk, and they were just after Netflix Drive to Survive drama and excitement around a last lap showdown. The only people who think that it was an exciting finish are MV fans (or people who for some 'reason' hate LH...) everyone else thinks it brought the sport into disrepute.

[@keystonedriving8180]

As has been pointed out in another place, Masi is the RACE director not the BROADCAST director. The Sporting Regulations are clear and he and the stewards are there to uphold those regulations accurately and consistently. There was nothing about the situation that was not covered by the regulations. All that was needed was to follow them. "Pepping up the show" is not his job. Going forward there is another option. The World Endurance Championship has introduced 'slow zones' where cars are required to engage the pit lane limiter as they pass through a specified zone. This neutralises the race through the danger area whilst allowing racing to continue elsewhere on the track. It is used as a first resort with escalation to full course yellow, safety car and red flag being available if required. I can see no reason for not introducing the idea to F1, it is less disruptive than the current options. Regardless, Masi has to go as he no longer has credibility. We need adherence to the regulations and consistency, both of which seem to be beyond his abilities.

[@Kevinschart]

i think it's clear that his bosses instructed him to interpret the rules in a way that provided more drama this year. he was not acting like bonehead on his own. every action he took was supported by the rest of the f1 power structure.

[@DwergieNL]

The thing is that all teams agreed earlier this season on that if possible, they want to finish under green flag. so that is what Masi acted on. I do think the FIA got a lot of homework from this season, so they really should get their shit together. (and removing communication from teams to FIA during the race is a good start IMO)

[@Lostsage01]

Masi set the precedent to use the red flag to clean up a wreck in this situation earlier this season in Baku, when Max’s tire exploded in the final few laps. The race was red flagged and later restarted with two laps remaining, which Perez won. Maybe not the best use of the red flag, but probably would have led to a more equitable outcome in Abu Dbabi than finishing under the safety car, or the accelerated restart we ultimately saw. Max would benefit from his gap being closed up, Lewis would benefit from fresh tires to defend with, and neither driver would find themselves directly losing out because of Masi’s restart decision

[@jeffjiegao]

In that case, the red flag was based on the safety concern that more drivers could have a blown tire after two similar incidents. There is no such a safety concern to warrant a red flag in Abu Dhabi.

[@Lostsage01]

@@jeffjiegao sure there was: a bunch of crash debris on track, Latifi’s car disabled and stuck not only on the track (vs runoff area) but also on the racing line, heavy machinery on track to remove the car while the remaining cars are driving by in close quarters behind the safety car, also having to drive a different line to avoid everything around a semi blind corner with marshalls working on the clean up. Plenty of safety issues there to chose from to warrant a red flag. If they could justify what actually happened, they could easily justify a red flag

[@michaellavery4899]

Have I been living under a rock? It was my understanding that Mercedes had, reluctantly, accepted the final decision and were moving on. However, I understand why they are taking it to an independent court because this is too important to be brushed under the carpet. Rules and guidelines are there for a reason. A football referee can't send off the goalkeepers and a couple of defenders from each team to hasten a goal in the World Cup final. Why should Massi treat this race differently than any other?

[@markh6301]

by pitting under SC Max gave up his track position to those 5 back markers, then was gifted it back, yet Sainz Jr in 3rd was not afforded the same privilege to give him a run on Max for 2nd spot at the restart, seems like a made for tv finish for me. Max had his cake and got to eat it, he’s a very lucky boy!

[@joeyzwier]

Mercedes was lucky most of the season stop crying

[@antibody9769]

just like Hamilton in Imola, finishing second one lap down from the others... let's not talk about Siverstone and that pathetic penalty which meant basically nothing. it's time for you Brits to realize its over, maybe next year.

[@damot1051]

@@antibody9769 Or the pathetic penalty Max got for brake testing Hamilton that meant basically nothing

[@namenoname3871]

@@antibody9769 so we’re going to use what happens in previous races to judge what must occur in this one, get your head out of your ass

[@damot1051]

I'm surprised Ferrari have been quite about Sainz. They carry a lot of weight with the FIA and F1 being a founding team and having one of their drivers being affected by this decision who realistically could've taken 2nd place as he was only 5 seconds behind Hamilton at the finish

[@singaporeghostclub]

Massi took the meaning of ‘Rules are meant to be broken’ - literally.

[@muhammedshiraz4204]

This joke will keep me up all night 🤣🤣

[@lazygit247]

"Letting go of the lapped cars was only there so they didn't effect the racing" .. all it did was erase Hamiltons 11 second lead, cool his tires and gave Max a free pitstop .. so yeah dint effect it at all ... What a farce, Lewis was cheated out of the win, we all know it.

[@BrieoRobino]

The unlapping of the cars is didn't cause Lewis losing his lead or Max getting a free pit stop.

[@tihs87]

@@BrieoRobino how do you expect then Max blue flagging 5 cars and overtaking Hamilton all in one lap ?

[@BrieoRobino]

@@tihs87 I'm not sure what you're asking.

[@overtime94]

It certainly affected Carlos Sainz's ability to fight for second or even first place. But who cares about that I guess.

[@danielakerman8241]

I love Max’s ferocity as a driver. I love Lewis’s incredible ability to constantly improve and overcome. I love good racing, no matter who the drivers are. And what Masi and the FIA have done here has really screwed the pooch. This moment has been years in the making, through Bernie Ecclestone’s previous concord agreement that had the teams involved in virtually every decision-making process. (An instance of having the foxes guard the hen-house if there ever was one.) The whole situation and the rule book need to be re-examined. Lewis said it, and he’s right: there isn’t clarity on how the rules are applied. Every situation is handled on a bespoke basis, leaving teams and drivers with no idea of how to approach any given situation. Masi clearly made a choice that was at minimum unconventional and strange. That can’t happen. Personally, I feel there needs to be less communication from teams to the race director. None, in fact. And the race director should be stripped of decision-making powers that can alter a race. He should be executing rules, not deciding when, if or how they are applied. And finally, F1 should just adopt a simple solution: with less than 10 laps remaining, obligatory safety car until all debris is cleared, followed by a green-white-checker just as in NASCAR. Everyone will k ow what to expect and everyone will make decisions accordingly.

[@dwayne75]

Fairness is what the Race Director would have been thinking about when deciding what to do. It took me all of 20 seconds to think and come up with this:- if the crash didnt happen there is practically no chance max would have won other than a mistake or problem with lewis' car. Max was not on the pace to catch up, so the race should have just ended under a yellow flag. Its a shame this was the last race, but there have been a dozen other similar issues with crap calls by the officials this season all of which could have thrown the championship either way.

[@yaumelsanchez2641]

None of the teams wanted to end under a yellow flag plus the with how money hungry F1 was this season there was no way they would’ve let it happen if they could. The race could’ve gone either way by chance latifi crashed and caused a yellow flag which in a race of the season could turn the tide on a race win. The calls this season 100% was to make the championship be as close as possible for 1 big finale winner takes all scenario. Those fuckers knew what they were up to they could care less if rules were broken or not. Mercedes’ should’ve known better that some shit like this would happen and should’ve pit Lewis for softs. The teams were already under the impression that they weren’t gonna let the race end on a yellow flag since none of them wanted that. If Lewis pit and max stayed out they would’ve made the same call to get those lap cars out the way to have that final shootout to the finish line. Max carried the first half of the season better than I ever thought. Always been a Red Bull fan and had the feeling he would soon be a champ since his win in Spain but definitely didn’t expect him to win in a season like this full of bullshit calls

[@Robert-cu9bm]

No race should finish under SC. And saying no chance of Max winning is wrong, clearly he did have a chance because he's the world champ. It's not over till you cross that line.

[@streetgato9697]

@@Robert-cu9bm Gifted chance

[@DanielFiskvik]

@@yaumelsanchez2641 i disagree on Mercedes ‘should have known better’. Mercedes took the risk by staying out, as much as RB took the risks by changing tyres. The strategy that Mercedes took was one-time pit-stop, and that is a huge risk to take. Of course they did not pit when yellow flag since that ment that MV could overtake. Also I think Mercedes just relied on the rules at this point, that there was no way the safety car was out before the last lap. Clearly you can hear and see the reaction from Vettel and Ric, they expected to pass the safety car, but was not allowed. I can understand that Masi wanted a race, but on what cost? He did only focus on the race between LH and MV, and ignored Leclerc, Vettel, and Ric. I know there was no way to make a good decision here, however I think that FIA could have made a better one than this. They literally broke their own rules.

[@Tansle620]

@@DanielFiskvik Sainz almost lost his podium bc he had both Ricc and Vettel in front of him with alpha tauri, merc and McLaren pushing his ass.

[@sparkymark75]

It's going to the FIAs own court, it's going to fail as they'll stand by their man. Mercedes will probably have to go to an outside arbiter or legal court if they want any recompense.

[@AnthonyCarrierYouTube]

From what I understand the 36 judges have no FIA affiliation. They are lawyers and the Stewards admitted to not following their rules in their appeal response because their rules say they don’t have to.

[@stratman9449]

or they could just be sportsmen and accept a defeat for once.....thank god (and Ross Brawn) these phone calls from team principals to race direction will be banned. next season...finally.

[@_taste]

What recompense though? There is no financial gain from the drivers championship. At best they throw out the race and Max still wins. What else are they going to do? Give Max a time penalty because FIA made a bad choice (which according to this video, they actually didn't)?

[@zerokalvin2573]

@@stratman9449 I don't think you'd feel very sporting if there were millions of $$$ on the line.

[@mpx4821]

@@_taste They have the authority of amending the race result, meaning they can change the result to the order in the penultimate lap. Meaning Hamilton P1 and Max P2.

[@aaronwong3472]

Michael Masi's statement that the reason for waving the lapped cars is to ensure there are racing. But in only waving 5 cars pass, he is implying only Max and Lewis race is of importance in this particular case. What about giving a fair chance to all the other drivers on track to race and make passes to gain positions? The race is not only between 2 drivers but all of the drivers. Which is probably why the rules require all passed cars to lap, and the safety car to pit in the subsequent lap so that all the cars have time to bunch up. Which will only then create a fair and equitable race restart for ALL drivers. For example, in this race, Leclerc could have finished ahead of Lando Norris in the drivers championship if he could have overtaken Ocon in the race by finishing equal on points. But he didn't get the same opportunity to overtake Ocon at the restart because the rulebook wasn't followed. As such, he was not directly behind Ocon in the same manner as Vestappen was behind Hamilton at the restart. Which is not fair racing for all drivers. Masi's interpretation of the rules that he has the ultimate authority in deciding how many cars can be waved through is flawed as it gives him authority to decide who is getting to race and who doesn't. His overiding authority in safety car matters should only be on safety matters. Getting the race to finish under racing conditions is not a safety matter. In any case, the rules are not written by Masi, and he probably do not understand the underlying reasons for the rule in the first place. And instead, applying his own interpretation of it, which seems to be at fault in this case. Masi's desire to end the race in race conditions explains the indecisiveness of his instructions. At the back of his mind, he sort of knew that if he were to follow the rulebook, which is to wave through all the lapped cars, and then pit the safety car in the subsequent lap, the race would have to end under the safety car. Therefore he initially decided to get the race started with no cars unlapping themselves. But then as Horner protested, he decided to bend the rules to get a lap of racing. Inadvertently missing out that his decision was actually a biased one which did not give a fair race to all of the drivers on track. But since the mistake is already done, he and the stewards just have to double down and stick to their guns to avoid admitting their own mistake. It would be a shame if Mercedes decides not to follow up this case in court.

[@oldschool8330]

I agree. It makes a mockery of sporting competition. What would have happened if Lewis and max collided? You’d have a back marker taking the chequered flag.

[@sudhikrish9785]

Who said? They are taking it to court

[@efivos5362]

If I were an F1 driver, and was at 3rd place at the specific GP, considering that I would have taken my position as usual behind the 2nd car, I wouldn't have even given a fuck who is racing in front of me and who is going to win the championship. I would have put my best to finish 1st in that final lap. Having balls means you race for yourself.

[@joshua.snyder]

In court?! 🤣 If Hamilton had won Mercedes wouldn't have said a word about the decision. Lewis, Toto and their fans need to grow up.

[@reedharper7013]

And this I agree with. From a sporting viewpoint this is shambolic! Embarrassing that "the highest" form of motorsport is run as "masi's F1." Very disappointed. And yes, I hope mercedes are taking this to court because it is bigger than just this championship, it is about "not cheating."

[@roymwale1967]

Very clear language in your last video about Toto telling Masi what to do. This video, when Horner does the same, “that’s annoying.” So thanks for at least almost address the title of the last video that you didn’t even touch in that previous video.

[@roymwale1967]

So the answer is yes. He was robbed. Please have more guile and just say your opinions. You say your opinions for everything but what actually matters. Don’t title the video that if you won’t have the spine to address it.

[@joeknight6151]

this 'last lap showdown' argument doesn't sit right with me: we had a showdown, and it was called the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. and we saw that lewis hamilton absolutely bossed it like the champion he is. by the 58th lap, max hadn't earned the right in that race to have a final lap 1v1.

[@felipecabrera5468]

agreed, lewis absolutely owned max from the start, getting in front by turn 1, opening a 5 second lead with medium tyres against the soft's on the rb, then out paced him on hards for 40 laps. he really drove the perfect race and managed his tyres like a goat just to get screwed for entertainment, it's simply not fair imho

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

Max is World Champion.... Does that sit well with you or are you salty🧂🧂🧂?

[@joeknight6151]

@@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP yeah it does. If you told me the stats of the season and told me he’d be champion I’d have no problem with it. But the way he won it doesn’t. Childish fans like you can only say ‘salty salty’ because you know you have no excuse for what happened

[@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP]

@@joeknight6151 Article 15.3 allows the Race Director to control the use of the safety car, which in our determination includes its deployment and withdrawal. 🧂🧂🧂🧂🧂🧂

[@joeknight6151]

@@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPP no it doesn’t. Read it again. Article 15.3 says that the race director has overruling authority OVER THE CLERK of the course. It doesn’t mean he can break regulation 48.12 of lapped cars unlapping themselves. No regulation states that he has power to override other regulations. All regulations must be applied allongside each other. Again your Salt comments prove you know it was bs but you can’t argue it. At the end of the day he will forever have a tainted title and he’ll never catch Lewis’s 7 😘😘😘

[@jennypreg9418]

Lewis earned his spot cos he had already gone through the back markers. Verstapen hadn’t. He pitting under the safety car gave him an advantage hence he had to work through the back markers not Masi moving them away

[@jaimehurtado2138]

This!!!!!^^^ this is exactly why this was a gifted championship to max. Everything up until the unlapping between them was earned. Horrible way to finish the best season in recent memory and total shame Lewis got robbed of winning his 8th championship fair and square

[@luttren]

Max had passed them before though. Only that they passed him again when he pitted

[@jeppepuus]

@@luttren So he was overtaken by the backmarkers. Hence he had not overtaken them. He was behind.

[@markh6301]

@@luttren and by pitting Max gave up his track position to those back markers, then was gifted it back, yet Sainz Jr was not afforded the same privilege to get a run on Max for 2nd spot, seems made for telly for me.

[@pjr7661]

@@luttren Max still had 3 back markers to pass before he pitted, only Vettel an Leclerc passed him while he pitted

[@rackhir100]

We need to also factor in the outcome of such a restart was known to massi and even every non casual f1 fan. Max would easily pass louis. Smells like a choise to me.

[@frontier556]

That was not a given. Ask Checo how it's done

[@ellax325]

OK? Would Max easily pass Lewis on a restart? If it was redflagged and they both had changed their tires to softs, it would have been down to reaction time and driver skill.

[@blackzaru]

@@frontier556 Checo Was on Soft tires, although, worn, and Hamilton on Hard tires. Whereas, on that scenario, you had Max on New Soft Tires, and Lewis was on Hard tires with 44 laps of wear... How, in any right mind, would this be comparable? At least, if you know anything about F1 and the effect that grip has on pace.

[@Amory98]

@@blackzaru Max's tyre advantages only cancelled the Merc 44 engine pace and Merc's rear suspension trickery stalling the diffuser. So last lap was as level a playing field as is realistically possible in f1.

[@simd5232]

Masi is clearly a Max Verstappen fan. His actions gave Lewis ZERO chance. The difference between the two cars on the final lap was huge. Totally unfair and he definitely realised that he was handing the championship to Red Bull. Unacceptable behaviour from a race director who seems to have way too much power. I feel cheated. Who knows how the Mercedes team is feeling.

[@JpForrReal]

The wording of 48.12 is clear enough in my opinion. The use of “any” in this context creates 2 groups: lapped cars and non-lapped cars. If you’re a lapped car, then you “will be required to pass,” and if you aren’t, then stay where you are. Simple as that. Calling the safety car in a lap early in clear violation of the regulations creates for a combination of egregious mistakes that undermine the integrity of the sport.

[@Tootle222]

It would also be a massive safety issue if it had happened with more than 1 lap to go, as the leaders would immediately have caught the cars ahead that have just unlapped themselves. That's why the extra lap under safety car is there, to let the unlapping cars get away.

[@kralg]

​@@Tootle222 But a rule is still a rule, which can be changed but definitely not during a race.

[@kiwwik1699]

It just blows my mind that some people are okay with this because "to end a race with a safety car would be anti-climax". Like, a referee cannot suddenly create a penalty in a football match to make it more thrilling, or imagine, Wimbledon finals in a match point the referee says "well, I will give you 4 serves, because to end a final like that with a double fault is a huge anti-climax. Also, the younger generation find tennis boring because this guy is winning to easily. So, to make it far and to decide on the court, let's make this match point a match point for both, so who wins it, wins the whole championship. That's way more exciting!!" To do those things that were done at the race, it makes it like not a sport, more like a random game. Never seen anything like it in any sport. And I am not even commenting that he messed not just the title fight, but all the other battles in the field. Completely absurd

[@nickm2913]

You can see this in football (soccer) as a match ending straight away after the whistle, in overtime, after a 2-3 minute incident or a play delay. So yeah, definitely not right.

[@heyhayhay247]

The football and tennis comparisons make no sense. A race is not over until the checkered flag. You can lead every single lap until the final corner and not win. That's racing. It doesn't matter that Lewis had such a large lead; a safety car can make that disappear at any time. Had Masi just cleared all the cars a lap earlier, this wouldn't be an issue and would have ended the exact same way.

[@fennecfox3140]

not so much a random game, more a puppet show - I saw a comment on here saying it's WWE on wheels and I absolutely resonate with that. F1 needs to stop pretending to be a motorsport if it is going to manufacture results on the fly for the "show". Mercedes deserved the win with Lewis as they built the quicker package, and that's what this prestigious "motorsport" is meant to be all about. If this isn't the case, then make all cars the same but different colours and you have your "show".

[@allanpiacente]

@@heyhayhay247 You are missing OP's point here. You cannot make a decision based on the "anti-climax" argument.

[@kiwwik1699]

@@heyhayhay247 Yeah, I am not questioning Lewis losing the advantage. My point is, the referees and race directors exist to apply the rules and make the competition fair, not to bend the rules to make more interesting. They are there to apply the rules, not to judge the excitement of the event and manipulate the conditions to make it more exciting

[@codylargeteau7658]

I feel like no matter what gets done, this championship will have an asterisk next to it and its very unfortunate because this was an incredible season

[@king_zapp]

World Champion* (terms and conditions apply)

[@JulesD92]

Only for still i cry Fanboys.

[@Rulla33]

@@king_zapp this is fucking hilarious

[@JohanVisscher61]

The asterisk it put on the Prost/Senna and Schumacher/Hill incidents. Not this one.

[@lesblase3667]

@@JulesD92 says a fanboy 😂

[@hubertpierre9507]

Rules were not broken, only a lack of consistency. The whole season and at every race decisions were made, that lacked consistency. Also in this final race, it was very strange that Lewis was allowed to keep the lead after taking a shortcut … and it would have been even more strange not to let cars unlap themselves ….. If Mercedes really wants to appeal, then i guess we should take into account every other race this season including their bending of the rules with regard to changing the power unit in Brazil. I like Lewis, but i am glad that in this season we really had some exciting racing instead of watching Lewis and Mercedes winning all races like the last 5 years.

[@vharuneshsundar6450]

what rules were bent during the power unit change in brazil?