F1 trying to fix 'tarnished' image as Mercedes drops Abu Dhabi GP appeal

Mercedes has decided not to appeal the stewards’ verdict from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, formally confirming Max Verstappen as the 2021 Formula 1 world champion, and Lewis Hamilton as runner-up.
But this is far from the end of the matter as F1 scrambles to repair what the FIA has called the championship’s tarnished image.
And Mercedes isn't taking the matter lightly, with Hamilton and team boss Toto Wolff skipping the FIA's prize-giving event.
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[@trulsdirio]

I mean, the whole season was a major display of how messed up the F1 officiating is. Pretty much every race you could pick a situation that has been ruled differently for another driver in another race this season.

[@Firebolt1729]

I have been watching the sport since since the 2000's, and I don’t think I have ever seen the FIA be as inconsistent as they were this season. But regardless of who came out on top, one set of fans always would be bitter.

[@XandersJamesWayne]

@@Firebolt1729 yeah... with Max...

[@Piggy-0145]

Turn 4 in Bahrain was a real glimpse into the future of the season lol I get it that what Max did was illegal, but technically Ham did leave the track 29 times possibly giving him a lasting advantage in the process.

[@Piggy-0145]

@@XandersJamesWayne turn 4 Bahrain. Hamilton went off track 29 times nobody bats an eye. Max did it once (granted it was during an overtake) and he gets punished for it.

[@Piggy-0145]

Oh shit I just read the penalty wasn't for overtaking while off track, it's for getting a lasting advantage while off track. I guess when Hamilton did it 29 times he wasn't getting a lasting advantage from that. -____-

[@nevarmaor]

They need to get their act together. "The rules apply except when they don't" is no way to run this (or anything else).

[@jangolub8240]

Thats how the left runs thing

[@EXG21]

@@jangolub8240 Or the right, up, and down but especially the powerful.

[@pierre-richard6779]

look at the law hello !! full of the same sideway and Segway

[@bennipaulhinasi_bphn7943]

The FIA has spent the entire season showing a major lack in consistency and fairness. For the fact that they are blaming the observers instead of truly evaluating their processes gives me no faith in this being handled in a legitimate manner on their side atleast

[@Vaidulis]

I'm scared it could transform into lots of cashes in early season.

[@uprightfossil6673]

You are not giving them credit for the quite difficult position of looking both incompetent and corrupt at the same time.

[@Vaidulis]

@@uprightfossil6673 Don't be naïve my friend. I don't recall Masi offering deals to MB mid race. I'm watching F1 since 98 Belgium GP (I know what GP to start watching F1) I have never seen so bad officiating even on MSC era ( Don't get mad Schumi fans - there was not enough regulations that time)

[@MrScitie]

Masi is new and that's most important. Give him time. Definitely he made one good call this season and it was the last one, when he politely asked Toto to toss off... Second thing there was lots of pressure on him lately cos Toto and Christian tried to force their own rules all season. And last but not least, why did noone said nothing when Max was getting penalised for same thing that Lewis wasn't?

[@uprightfossil6673]

@@Vaidulis not sure where you are from, but bad is bad. Bad is not good. Bad is not acceptable.... Except to this generation whose parents excused everything in the name of acceptance of mediocrity. I don't care because there are lots of other sports that are not influenced by Hollywood

[@marinekong235]

Put back gravel traps, no hard surface run offs. No shortcuts. Define track limits specifically - white line are white lines regardless of how much kerb there is or which corner it is.

[@into_the_void]

Toto in a black turtleneck against that background just makes him look like a bond villain

[@TedHawk]

The root cause is the intense pressure to not finish races behind a safety car. Especially intense in the ultimate race that decides the outcome of a season. An alternative would be to bring the cars into the pits, allow for refueling, restack the grid, and finish in a green, white, checker fashion. Wouldn't be the first racing format to adopt this type of practice.

[@cameronmerrill4372]

That has nothing to do with the lapped cars

[@7thdangooglefu]

They wouldn't be allowed to fuel. Rules.

[@vasudevdehariya1269]

The alternative was simple. Alonso and Vettel said it on the radio. Let the lapped car pass sooner. Had Race control made that decision one lap earlier we'd talking about how unlucky Hamilton was instead how he was robbed.

[@grekii]

@@vasudevdehariya1269 yeah the outcome is still the same though lmao, if fia had done the right thing and lapped cars gone earlier then max still wins

[@ananthu8534]

Imagine if it were the other way around . If the scenerio was "Max lost and Lewis won due to safety car" , these people including this KZbin channel will not be this enthusiastic about it . Since British & American support for Lewis Hamilton and their associations with media , which has broadcast all over the world has a crucial role in the elevation of these fake "Robbed" cries . Masi should have let all the cars to unlap in the penultimate lap itself . other than that , there are no controversies . just tuned up PR work by Tito's boys .

[@Langdunbed]

"Significant misunderstanding and reactions". You summed up perfectly how condescending that is to the millions of F1 fans.

[@acetheog]

If you’re going to bend the rules for “racing,” at least give everyone a chance. Should’ve bent the rules and forced a red flag. Everyone pits and gets fresh tires. On restart, all lapped cars unlap themselves and you can decide between a standing or rolling start. Fans get 5 laps of actual racing and racers are on a level playing field. Most importantly, the championship protagonists both gain something and have an opportunity to send it. Max gains 12 seconds, lapped cars are gone and he is now on Lewis’ ass. Lewis has proper tires to race (he dominated the entire race up to that point). Instead, Masi dropped Lewis into a gun fight armed with a butter knife (40-lap old hards) against an absolute animal. It was a travesty. This absolutely hurts the sport. My wife actually got into F1 this year, she now believes F1 is as scripted as the WWE.

[@shaggydoggs]

he could have followed the rules and had a restart with the cars behind the safety car start in the positions they were in but that would have made it extremely difficult for Max to win in one lap

[@JolyonSmith]

All the calls for Red Flagging being fairer are based solely on 20:20 hindsight and are completely and utterly WRONG. If Latifi’s car had been cleared within 1-2 laps, there would have been no need for any shenanigans. By the time Red Flagging was apparent as a viable option, it was a) too late and b) LESS justified under the rules than the debacle that unfolded. Red Flagging was NEVER a viable option. Remember, that the complaints about what actually happened are fundamentally that the regulations weren’t followed in order to manufacturer a racing spectacle. There is sufficient wriggle room in the regs for this to be argued. That it was to engineer a racing finish is not disputed. But it was NOT a clear violation of the regs, but rather an interpretation within the wriggle-room that existed that was without precedent, but - crucially - which was in the spirit of the agreement reportedly reached with all teams that a racing finish was the outcome that ALL desired. As a result it was in a grey area that Hamilton fans were bound to disagree with and Verstappen (and racing) fans would be cheering at. But if a Red Flag had been thrown, without any justifiable reason OTHER than to create the racing finish (which is what people are bizarrely arguing FOR), this would have been entirely without the regulations, with no room to flexibly interpret anything to justify it. The relevant section of the regulations is 41.1, which states that the ONLY reason for suspending a race shall be for ensuring the safety of marshalls or competitors. Who-ever lost as a result of that would have have a water-tight case to take to appeal, so the idea that a Red Flag would have avoided all the unpleasantness is frankly absurd. If Hamilton had won, Red Bull would argue that the Red Flag allowed Hamilton to undo Mercedes strategic errors by fitting fresh rubber, allowing him to retain the lead. If Verstappen had won, Mercedes would argue that the Red Flag closed a gap that the Red Bull was unable to do under racing conditions. In EITHER case, both would be entirely justified in their arguments that a Red Flag thrown for ANY reason other than the safety of marshalls or competitors was a CLEAR breach of the regs, no wriggle room. So if the stewards had for some bizarre reason persisted in digging-in at the inevitable initial protest, there absolutely would have been an appeal against that. A Red Flag would have resulted in a more lengthy and bitter dispute rather than Mercedes realising they were on a sticky wicket and unlikely to “win” with the regs, as currently written. I strongly suspect that the desire for racing spectacle hung over the entire race and was what resulted in the bizarre decision on lap to to allow Hamilton to retain the lead. I believe the stewards felt that Verstappen’s quali performance meant that if they allowed Hamilton to stay in front, they would be treating audiences to a ding-dong battle. That obviously didn’t transpire and Hamilton’s race pace meant that this decision (or non-decision) gifted the race to Hamilton. As a result of a plainly, and obviously WRONG call. No grey area, no 6 of one half a dozen of the other. Even the most hardened to “Crashtappen” critics could not complain that Max had done anything wrong. Hamilton left the door open, Verstappen took advantage masterfully, cleanly completing a completely legal overtake. He didn’t run Hamilton off the road, Hamilton put HIMSELF in that position by being complacent. The stewards clearly saw that at least, adjudging Hamilton to have “gained an advantage” but by only treating that advantage in terms of track delta (though measured at what point remains unclear) rather than the illegally retained position, they completely failed to uphold the sporting regulations. As we saw later in the race, a Red Bull on seriously disadvantaged rubber still presented a difficulty for Hamilton, so ironically if they had applied right penalty and required Hamilton to give the place to Verstappen, then we may have seen the race-long battle we wanted and there could then have been no issue with the outcome (though obviously what might then have unfolded is in the realm of speculation). But either way, the debacle at the END of the race was a direct result of the travesty at the beginning, and the FIA need to be looking at THAT and not just focussing on the very narrow and extreme edge case of tightening up the regs around safety car restarts in the 1 in a billion chance that they might affect the outcome of another race let alone championship.

[@azazaz8220]

or as least let all the cars overlap and not just the 2 between Hamilton and Verstappen. very unfair for other drivers

[@richfoley7885]

Fear not. Women LOVE a good soap opera/TeleNovela. The more preposterous, the better.

[@gertjanses1472]

Best driver won 👍

[@robato3991]

The best thing to come out of this is the banning of teams talking to Masi.

[@solitaryreport]

Totally agree, seen that Merc is one of the frequent offenders in this matter.

[@magicjack4076]

Or just ban massi instead? And you can’t single out merc as there only the ones being broadcasted and we don’t know what teams ever said before

[@LDTOK-zs8oz]

I agree, nobody should be talking to the race director during the race.

[@Rahul-px3my]

@@solitaryreport rb equally

[@solitaryreport]

@@Rahul-px3my yessir , all of them sadly. This is why i started enjoying WEC and GT World challenge a lot more lately. Pure racing without all the political madness that the "top"class in motorsports brings in and has to deal with.

[@adwnpinoy]

Let’s also be sure to change the penalties for replacing engines. Penalties should increase, not decrease, the more engines you take. Reliability should be part of the calculus of the quality of a constructor.

[@vrindanjadyar9054]

There better be a point deduction system over it, team should be able to manage and limit there engines

[@Anuitu2u]

And, how about the driver who need change their engine because of another driver sent him to the wall and totaled his car and engine? You should know which accident I'm talking about, but no, this is not only the Silverstone accident. There are some others accident too.

[@alanjm1234]

It's funny. Engine changes used to get an increasing penalty. The reducing penalties for engine changes was introduced at Redbull's request to help Honda runners, because Honda was having reliability problems.

[@adwnpinoy]

@@alanjm1234 yup. Funny how things come full circle

[@georgebraykov5571]

@@Anuitu2u Thesr is no logik in what you say.

[@piersdenney]

So basically the FIA will "look into it" and find they did nothing wrong, just like always.

[@daviddp3583]

Exactly. No point FIA looking at themselves. They gonna find nothing wrong. It is like marking your own homework.

[@thekitowl]

Absolutely…….nothing to see here….move along.

[@darylbeecham381]

If that is the result, then rules are complete trash, throw them out and let everyoone do what ever they please. Build and race the cars the way the want. No rules then lets see who wins. When the speeds top 250 MPH and back markers are spilling into walls on a regular basis then they will start thinkiing of the rules again.

[@renesonse5794]

Right. They will look into locking barn now that the horse has left.

[@derekbrunette222]

hopefully with todt gone that wont happen as often

[@bradyhill2136]

What I think a lot of people are missing with what happened in the last race is that it’s not just Mercedes that’s not happy with the FIA. I feel like it’s a lot if not all of the teams on the grid and there’s gonna be some changes coming next year if all the teams can come together.

[@richfoley7885]

Can you please name the Team/Teams that were unhappy with the outcome? I can think of only one.

[@xael-the-artist7708]

@@richfoley7885 Not just this one, but the ENTIRE season. Mercedes are right to be angry for this result, but RB, McLaren, Ferrari have also been screwed by the inconsistencies of the FIA over the whole season.

[@scottnineteen]

No, it's Merc having a tantrum, and the extent of their corporate enmeshment has anglo americans imagining all manner of bs.

[@Warhaawk]

Looks like to one degree or another every team has been screwed by inconsistent officiating. It's been a mess and all over the place all season.

[@deejay9730]

@@scottnineteen Objectively, Merc was screwed over by bad officiating and they should be angry. They made their strategy based on the rules and Masi changed the rules for drama and dts. *I'm not a Hamilton or a Verstappen fan, I just like racing

[@polarpenguin3]

“There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past,” Masi said after the 2020 Eifel GP....

[@adl6907]

Insisting on that Eifel B.S.🤣

[@specter290]

@@adl6907 It's not BS and it's always been done this way. When you allow some cars to unlap themselves and not others, especially the cars between Hamilton and VER to create a p1 and p2 showdown, its not fair for the rest of the grid, especially carlos sainz who was p3 who had 2 lapped cars infront of him and other drivers. Plus, the regs 48.12 says that, and it has been always the case that ALL of the cars that unlap themselves join in the back of the pack, which usually takes one lap, and the SC will go into the pits the following lap once the order is sorted out, and those lapped cars have made it back to the pack. Michael Masi said, against mercedes written protest that what he did, and he admitted in not following 48.12 regs fully, which is to allow all of the lapped cars unlap themselves, was OK because he interpreted the rules to say that it was OK as long as it was sorted to ensure racing for the "leaders" aka p1 and p2 and screw the rest of the grid... this is unprecedented, and also a safety issue, putting the SC into the pitlane same lap as cars were unlapping themselves.. Also, they said 48.13 states that Safety car in this lap means safety car in this lap, so screw the regulations 48.12, the regulation prior to 48.13, which should have been followed, after 48.12.

[@testacorsa150]

@@adl6907 Why are you laughing so hard at your own joke? It isn't funny ...

[@jbain6296]

Max out classed Lewis all year. 600 laps led to Lewis 300 laps. Mercedes worries about rules but not about rules that apply to the illegal wing? Michael had the authority for the exact call he made. So they can suck it up and move on. In the court of law Mercedes wing is illegal lol.

[@89Ayten]

who cares. Youre just mad Lewis couldnt win a title under yellow flags. which would be so lame

[@maximiliangisler822]

No matter what, their image would've been tarnished due to incompetent decisions by the stewards and FIA this entire season.

[@Firebolt1729]

FIA needs a makeover ASAP.

[@Firebolt1729]

@@karkule5919 race win, not title

[@jeffsteyn7174]

@@Firebolt1729 yes title only thing that gave him the title Is the WWE tactics, hence the entire title is tarnished. Lewis was on equal points and dominated the race and was on his way to the title till Vince McMahon stepped in.

[@icourant]

@@Firebolt1729 Racewin = (drivers)tile!

[@Firebolt1729]

@@jeffsteyn7174 Abu Dhabi was the only race this season, right?

[@michaelg1778]

Nice to see F1 realizes they should make rules, and then follow those rules.

[@rydplrs71]

I’ll believe it when I see it in action

[@nullreference4785]

@@rydplrs71 When pigs fly

[@invisiblekid99]

Really? I've seen those words in any of their statements.

[@adow77]

It is hard to imagine this matter being resolved while Masi presides over any future F1 races. He must go in the interests of the integrity of the sport.

[@simon8723]

It’s good to know it’s the fans fault for misinterpreting the message from the FIA. I never knew rules don’t matter. My bad.

[@mixolydian9102]

kinda like a girlfriend who’s caught doing it with someone else and proceeds to blame you because…reasons.

[@kylem324]

Indeed. I’m off to the post office to send Michael Masi my personal apology letter.

[@rozelynjenkins1811]

Spot on. Gaslighting is all. I'm sorry you're too dumb to understand what happened, but we'll try to explain it to you.

[@invisiblekid99]

@@rozelynjenkins1811 The attitude of that sentence is just incredible. But at the same time, confirms all you need to know about the FIA and that Mercedes was right to drop the case. There was no way the FIA would admit they fucked up.

[@jayaroh4378]

In order to repair the image they first have to admit they were wrong in the way they handled the season and we know that won't happen.

[@kerron68]

Agreed.

[@michaelp4122]

But that would apply to the whole season. Britian, Hungary, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi, UAE, Belgium, etc. Overall Max was a better driver all season, people can be cheezed at the FIA, but we should all praise Max for the Championship he earned.

[@lorenzop7447]

@@michaelp4122 even if he did lose, everybody would recognize his brilliant season. It's unfortunate such a performance would be tainted with a controversial last lap because of someone else's wrong doing

[@jayaroh4378]

@@michaelp4122 no one spoke about Max. Go somewhere relevant with that comment. You just want attention or drama. The driver championship doesn't go to who you 'think' is the better driver and no one cares. So please dismiss yourself from this conversation. Thanks.

[@michaelp4122]

@@lorenzop7447 Reading the comments, people are bitter. I don't think Max is getting the praise he deserves. I mean he beat benz in a weaker car after benz have scored their 8 constructor championship in a row. That's Amazing, that should be on par (or better than) Alonso defeating Schumacher.

[@scottdonaldson821]

Its amazing, with the FIA gas-lighting the fans by saying we don't understand the rules when clearly Masi knew the rules - just like most fans - but decided to make them up as he went. The whole season was ridiculous in terms of adjudication.

[@BiGreDNoSecoMpAny]

Listen to the team radios of all drivers in the situation - it's on the F1 unfiltered channel here on KZbin. Most of them were expecting exactly what was done by the FIA as it was normal procedure and completely abided by the rules.

[@scottdonaldson821]

@@BiGreDNoSecoMpAny Not remotely, I had already watched it, Alonso and Max were suggesting it was questionable why they weren't letting them through, and Daniel & Carlos were asking why only some cars were being let through and so late. You should re-listen to the compilations as if that many drivers were confused by the FIA it only serves the point that they were not applying the rules remotely in line with how they have historically.

[@simonhorler5795]

He new the rules alright, what you mean is he just used the rules to fix the outcome he wanted. And in the process flipped the middle at fear play.

[@BiGreDNoSecoMpAny]

@@scottdonaldson821 I agree that some drivers were confused in the moment - my point was only that Masi has not made up any rules out of the blue. The way I saw it, he wanted to first clear the incident, then get the unlapped cars out of the way and then restart the race. My feeling was that the delay was partly caused by the constant bugging from several Red Bull / Mercedes team members which mightve been a serious distraction. When they were finally ready to get the unlapped cars out of the way, it was too little time for all of them to do this, so they only let the ones through that were in the way of the championship decider and not those who were in the way of P12 overtaking P11. Toto Wolff even agreed that they were talking too much to Masi, and that this type of communication should be restricted in the coming seasons. And in all honesty, when looking at the season stats with Verstappen leading something like 65% of ALL LAPS IN THIS SEASON, against about 15% for Hamilton IIRC this whole "the FIA fixed the season in favor of Verstappen" thing is just ridiculous. One tyre malfunction less in previous races for Verstappen and the world would have never had these conversations.

[@Lee883]

Ted made an interesting comment in the toto interview.. "what happened in those 4 minutes where Masi changed his mind, or was told to change his mind" .... Clearly the gossip in the pitlane is this came from someone other than Masi. Did the FIA allow Liberty Media to interfere with the sporting regulations this year?

[@glennemannen]

^ this!

[@markdonovan1540]

Allow? They would have had no choice other than to obey. Liberty Media does what it says on the tin: Liberty. It's obvious a "call" came in from outside of race control. The details of who and when will be buried deep in legal gobbledegook for at least 5 or 10 years.

[@Lee883]

@@markdonovan1540 if that is allowed to continue its the end of its claim to be a sport

[@brandondd6426]

In a sense, I'm glad that this incident happen so we can finally get rid of the wishy washy process that the FIA goes through every race attempting to apply penalties and directing the race.

[@michaelp4122]

Let them race. Unless you make an obvious off track pass, or crash someone out, there shouldn't be all these penalties.

[@polarshift6551]

This year has just highlighted how weak the FIA management really is. They have flip flopped so many times, but it is just the same thing they have been doing since the beginning. They have always been a political animal ruled by the money at the end of the day.

[@dominicviner6619]

The fia is the problem not masi max and Lewis started the last lap the correct way and that’s all that matters mistakes happen but the title was nothing but preserved Fia had out penalties they create the Bulk of the controversy

[@HeavyMetalGamingHD]

I am big verstappen fan, but I really agree, that there need to be changes. that there needs to be consistency. Because there is none. Not just for race direction, but also for the stewarding. there have been cases, that were penalties, that were imo not at all a penalty (Gasly in Turkey) and cases, when there was no penalty, when there should have been one (leclerc taking out gasly in austria). And countless more examples. Safety is always key. We had a few occasions in the last few years, when the safety car was called in or the vsc has ended, while there were still marshals or vehicles on track

[@michaelp4122]

@MAAHAQQ So I raced F2000 for a short period. There is nothing wrong with lunging and blocking the car from their racing line. That's actually how you pass when 2 cars are very similar. So long as you are in front, it's the responsibility of the car behind to stay on track or back off. If you are side by side going through a corner, then I 100% agree with you. So long as the 2nd drivers front tire is in front of the 1st cars rear tire, you have to leave space.

[@nickbowman7102]

In no other sport are the rules changed for the sake of excitement mid game or match. I think the officiating this season has been questionable at best. Max is very much a deserving winner but I think serious changes to the sporting regs need to be made.

[@Firebolt1729]

True

[@dar8555]

The lapped cars should have gone past the lap before so either way max would have been behind lewis

[@timgriffith9149]

@@Firebolt1729 The NFL?? NBA?? Just to name a few more could be said. Just look at the Ref's enough said.

[@Rahul-px3my]

@@dar8555 ths point is that should've been made clear in the beginning itself so that merc could've at least pitted lewis. Not to mention how the safety car can enter the pitlane only in the following lap

[@csskiller]

The NHL is very much like this. Penalties called that are barely a penalty and non calls on cross checks/inference/etc. It's been very insistent the past few seasons.

[@chrisvalleqatsi]

FIA: "I'm sorry you feel that way."

[@misformyles7372]

I have been all over the world to watch F1 and that farce in Abu Dhabi has left me not even wanting to spend anymore of my hard earned money on this sport I may watch from home if it's free but not even gna pay sky costs to watch.. tarnished the sport

[@tomatwalden]

The whole season has been an inconsistent mess. I'm sorry, but Michael Masi's position looks untenable to me - how can anybody have faith in his decisions in the future when he's made such poor calls in the last two races?

[@johnnyboy7538]

looking like he will be keeping his job.

[@mushie8447]

Otherwise Max would already be Champion, thanks that to this inconsistency we got the killer race on the end....better this, than Lewis who drives into the sunset with the best car and best ''teammate'' ever....Nico Rosberg never got a chance from Mercedes to defend his World title, because of Lewis.... Think about that for a second

[@curbyapiehl]

he's got to go. it really felt like he was pulling every decision out of a hat all year long. everyone got screwed by it.

[@alexdelgadillo3398]

He needs help. He’s essentially doing 5 or so jobs. He needs some sort of crew that help him. That way the teams have to go through them first before they can get to Masi.

[@JaysMackie]

@@curbyapiehl given how much several of them stunk I don’t think he was pulling them out of his hat…

[@djmo3484]

when someone has the power to rewrite rules at anytime ,then he is the racing god and it is unpredictable for the sport.

[@mengienghinamwaami4894]

factos

[@Frostwolf_103]

Yet only for Verstappen and Hamilton, the cars between Sainz doesnt need to unlap. Wait excuse me? I am no fan of Sainz but that's just bollocks. Why can't everyone else get to proper positions?

[@Palizoid]

As much I was wanting max to win, and do believe he is deserving of the championship, that was not at all the way in which i imagined or wanted it to happen. FIA really needs to work out what they are doing, because it ruins the sport when essentially whatever rule/ overlooking of a rule can be made at whatever time. Great season with a mix of emotions of happy for max but also disappointed with how it all took place.

[@me2ontube]

whole season was a joke - I realize now that F1 is just a combo of wrestling n boxing ... fake n corrupt - the 1 sport I really enjoyed now just another sour taste in my mouth to even think about - not sure if I'll bother watching ever again - I don't know how any fans of anyone can be happy - what a joke

[@burger9997]

Honestly, As a devout Hamilton fan I know Max deserved to win the championship based on what he did this season, but losing like that hurts a lot.

[@me2ontube]

@@burger9997 no, he didn't - Max is far too dangerous n I'm surprised he hasn't already got someone killed - all this crap about him being "aggressive" is bullshit - big difference between hard racing n downright dangerous

[@Palizoid]

@@burger9997 definitely can understand that.

[@superfrankpt]

@@me2ontube yet it was Lewis who throwed Max into the barriers in a 51G impact.

[@dansegelov305]

Everyone needs to read the sporting regulations to see how deliberately badly they have been written. Compare them to the rules of golf, or laws of cricket and it's very clear that clarity is certainly not the primary concern of the FIA. The F1 sporting regulations have been written specifically to provide the FIA with indemnity over their own ineptitude.. Take any contentious decision you can remember and I guarantee you can find a vague, unspecific clause in the regs that you could wilfully misread to cover the FIAs a***. Hence the disgusting implication in their statement that the entire world is 'mistaken,' and they will save us all from our ignorance with yet another case of marking their own homework. The teams should break away from the FIA and create a new championship with leagues, including promotion and relegation. That would be awesome.

[@rsporsche]

Couldn't agree more, I had a look and it seems there is very little governing how drivers compete for a corner at all which leaves it up to the stewards to decide whatever they feel like on any given weekend. After Abi Dhabi it's clear that many of the rules that *are* written down are irrelevant because they can be overridden by the race director.

[@xtscarfacem8255]

A yet, golf still has issues on rules, like baseball has, like soccer has, like football has... sports are NOT perfect and issue free. Every sport i watch has had some type of controversy over rulings. No sport is perfect and i sure dont expect f1 to be. Yeah they should revise the rules and work on them. Mercedes is acting like a lil bitch though. Specially not showing up to the awards, that alone tells me that they expect the championship back. If it was all about fixing the rules for next season they would accept this one and had gone to receive the awards.

[@rsporsche]

​@@xtscarfacem8255 No one expects it to be perfect but when you run into problems it's logical to do what you can to avoid them again. Mercedes have dropped the appeal so they're not expecting to take the championship from Max and by dropping the appeal before the awards ceremony it allows Max to accept the trophy without that hanging over him so... seems like the decent thing to do.

[@azwanazmi1484]

@@xtscarfacem8255 You expect them to show up after Officials broke their own rules to manipulate the results of a whole season. Mercedes should take the FIA to court for all financial costs incurred for the season and boycott next season until they accept responsibility and clearly define appropriate race procedures in the new rule book. There's no point changing race results now, the season will forever be tainted.

[@richfoley7885]

Been done. Please see Tony George and the IRL / CART split of 1995. Not so AWESOME.

[@ljkoh20052000able]

There is a saying, " You cannot fight CityHall." Its better meaning is, you cannot win if you fight those who are above you. Thus, FIA's decision will be upheld regardless if the same was "right or wrong."

[@tylerbarrett8787]

They have also been very hesitant to change race results after the fact in the past.

[@kesivan]

@@tylerbarrett8787 Prost vs Senna

[@azwanazmi1484]

Mercedes should let them have it but still go to court for the entire team and manufacturer costs for the season. It should be about accepting responsibility. No point overturning the result now as Hamilton has missed the experience of winning on the day, just as Max's first title will always be tainted, through no fault of his own.

[@bigazTV]

It doesn’t matter.. now the whole sport knows F1 is a big mess and they will be forced to fix the bullshit.. Mercedes did good doing this appeal it raised awareness

[@darylbeecham381]

That isn't the the point. It is simple. Should the rules have been foolwed and should the race director behave in the arbitrary manner he did regarding the rules? Now, giving the trophy to Hamilton may not be the result, but the result should have been a message to all race directors from now on follow the rules, unquestionably. However, Mecedes doesn't think that is a principle worth fighting for.

[@yannsieyadjeu]

“The FIA’s primary responsibility at ANY event is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and the integrity of the sport.” Don’t forget y’all… “any” is not the same as “all.” 🙄

[@Brandon_Tyr]

Getting this reference just makes me sad T_T

[@saytam_ar]

Hey there.... English can be sometimes confusing So Yeah IT isnt.. But Also they didnt say that but they Saíd that "any" Does not necesery mean "all".

[@DDGXMUSIC]

Hahaha Arrr snap nicely done!

[@yt.personal.identification]

I hope you can find acceptance.

[@DDGXMUSIC]

@@yt.personal.identification I know this wasn't for me but I really hope I do! I know nothing is going to change re the outcome of the season now, I've been watching F1 probably 15 years or more I feel genuinely heartbroken that the integrity of the sport is so deeply in question its mighty sad :-(

[@markblow1966]

Mercedes’ bottled it, should have taken it all the way to CAS, especially when Ben Sulayem says about discipling Hamilton for not showing up at the awards on Thursday because ‘rules are rules’.

[@marcoshernandez745]

It would’ve been great if masi had the lapped cars un lap themselves on lap 56 and do things properly

[@kagey-uq1zt]

What i havent heard is how did the waving through of just a few cars affect the final team scores down the field and the resulting financial splits that are driven by those season end scores? Surely that mixed up the relative positions for the first 10 places?

[@cambyses1529]

because it was the last race and there were generally quite big gaps between the scores it probably didn't change the order any team finished in. However, the Sainz/Norris/Leclerc battle for 5th in the championship might have had a different outcome if the lapped cars had been all been allowed through following the normal rules.

[@mcl2584]

It didn’t. Absolutely changed nothing actually. All teams in the middle field were too far from each other to change positions. The only battle to decide at that point was the leaders and the fight for p5 in the drivers championship between Norris and Carlos and they were too far apart to change in one lap too with Norris at p7 and Carlos at p3 very unlikely to change. Charles was close in points too but he was at p13 so effectively out of contention. All the other drivers were not fighting for a change in the championship position as they were too far already. BUT, they could’ve so I get your point, it was unfair. It should’ve been all lapped cars or none.

[@cambyses1529]

@@mcl2584 I think Norris (and Riccardo) was on softs though, so would have had a chance to gain some places on the last lap if normal process was followed? Sainz was on old tyres (like Hamilton) and the lapped cars still around him might have been what prevented him getting overtaken (unlike Hamilton) by the soft runners behind him (Tsunoda and Gasly). In short who knows what might have happened - there were a lot of variables - but Norris finishing 5th overall instead of Sainz was definitely possible.

[@PuckStud6]

Lando got f'd for sure but I'm wondering the same thing.

[@crismelloni23]

Sainz could have passed Max and held him back. That alone would’ve changed the outcome.

[@onski100]

So even before the detailed analysis has been completed, FIA is already washing their hands and blaming the viewing public for misunderstanding. I cannot fault Toto for withdrawing his protest as FIA really cannot investigate and penalize itself at the same time.

[@davidh1925]

This situation made me feel different about formula 1 honestly

[@tp532001]

Not forgetting the Non event at Belguim Gp at Spa. Two laps behind safety car and say its a race!! but half points

[@666chew]

So it's our fault for reacting negatively to the mess they made of things? This is Alice in Wonderland logic.

[@AdamMcMurry]

Seems the likely outcome is that Masi will soon decide “to pursue other interests.”

[@ab8jeh]

Maybe going car racing.

[@AmsterdamHeavy]

Trained up by Charlie Whiting and given the job by the FIA. You think that he wasnt doing the job they told him to do? Wage worker thinking.

[@clansome]

@@AmsterdamHeavy ... and over the course of two seasons he has shown time and time again that he isn't up to the job. It's a shit job, I'll admit, but he took it on in the belief that he could execute it. He cannot, he needs help a PERMANENT TEAM of Stewards and slightly larger pool of officials with more individual remits who are competent at their job. He needs a supervisor under him who refers & liaises with the Stewards, so he can be a Race Director only.

[@ab8jeh]

@@AmsterdamHeavy Mugello 2020 was the first time it was clear he wasn't up to the job. He should have been removed a year ago.

[@andis9076]

He better join Netflix, he's good in doing whatever he wants to create a SHOW.

[@kashyhossein7298]

Weeks after the race this is the most comprehensive explanation to explained the shameful events that occured. Sky sports did a poor disappointing job

[@russellash582]

I still have great difficulty accepting partial much less half points awarded for following the safety car for two "laps of racing" in a downpour. Yes, I fully understand that thousands of fans were in attendance, but that is simply no excuse for awarding any points in a total non-race.

[@fuzzynutter8344]

Some of the decisions undertaken by Michael Masi and the stewards this season have been extremely questionable to say the least, even baffling. If the FIA can deliver decent officiating and more control in other series, like the WEC for example, then why not with F1? Could part of the reason also be that teams have far too much influence on how F1 is run and bosses having too much access to the race director, possibly compromising his integrity? Not that any of this is an excuse for poor officiating by the FIA. Either way, much of how F1 is managed and delivered needs changing as Abu Dhabi very much summed up the worst of F1. And because of this, sadly, Max’s first title will often be seen as being handed to him whilst taken away from Lewis.

[@jaapongeveer6203]

None of this would have mattered if Hamilton was black flagged at Silverstone.

[@saeedatenzi]

@@jaapongeveer6203 what about the 2 laps race in spa with free points for max even tho FIA knew the terrible weather condition? What about no freaking incident in Mexico? What about the no first lap incident of abu dhabi? You max's fankids are dumb af

[@Firebolt1729]

@@jaapongeveer6203 Why Exactly should he black flagged? It was a racing incident and Max unfortunately came off worse. You are clouded by your bias.

[@patrickoceon]

This is EXACTLY what it is. Max title was spoon fed to him as a rigged event in formula 1 history robbing Lewis his deserved race to be won. 11.9 seconds ahead 6 laps out for the checkered flag. The future is not good for him as it wasn’t earned in fairness but out of strife and deceit.

[@toninhopavan2]

Lewis' crybabies

[@Superfluous.]

Well, mercedes filled 2 appeals, so the tarnish from that side is going to stay, no matter how much the FIA tries to scrub it with bleach. On the other side we have a championship filled with inconsistency and grey areas on the rule book that absolutely smashed the championship to begin with, regardless of what happened in Abu Dhabi. It was a shitshow, all year long. Plain and simple.

[@mirrrie]

I think they more have damaged the brand Mercedes. Wanna bet people at Mercedes aren't happy

[@michaelp4122]

I agree. I wish Benz didn't protest, but I understand why they did. If Lewis was gracious in defeat, we wouldn't have this controversy.

[@334Dee]

@@michaelp4122 Lewis was gracious in defeat. Did you not see him congratulate Max? He is the person who asked Mercedes to withdraw the appeal...

[@michaelp4122]

@@brendanariki I disagree, they gave up on the appeal after 4 days discussing with Lewis and Lewis finished that last race saying it was "manipulated."

[@michaelp4122]

@@334Dee He finished the race saying it was "manipulated" and then was silent and slow to park his car (Sainz came first). Lewis also didn't show up to the awards ceremony. That's not gracious in defeat IMO.

[@Vok250]

Gotta be honest, I might not watch next season. I'm no Mercedes fan, but too many races were just a complete shitshow. It was more like watching Fifa or WWE than watching motorsport.

[@thekitowl]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@wolfgangwyk6325]

The Tarnished image is and should not be from the Abu Dhabi GP but the Farce that was the British GP

[@sesu5604]

The FIA will look at what the FIA did? Wonderful. So nothing will change. Thank you FIA

[@derekambler]

What else can you expect for a french controlled setup?

[@iphantum5493]

Wish we could see some video of Masi and the team around him during all that decision making. Or at least we could maybe get an interview with him.

[@Firebolt1729]

You mean a circus?

[@iphantum5493]

@Bob Myself They are most likely considering to do this just to put the public at ease. The question is will it? The sport didn't have to reach this point but a few people were too infatuated will the big neflix numbers and now we're here.

[@raphwalker9123]

Butthurt Hamilton fans

[@iphantum5493]

@@raphwalker9123 Who said anything about Hamilton? Shouldn't you be somewhere else enjoying your championship win? Or are you having trouble doing so? 👀

[@Firebolt1729]

@@raphwalker9123 Wow what a mature response. Come back when you actually have arguments.

[@acesedc21]

The FIA made many mistakes this season. Some in favour of Verstappen, some in favour of Hamilton and some against them both. This just happened to be at a critical moment in the season. Things happened like they did, and we got a winner out of it. I just hope the FIA clears up their rules for next season so we can focus more on the racing instead of raging at FIA decisions. They ruin the sport as this really sets off the Hamilton/Mercedes fans vs the Verstappen/Red Bull fans.

[@georgedowler1]

i canot get the image out of my mind of the red bull team celebreating they should be ashamed of them selves

[@acesedc21]

@George Dowler In the end, they won. So you can't blame them for celebrating, in my opinion. There have been plenty of occasions where the FIA made mistakes in favour of Hamilton and Mercedes. As I said, I hope they'll learn from this and follow their own rules closer in the coming seasons. FIA mistakes created unnecessary arguments between F1 fans that are ruining the whole community, no matter which side you are on. The teams aren't to blame; it's the FIA.

[@georgedowler1]

@@acesedc21 no they should hang thire heads in shame they celebrated like they had won it but they were handed it on a plate no the way for a sports team to behave red bull does not give you wings it gives you a brass kneck

[@user-tz3zn2kz8w]

Why would Max be ashamed? It wasn't his or RB fault the call was made. Would I have prefer Hamilton winning? YES! But the one at fault is the FIA. And yet they point a finger at everyone else, not realizing that 4 fingers are pointing at them. Since FIA doesn't seem to care, and Todt statements as well seem to confirm this, I have zero faith this will result in significant changes. Like they said, it's an 'excersise', not an intention of change.

[@acesedc21]

@@georgedowler1 The same way Hamilton celebrated when he shoved Max into a wall with 52G..?

[@SaneGuySports]

No accountability from the FIA, because they don’t have to be. It may take the threat of a boycott from Mercedes to shuffle the deck of the current power structure.

[@GarieP]

Didn;t you notice how the FIA is run by ex-Ferrari big bosses.

[@jimjaam1983]

FIA need an external body to judge things like this as they can't manage to work it out for themselves. Because they have vested interests and an image to sell.

[@tylerbarrett8787]

Good luck. The FIA owns the championship so they have to answer to no one.

[@jimjaam1983]

@@tylerbarrett8787 that's my point but yeah it won't happen.....

[@azwanazmi1484]

Mercedes are now going to be sanctioned after boycotting the gala. Mercedes should boycott next season while taking the FIA to court for team costs for the season. This will make them to accept responsibility for their errors and lose enough money between the Mercedes payout, team withdrawal and dwindling fan attendance/ veiwership whilst tainting a second season in a row.

[@xXJMatherXx]

@@azwanazmi1484 Unfortunately, that's not how the real world works. You don't get to say we aren't participating in your championship and we'd like our money back that we spent developing our car for your series. That's basically the same as saying we developed a bunch of right hand drive cars for the UK, but because they left the EU we are not going to be selling our cars there, but they need to pay us back for manufacturing a million cars. A boycott hurts both parties involved, that's why they rarely work.

[@azwanazmi1484]

@@xXJMatherXx They can use some of that investment in other motorsport leagues while taking fans to a different place. In 2020 it cost Mercedes around $450 million to win both championships to make a measly $20 million dollar profit. Would you call that good business?

[@philmorel1042]

".... have notably generated significant misunderstanding...." dear oh dear oh dear, the FIA still has no clue how to appear contrite. It's our fault, we don't know the rules, it's their fault, they didn't explain them well. How patronizing. If this is their effort to un-tarnish I give them an E for effort so far.

[@elredster2]

Yeah - I picked up on that line as well. Their Race Director invented a rule part way through a championship deciding race and we the fans are misunderstood......

[@brunskibeats]

@@elredster2 or did Masi have a "significant misunderstanding" of the rules and his role in terms of the application of them?

[@zonoy]

Brilliant, thank you. Will never get over what happened on Sunday. Shocking and very sad.

[@kingtungstenworldwide4472]

Following one of the previous Verstappen & FIA controversies this season and while trying to shake it off, Lewis stated everyone just wants consistency in the rules...then after a dominating final race (and comeback) they once again made the ultimate inconsistent ruling that caused the outcome of the race. My point is that its been writing on the wall so many times this season not just one bad decision. Hopefully we will both see an exciting new season AND a season where they penalize drivers for either not following the rules or dangerous driving. Theyre ALL driving on the edge of danger, and because this is the penultimate level of sport extra danger is too risky for life and for the sporting outcome. This is why we still feel so bad, because it was just dirty.

[@Keshkul]

Bahrain was foreshadowing for the whole season. I got that dirty feeling after most races. FIA really needs to get their stuff together asap

[@davyg3590]

So basically instead of recognising that their delegates have done a poor job all season, the FIA have said its the fans that misunderstand. They never adhered to their own rules but blaming fans for not knowing them is a totally different ball game altogether.

[@tascrphs]

@M P Well I guess that means that you do understand shit... Shit's binary, and surely you're on the other side of the shit-show.

[@rusm5710]

The let down that was the final has me not wanting to watch F1 anymore :(

[@rinzler_1482]

Go cry some more, bloody hell MAX "DESERVED" to win the title. And if you are that soft please don't watch.

[@rusm5710]

@@rinzler_1482 I don't mind Max winning, he absolutely deserved it despite some overly aggressive driving

[@delwynjshelleyjr5434]

I’m new to F1, after watching the last race I’ll take your spot as a fan for next season.

[@rusm5710]

@@delwynjshelleyjr5434 Medal for you

[@kevinburleson-webb7021]

@@rinzler_1482 only as much as Lewis. It would have been wonderful to see how 'gracefully' Max would have been if he had lost.

[@ridinthethreyedtiger]

In every other major sporting league, officials remove themselves from these moments..... the FIA should be ashamed....

[@user-zz6iv2ou6f]

When the FIA appeals process can’t be trusted in the exact situation for which it exists, that’s a pretty damning statement about the integrity of the sport. What a farcical championship.

[@user-zz6iv2ou6f]

@Johnny Chimpo While I won’t condone the aggressive language towards the Max fans, your cognitive dissonance point is spot on. It’s a good gauge of who values integrity versus who disregards it.

[@TheMrleeyang]

@Johnny Chimpo honestly, it seems you are disillusioned. Max fans have nothing to do with FIA and their horrendous rule handling. Calling fans zero integrity shows how flawed your own thinking is. As fans, we have no direct impact on ruling. If we had, Merc fans can shout louder and harder than us to change the situation. Since that hasn't happened, targeting the other side of fans just shows how dumb you are.

[@dr2165]

Yes this is what somehow seems to be being glossed over in merc withdrawing the case. They very carefully tiptoed up to the line of outright calling the FIA corrupt. They effectively said we wont appeal because we don't trust you to actually manage that appeal in a fair way. That is the real story and that is what should be being talked about. Based on the statements made so far its clear that this analysis is 100% accurate.

[@DERP_Squad]

Like FIFA, when there is as much money involved as there is in either football or F1, the governing body will always end up corrupt unless there is constant independent oversight.

[@superfrankpt]

@Johnny Chimpo I don't think the integrity of Max supporters is very differente than that of Lewis ones. If it was Lewis fans would not have accepted Lewis victory at the Great Britain grand prix, yet they did :) So, maybe the zero integrity and cognitive dissonance is really on you. Anyway, fans have no influence at all in the way races are runned, that lays only on FIA and drivers.

[@sydneydaclis9226]

2021 F1 season gave us the real tightest battle from Mercedes and Red Bull. Aside from critics to the FIA and controversy, I will always remember this as a crazy season hoping next year having more consistency and clarifications regarding the rules.

[@JGG3345]

this is the year i loose faith in FIA

[@enfordmurwira7230]

Face some reality it's manipulated outcome its not sports anymore

[@enshi6125]

Yes and off-course you conveniently disregarded the most astonishingly horrendous robbery in F1 history (indeed in sport as a whole), that denied Hamilton a truly deserved and certain 8th record breaking title and handed it to the arrogant, rude entitled white knight, max. The audacity of the robbery and the sickening attempt to play it down is just mind boggling and takes racism to another dimension. But we will rise!

[@geraldkirk3776]

It was an amazing season but the fia ruined it. I will remember this year as the year I truly loved racing, but realized this sport is just as bad as the NFL, have the refs or in this case the fia decide the final battle.

[@Chyeahokay]

And gtfo with racism bozo

[@raceace]

The Language already in use here by the FIA is already showing they have little intention in admitting their actions and flawed vision for the future of the sport have devalued the Formula One Championship. They are suppose to be the serious objective arbiter of the sport, not producers of Big Brother reality show.

[@michaelmichaelagnew8503]

Its what happens when you have Godless dishonest people in any type of authority position. To them they think the rules dont apply to them because of their possition, Just like the Pharisees in Jesus’s time.

[@martinandersson5833]

For what it is worth I am done with F1 after 40 years of watching almost every race. This season was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The FIA is clearly not an independent body that governs the sport but strongly controlled by the owners of the F1 franchise (turnover more than 4 billion us dollars).

[@Brooman56]

100% agree.

[@jussiheino]

100% agree. I skipped one race in last 26 years (Malesia '98 or '99), but I think I skip the upcoming races. This is not what I want to watch and follow. I prefer rulebook over Masi's gut feeling.

[@erik-001-]

Meanwhile in THE RACE archives: “Why Masi had to be fired” and “Why Masi deserved a second chance as formula 1’s race director”

[@imibuks-replit]

loll 😂yeah very confusing

[@SuperIceman44]

Every race was a chance for Masi to correct himself but he kept screwing up

[@ab-cv9be]

@@SuperIceman44 screwed up only because Hamilton who was gifted 7 WC by FIA decided to play it fair?

[@Brooman56]

@@ab-cv9be what? You are in another reality.

[@ab-cv9be]

@@Brooman56 really? You will deny facts?

[@jonnysz03]

I'll keeping saying it: "Do one Masi. Just go. You're an absolute waste of space"

[@douglasfell4199]

You cant fix something that is broken. F1 had a chance to own up and say they made a mistake. The fans will have the final say next year after moving away from F1.

[@HiranthaIddamalgoda]

OOOh!! I think it looks like FIA have shot themselves in the foot: They say safety is most important. That would mean over years, the safety car regulations would have been revised and tightened to what it is today. So not opting to follow the written safety car regulation, they have effectively made safety not the most important aspect of racing. They broke safety car rules to give one lap of racing. That means they put racing before safety!!!

[@EyeInTheSkypaulmcmenamin]

Phenomenal, this is the second time I have sat down on the throne and seen a worthy upload from the race worth watching. Thanks the race and Merry Christmas 🎄👌🎅

[@HDB1974]

Nothing beats enjoying a worthy upload while enjoying a worthy download..

[@adamshaw5999]

Toilet gang

[@diegoamarilla7843]

@@adamshaw5999 same here

[@SwingzaBigOne]

So true!

[@blackduckfarmcanada]

K I N G

[@CitadelPhotography]

I need to see someone from the FIA resign before my faith in racing is restored.

[@snoopydoggy101010]

Toto looks like he's about to launch the new iPhone 😂

[@lunny2230]

I find it absolutely mind boggling that nobody in race control seems to have thought of the scenario of a late safety car and how that could potentially make the deciding impact the world championship. Surely announcing before the race that they would do anything possible to end under race conditions would have at least made it clear for all teams what their strategy should be if the situation came about. Instead the teams did exactly what anyone would expect. The team in front didn't stop and risk track position because they knew under normal conditions the race would finish under safety car. The team chasing obviously did make the stop as it didn't risk track position and meant if there was a restart, they would have a massive advantage and they really and nothing to lose if it didn't work out. Had Mercedes stopped, RBR certainly would have stayed out to claim the lead and hope the safety car stayed out and now we would have Lewis as champion again and Horner blubbing in his tissues like Toto was. Surely the easiest solution for a truly spectacular finish would have been immediate red flag and then a 4-5 lap sprint race to the end with all drivers on fresh rubber.

[@glenncook840]

Spot on. Great television but a red flag and a 5 lap sprint would have been the fairer way to end the season, and probably the least controversial for all teams.

[@michaelmichaelagnew8503]

This would have been the best outcome for the race. Would have been an honest ending and an entertaining ending too.

[@michaelmichaelagnew8503]

Very true but its looking like they did not want Hamilton to have a far chance because they obviously wanted Max to win.

[@ToulKorkMan]

I lost all hopes in the FIA after Silverstone.

[@2005StangMan]

Me too. That same instance has been deemed a racing incident with no penalties multiple times in the last few years.

[@sirskullington9213]

Yeah. 10 seconds was bullshit. Should of been no investigation necessary.

[@TheCountess666]

Ya, deliberately pulling a PIT maneuver on your opponent sending him into the wall, and getting just getting a meaningless slap on the wrist while gaining a huge amount of points is utter BS.

[@matthewboschin6313]

The 10 second penalty was correct, 10 second penalty for causing a collision. You judge the incident not the outcome

[@rekreator9481]

@@sirskullington9213 how could you read that so wrong?? he wrote SILVERSTONE, not JEDDAH :o

[@tanishqvedak1862]

I honestly feel like there should be a rule that when there’s a crash that requires a full safety car during the last 5-10 laps, the race should be red flagged and ended with a short sprint for the win. This way situations like Abu Dhabi can be avoided and races can end as races as opposed to a precession behind the safety car.

[@tonamg53]

Agree or maybe just add one racing lap to the race after safety car come back into the pit or something like that.

[@paulthorn6437]

Works for me. Seems fair enough, and all teams get to make the pits so one team doesn't get left out on new tires.

[@Jeteso2009]

I think what is used in Nascar would be spot on: "Green, white, checkered"

[@SmiteKite]

Lewis should've pitted, two chances. His tempo was beyond Max's that race. Strategy got the better of them.

[@wesleyhopmans]

@@Jeteso2009 In NAscar they can add a lap to the total lap count. In F1 this can not happen because of the refueling ban.

[@ewallperschwaznyk9590]

Had the FIA realized how the public would respond they should have, after much discussion of course, awarded both drivers a co-championship. Nobody would have been mad and things would move on. I'm thinking some massive egos have messed up everything.

[@lorenzophala9784]

The last word said in the video was “ended” . Which ironically was the end of the video

[@ehseahla]

What a massive PR fail on FIA's part. Contradictory rules and inconsistencies in race director's decision throughout the season tarnishes the image of the Championship, not fans. Instead of blaming everyone else outside of the FIA, why not take ownership of the fuck up? They would have garnered more support and respect from fans and teams with statements like this instead: "...in our continuing effort to strive for motorsport excellence, the Commission has been tasked to perform a thorough review of the events that unfolded. Should any reasonable exception be identified, the Commission will raise these points and provide recommendations to the Committee to close any gaps in the existing regulations and procedures." But naaaah, ego is more important amongst the circle jerk of dinosaurs.

[@UPHOTO75]

In what way was it a fuck up? The championship should never (yes it has in the past) finish under a SC. They did their best to make it a fair race. Massey had the power to make the decision they made, yes they should have let all drivers unlap themselves but it's easy to see that they didn't do that to make sure there was time to have the final lap. It's a business too, they did the logical thing.

[@tomdiskin8090]

@@UPHOTO75 masi didnt have the power to make those decisions, there are clearly written rules detailing the order of events that must take place. the FIA just *interpreted* their own rule made to allow the race director to keep the safety car out longer if he feels the track is still unsafe to mean that actually, he can do whatever he wants with the safety car. nothing in the rules to save face for letting only 55 cars unlap, ruining multiple drivers, besides 1st and 2nds, races tho...

[@nelauren]

My guess is that the best result they could get from the courts was a nullification of the race. That would give Verstappen the championship.

[@MartiniPinball]

Than a nullification for the fact Hamilton deliberately rammed Max of track at Silverstone would also be appropriate.

[@eddiel7635]

Nope, they wouldn’t even get that, they are banned from appealing to CAS. There was no way the FIA would find against themselves.

[@henrym78]

@@yugarten8523 did you look at Hamilton’s racing line?

[@ananthu8534]

@@henrym78 he was miles away for apex and mercedes fans claim that it's Lewis' corner 😂

[@ananthu8534]

Lewis was protected by FIA throughout this season from Bahrain to Silverstone . His teammate took Max out in Hungary . Lewis just got a tiny punishment for illegal car in Brazil . Just a disqualification for sprint 🤷 Even in the final race lap 1 incident he was protected by FIA . One safety car and suddenly Micheal Masi became a redbull agent . These Mercedes fan boys are real clowns 🤣🤣

[@Jwizz38]

Where did the 12 sec gaps go after the safety car. There was no way on earth that Max was going to win that race. The crash looked planned haven't heard anything about how Latifi crashed. Looked like he just drove into the wall on purpose. Didn't see a single car around his.

[@maxmytoiletOGDawg]

toto wolff lookin like a bond villain

[@JW_PUNK29]

Everyone will have forgotten by the time the teams release images of the new cars on twitter

[@thebarcaboardroom406]

When they see Max's car have number 1 the tears will start flowing again

[@daveclarke6481]

"Preserve the integrity of the Sport" Well that was well and truly fucked on Sunday eh Jean, pity you could not have seen this coming, although there was plenty of evidence available. The only consolation I can take from all of this is that every time Verstappen or Horner look at their respective trophies they, deep down, know the truth.

[@LeCharles07]

An asterisk for crashing would have been preferable to this asterisk; at least that's happened before.

[@Waywind420]

It was a joke, it didn't seem like a fair racing event the way it ended.

[@markita64]

Well Done to Jean Todt to Preserve M.Schumacer Shared Record of 7 Titles.

[@mickmckpng3153]

I just cannot fathom the mind of the person who thought this mishmashed approach was going to provide a fair result ....

[@thekitowl]

They wanted a new champion & they made it happen in the name of entertainment.

[@iancombs857]

The FIA are the Inspector Clouseau of Keystone Kops. “We’ve investigated ourselves multiple times and found that we’ve done no wrong.” If the FIA is serious about sporting fairness, they need to be more stringent and consistent in rules application. Perhaps we need to do away with this “let them race” philosophy as it’s clearly created more issues than it’s solved from a credibility standpoint. If they’re going to get better quality racing from the 2022 cars…then start enforcing track limits again. Make the rulings something closer to black-and-white and adhere to procedures more assiduously. The teams are supposed to push the rules…the FIA needs to draw less ambiguous lines.

[@bilboswaggins4081]

Toto looks like a bond villain

[@footyball66]

5 cars moved out of Verstappen's way....2 cars left behind him for protection from Sainz.... it's suspiciously fraudulent.

[@richfoley7885]

lol! Max and Hamilton needed protection from Sainz? This is comical. Sainz was on 38 lap old Hard Tyres and couldn't even get close to the backmarkers in front of him (Ricardo and Stroll) because they also pitted for softs under Saftey Car. . Both Tsunoda and Gassly were on 3 lap old Soft Tyres (both of whom zoomed past remaining backmarkers and Bottas) and would have gotten Sainz given another half a lap. Now, you might have an argument IF Ferrari had pitted Sainz for Softs like most of the field. It was a tactical error of the respective teams not to pit Hamilton, Bottas, and Sainz. Sainz was cyring for the race to end under Safety Car, because he knew his team screwed up by not pitting him for soft tyres, like Alpha did forTsunoda and Gasley. Both of those cars were also behind Backmarkers when the race restarted. Your complaint is COMICAL.. JUST COMICAL.

[@scbriml]

@@richfoley7885 Whether or not Sainz would have been able to challenge Verstappen or Hamilton is not the point. The point is, he was denied the opportunity by the Race Director, using Horner's words, "going rogue".

[@richfoley7885]

@@scbriml Was Tsunoda "denied" the opportunity to challenge Bottas for P4?Simply because the Haas and the Aston Martin were not waived through between Tsunoda P5 and BottasP4? Here is their position at the restart from the Safety Car period after Perez retired. Gasley P6 Tsunoda P5 Haas Backmarker Aston Martin Backmarker Bottas P4 Sainz P3. I would wager that if these two backmarkers were allowed to unlap. Sainz (38 laps old Hard Tires) would have ended in 4th, maybe 5th with the charging duo of the Alpha's (3 laps installed Softs). Sainz was on the radio crying during the Safety Car that the race should end under Safety Car, because it gave an unfair advantage to "other cars". i.e. the cars behind that switched to softs. Note, he wasn't petitioning to unlap all the cars so he could challenge for the win. He desperately wanted it to end under Safety Car. So Sainz was not denied anything. If anything, Sainz's podium was saved because the lapped cars behind him were not allowed to unlap themselves. The two Alphas quickly disposed of the backmarker Haas and Aston and both eventually passed Bottas, while Yuki attempted to pass the flailing Ferrari of Sainz in the last few corners. Hats off to Sainz for being able to hold off Yuki. But, if the two backmarkers were not there initially, Yuki would have likely reached Sainz much earlier in the lap. I would have been surprised if Yuki or perhaps both Yuki and Gasley wouldn't have found their way past Sainz (P3) at the restart. So if anyone should feel jilted. It would have been Yuki, because the backmarkers potentially denied him his first podium in F1. In the end, Sainz was delighted with P3, Tsonoda was delighted with P4, Gasley was delighted with P5. The only sourpusses were some of the drivers who didn't pit for softs when the safety car came out and those fans that somehow have convinced themselves that Sainz was somehow "wronged" and denied the opportunity to challenge for the win. It is ABSOLUTELY COMICAL. If you want to pitch the angle that the way the restart took place was unfair to a driver, denying them the ability to challenge. Then you need to change your strategy to Yuki. He most likely would have had his first podium.

[@LucasDresch83]

To start, they have to replace the race director. This year was a festival of mistakes from Masi. No consistency on his decisions, the only thing he did consistently was to mess up one of the best seasons of F1 we had in decades. and the cherry on top was to put in question the final result.

[@tonyhibbert2342]

Not only has Massi been proved to be at best INCOMPETENT ! BUT THE FIA ALSO ! ... Question is ? Was Massi following orders from the FIA boss .. Ferrari former boss and future Ferrari boss Jean Todt ??? Who then tries to blame teams and fans for this fiasco

[@amazeddude1780]

Sport=Entertainment. If I were running the Mercedes corporation, I would be seriously examining the F1 budget and asking hard questions about risks vs rewards.

[@peterthornton8520]

A load of hot air. The race was a failure as an event due to the totally chaotic end and the abysmal performance of Masi which caused the wrong driver to be called the Winner. I for one have lost all interest in F1 and would hope that Lewis and MB dump this corrupt and unfit for purpose circus called F1.

[@henriwolbrink]

Grass and gravel. And most of the discussions won't be needed. See Zandvoort.

[@markmaison4436]

The FIA’s statements have me concerned about the future of the sport. Blaming fans for not understanding the rules and causing controversy shows a complete misunderstanding of the situation. I think that people have an innate sense of fairness, so even without a deep understanding of the rules a casual viewer would watch what happened at the end of the race would have a sense that it was not a fair finish and would call into question the validity of the result. Unfortunately it seems that F1 racers will be athletes in the same way that WWE wrestlers are athletes, which sucks, because I just started watching and now I’m not sure it’s worth watching. The silver lining, there’s a chance that a competitive team will be up for sale for Michael Andretti to buy.

[@Telecasterland]

Blame everyone else. F1 standard. They haven't had true competition in many many years.

[@CAFFIENEHOUND]

Or Max gets 5 place penalty for "ignoring" a double waved yellow. Next race Hamilton gets a verbal reprimand for ignoring double waved yellow and lights. I don't care what sporting reg they show me, it's clearly not fair treatment of the competitors. (There were others, including Max getting off easy) in this season.

[@markmaison4436]

@@Telecasterland has it really been this bad? There were some questionable decisions over the course of the season, but nothing that made me question the integrity of the championship quite like that

[@Nickelodeon81]

@@CAFFIENEHOUND false equivalence. The 1/2 second accidental yellow for HAM isn't comparable to VER running foot down on the throttle of a consistent yellow flag. Nice try though.

[@vladimirzakrevski3157]

@@Nickelodeon81 that's not how enforcement works.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

The amount of COPE is off the chart.

[@Malachi_Marx]

Simple solution: if a safety car is deployed within the last 5 laps, red flag the race, 1 attempt restart with 2 laps minimum left, even if extra laps need to be added.

[@Duvstep910]

The most excitement I've had from F1 in a long while; got bored of the Merc 1-2 finishes after a while

[@kecskesadam]

Well what can you do if Merc builds a better car than anyone else, year after year. Oh wait, I know! Let's change the technical rules one single year before the complete remake of the specs, in such a way that merc suffers more than the rival team (floor chopping, high rake, low rake effects). Also, let the other guy squeeze or even bump out the merc every which way he just can and let him do that without any penalties. No worries if the other 18 drivers scratch their heads saying that this was straight up punished before. And if all this still isn't enought to stop merc from winning again, then let's direct the races so that the merc looses for sure. Not a problem if we break the rules alltogether, we'll get away with it.

[@jjobar]

@@kecskesadam Wow, let the other guy squeeze or even bump out the merc? Do I need to remind you it was Lewis and Bottas who bumped out Max giving Lewis 50 points advantage to Max? You are really blind if you want to judge the whole season by looking at 1 race where Lewis was not so lucky....

[@albertwong5793]

FIA: "YOU'RE ALL WRONG!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!"

[@MartiniPinball]

It sorta is both red bull and mercedes shouting at the referee trying to influence the match. Clearly is something we shouldn’t need nor want.

[@albertwong5793]

@@MartiniPinball Have to say that Masi is having it better than other sports where the players/manager literally gets in the ref's face and still maintain their cool. Even if Toto/Horner are partly to blame, what's with blaming the fans being "misguided/misunderstanding" when almost everyone on either side of support sees the FIA as the one that screwed up?

[@verboseessays]

'Race manager has ultimate authority' basically nullifies any and every rule out there wtf.

[@mattdobz]

If I put on my lawyer tinted glasses, I see that there's nothing written in the regulations to say that articles 48.13 and 15.3 override article 48.12 when there are examples of this happening between other articles throughout the regulations. Also, article 15.3 can be interpreted as overriding authority regarding the use of the safety car over the clerk of the course, not overriding the regulations themselves.

[@empathic_mimicry]

Mercedes case was bullet proof, 15.03 is about power over the clerk. Masi has even went on record saying 48.12 is the rules see his interview with Motorsport magazine in October 2020, 48.12 needs no interpretation the text is clear as it is written, there is also 50 years of presitance...and final nail in the coffin for the FIA hope of winning a legal battle is they didn't remove the lapped cars between Sainz in 3rd and Max in 2nd meaning it wasn't even a fair fight for Carlos as well as Lewis as Max had not to worry about defending in his second position on the restart only attacking Lewis who as we all know was a sitting duck as Merc followed a strategy which would of worked fine as long as rules weren't broken...bullet proof

[@afacelessname1378]

If the FIA doesn't significantly change by the start of the 2022 season it wouldn't surprise me if it was the last for both Wolfe and Hamilton

[@egj1975]

I can live with that 🙂

[@alotl1kevegas860]

Good, Peace out Toto and Hamilton ✌

[@dilloncrain9111]

Peace out sore losers. They have had an unfair advantage for years because they spend much more than other teams. The rest of the teams have been professional while Merc has won and yet once Lewis doesn't win, Merc throws up a protest and doesn't come to the required FIA banquet for the winners.

[@jeffp2935]

Toto out is fine, but Hamilton has to stay. Just curious how the new season plays out

[@alotl1kevegas860]

@@dilloncrain9111 Well said 👏. You're absolutely right.

[@jayhow997]

It's bs masi created the same argument last year when Russell crashed behind the safety car an masi released the lapped cars to early resulting in stroll passing Marshall's on track at racing speed. If masi didn't learn from that he has to go.

[@alimantado373]

well remembered!

[@wordpower6990]

Agreed

[@duppykitoon]

I've been using KZbin TV for my streaming service. We just received a notice that they will no longer be carrying ESPN. Goodbye, KZbin TV, hello Hulu!

[@ImFixxxer]

Well, it wasn't only the Abu Dhabi finale but also the Saudi Arabia penultimate race stop-start confusions and good-will swapping of places that just left a sour taste to this otherwise pretty decent season. Good that they try to fix things but for me personally I just feel the screwed up so badly it's difficult to fix things. Especially if they don't even acknowledges the fault lies soley with them

[@ganesha7674]

What the FIA World Motor Sport Council is effectively saying, is that Masi messed up but it's the fault of the Formula 1 teams, drivers, and fans to put the finger on the sore spot.

[@kpluk84]

And they are correct. I think the solutuon to have one lap of racing was a good decision. Mercedes could and should have covered max when he pitted under the first vsc. The perez battle caused Hamilton to loose too much time so they didn't have a free pit stop. This all combined means that red bull did do this as fair as they could do it. And they became lucky. However keep in mind that the tyres where changed which as a Mercedes advantage. The rules of the rear win was changed. At least the way it was measured. Which involved red bull. Warning max to not drive Hamilton of track. However at the start Hamilton did do that to max. We should not look at this one race but at everything and this is not better or worse than the rest of the season.

[@animalcol1]

@@kpluk84 would you just stop this bullshit narrative. Please. Mercedes had it won. The rules were changed. The people who police the change are part of the same group who changed the rules. The people in the court are part of the same group who changed the rules and then dismissed that anything was wrong. Toto was right. Any normal court merc would win. FIA? Corrupt shits that they are there's no chance.

[@peterdavis9656]

@@kpluk84 I thought I was the only person thinking "track position is important" is this the worst tactic ive ever heard. There's a 1km straight! It's not the hungaroring merc!

[@jjhatch69]

@@kpluk84 Why would Mercedes pit Hamilton? He had a 17 second lead after the VSC pit stop. By lap 53 he had an 11 second lead that max was barely cutting into. Max needed more than 2 seconds per lap and could barely manage 0.2 seconds per lap. The crash is the only thing that changed the event and as it happened so close to the end of the race, it turned into a lose/lose situation for Mercedes. If Hamilton had come into the pits, Max would have stayed out and I could fully guarantee the safety car protocol would have been carried out correctly and the race finished behind the SC with max in first place and lewis in second on a brand new set of softs, then everyone would have been calling Mercedes idiots for giving away 1st place. There was no strategy calls for Mercedes to make as essentially it was the right call. The only reason Max won was the shortening of the safety car protocol, and the fact that they had a nothing to lose situation in bolting on a set of softs. It is not a 1 lap race its a 58 lap race and for 57 of them, Red Bull were nowhere.

[@HawkV007]

@@kpluk84 Masi didn’t allow the other lapped cars to go who also had their own races effectively ended like Stroll who complained that he couldn’t even get one more go at another overtake. They basically prioritized Max to overtake Lewis which is the uproar. Masi even has set his own precedent where he has stated “ALL lapped cars must pass”, but for this one he went with “Any” - meaning only the 4 blocking Verstappen (who I don’t blame at all). Lewis was robbed, Verstappen is a deserving champ - JUST NOT IN THIS FASHION. If he wanted to race, he should’ve done a red flag restart as he and other race directors have done in the past to give a fair end of race.

[@jamiepipe1635]

Formula 1 is a long game what happens over a series of events. What Masi did was create a one lap sprint decider that had a predictable outcome. I do not mind who wins any sport but it must be a fair set of rules that maintain the sports intention not change its entire rubric.

[@javiazar]

Masi did that yes... but let's get real here... Lewis Hamilton threw away 25 points at Baku... threw away an easy win at Paul Ricard if they do a 2-stop (But nobody wanted to listen to Valtteri).. and then Mercedes refused to pit Lewis when given a VSC and a full SC at Abu Dhabi. All he had to do was pit, and he wins... but he didn't, so he didn't.

[@darwinLee81283]

Correct. What was done here by Masi. Disregarded anything that occured in the race previously and also Nullified the opportunity for 3rd-6th to compete for final results. I can't wrap my head around the Logic that occured at the end of the race. I believe the Motivations of Liberty Media and FIA. Came before the Fairness of the Competition. And no matter what. Verstappen will unfortunately have an Cloud around his first championship, considering if the ACTUAL rules were followed, Lewis Hamilton would be 8 time World Champion!

[@MrShanyboy25]

@@javiazar really shows you don’t understand what went on at all.. Lewis was in front. If he pits he loses track position since verstappen would then choose to not pit. Pitting because you expect the FIA not to follow their own rules is fucking crazy

[@javiazar]

@@MrShanyboy25 The FIA, and the teams, agreed before the race started that they'd all do their absolute best to finish under green flag conditions... and that's what happened. BTW he could've pitted under the VSC, and not Latifi's crash, and that wins him the race too because he had the faster car all day. .. but he didn't lose the championship at Abu Dhabi... he los it at Baku when he threw away 25 points.

[@diamon999]

@@javiazar Whatever happened to various cars/drivers in previous results has zero impact on what actually happened in the last laps of the last race. Mercedes did the right thing in not lapping under SC because they, rightly, expected that 1 of 2 things would happen: (1) the race would end under SC whilst ALL lapped cars wre unlapped. Lewis 1st, Verstappen 2nd (2) No cars would be unlapped and the SC would withdraw to allow green flag racing (probaly only 1 lap) which, while not definite, favoured Lewis win as Max would need to pass 5 cars AND beat Lewis to 1st. Likely outcome Lewis 1st, Max 2nd - but small chance that Max 1st, Lewis 2nd If either of those things happened no-one could appeal the result. Most people would have been happy with the result. If Max had won in the 2nd case above no-one could have any complaint. Neither of those things happened, as we all saw. Max was given an advantage - not just to the detriment of Lewis but also Carlos Sainz - not to mention every other driver who had lapped cars left between them and those directly ahead of them.