What really happened in the Verstappen Hamilton Saudi F1 collision

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How on Earth did Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton find themselves colliding at just over 100 kilometres per hour, at a point where they should have been hitting 300?
We’ve got hold of key telemetry from the two cars so you can understand exactly what happened in one of the year’s biggest flashpoints.
We want to cut through the opinion and the assumptions and focus on as much data as we could get our hands on, to determine what really happened. Scott Mitchell explains what we found.
#F1 #MaxVerstappen #LewisHamilton
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[@tesseract_uk]

it feels nice being a ferrari fan watching the rest of the community implode every race

[@JTMclarenF1]

Yeah y'all aren't in the race at all😂

[@timbraska6750]

@@JTMclarenF1 In the race enough to get P3 in constructors which is all a Ferrari Fan wished for this year.

[@luicupcake]

Maybe next year Ferrari can be at the front

[@aaronb4936]

That’s the only reason it’s nice to be a Ferrari fan this season.. I feel the pain

[@darkghost4890]

@@luicupcake not maybe it will happen 100000%

[@bradleystarr8856]

I think the FIA needs to get their order of operations straightened out. If they're going to tell the leading driver to give the place back, then they need to tell the following driver first, so everyone's on the same page BEFORE the switchover.

[@f33fifofum]

Don't they tell the teams pretty much one after the other, wasn't the issue that Merc hadn't relayed that information to Lewis?

[@vinnie8792]

@@f33fifofum yeah they keep saying that merc hadnt been told yet, but there was a live reaction from massi on the radio that he had told them but they said they didnt recieve it

[@NoxioLukas]

They told them both early enough. If i recall correctly it was just that the corresponding Mercedes engineer was talking with someones else at the exact moment the call came in. That way he just missed it. Quite unfortunate because this whole dilemma could have been easily prevented with Lewis knowing what was about to happen.

[@Tommy-ns4nz]

Also, I believe they should not be able to try to re-overtake for at least one sector to stop either driver worrying about a DRS advantage. If that was the case, the incident wouldn't have happened and the race could continue safely.

[@oj_furrylover8484]

@@Tommy-ns4nz I heard that Hamilton got a penalty doing that giving back position and get pass right after back in 2008?

[@craigcharlesworth1538]

Max's intention was underhanded - try and hand the place back in such a way that he'd get a free DRS and pass again easily - but since the FIA didn't mandate how or where he should hand the place back I can't blame him. Equally Hamilton initially didn't know what was happening because the FIA didn't tell him, then when he figured out that he was being let by he twigged what Max was up to and didn't want to pass until they'd passed the DRS line. Can't blame him for that. The common factor here is the FIA.

[@ayeeeitskev]

actually regaining that place at the next corner after being ordered to change position is illegal (ironically a precedent set by hamilton) and verstappen should have been informed or known that - at least thats how i feel, although i do agree that the common factor here is the fia and more specifically michael masi

[@ThaApacha]

Exactly, How did redBull and Verstappen know to give a place back so much earlier than Mercedes and Hamilton. Also, if places were reversed Hamilton would most likely also choose the most strategic place to let Verstappen by. Verstappen could have let Hamilton easier by. However, most of my quarrel is with the FIA. How that Verstappen and Hamilton did not know about giving the place back around the same time is beyond me.

[@rikachu571]

Thats how i saw it too and this is backed up by his engineer advising him to give up the place "strategically" aswell as his later actions in falsely handing back the position.

[@petouser]

Why would the FIA tell Verstappen where to switch places? There usually shouldn't be any issue with that. The sporting regulations say that it should take place in a safe manner. There isn't really more necessity of ruling. And braking harshly in the middle of the straight right in front of someone isn't what I would call safe.

[@paulwood6729]

Spa 2008 established that if you give up a position you can't take it back again at the next corner. You could argue that the crash was before the last corner but that's a dubious position to take. Hence Max had to give his place back after re-passing Lewis at the last corner some laps later. All of this points to the need for permanent professional stewards and clearer rules.

[@andrewbiggins9404]

The upshot surely is that race control needs to tell the teams when and where the place should be given back, not let the teams/drivers decide.

[@tamasnemeth2161]

Or at least mandate a certain period when this position needs to be kept, so one cannot play this kind of games.

[@Neishy4AGTE]

it should just be common sense, but the drivers are just too dirty at the moment to play fair, Lewis and Max both.

[@LoneWolf-wp9dn]

Indeed... the playing with this rule is the worst part of this and will probably lead to more regulation

[@j.thomas7128]

Why bother racing if you are promoting that F1 officials should choose a driver's position and ultimately where that driver finishes? You must've gotten trophies for last place in school.

[@LoneWolf-wp9dn]

@@j.thomas7128 ceding the position is a more fare punishment than a stop and go... its also a nice fair play gentleman-like thing to do... that was before this mess

[@TommoOnYoutube]

The video F1 Twitter needs to see.

[@TestarossaF110]

yeah... Mercedes/FIA stewarding is to blame imo.

[@karthikpenumetch9300]

Ommo has checked in

[@jtwilliams721]

@@TestarossaF110 wow…that’s what you got from that video.

[@glockmat]

Try F1 Reddit

[@ananthu8534]

@@jtwilliams721 FIA tried to contact them . but weren't able to reach them Coz of traffic at the Mercedes' end . Is there a possibility that Mercedes did it "strategically" to not let Verstappen get DRS after letting Hamilton pass ?? , The opposite of what RedBull and Verstappen thought ??

[@ketiux]

What happened to the rule where after you let someone pass (because you gained an advantage by going off track or by cutting a chicane) and you have to wait 2 corners before attempting to pass again? This means that Max would have had to wait until after the main straight to attempt and pass Lewis. Remember Spa 2008 between Kimi and Lewis? That's where the rule originated.

[@michaelrobinson8957]

I’m good I’m not the only one that remembers this rule.

[@taubhickmitra]

@@michaelrobinson8957 Been looking for this comment from the day of the race

[@The_North_Star]

That's why max got the 5sec penalty

[@hank41652]

Really good point. Perhaps it was dropped when DRS was added in 2011.

[@oldschool8330]

I’ve never heard of this rule, but I think it makes sense to implement something like this.

[@shello912]

What's really to blame here is that the rules allow and hence incentive these silly games. Make a rule that disables DRS in these situations or forces the overtake to take place in the next DRS zone, simple as that. And inform the overtaking driver that he's given the position back!

[@mattbilello6229]

There is a rule a,ready so many seem not know - when ordered to give up a position you cannot retake it in the very next corner - hence Max would not be allowed to retake immediately - when that happened later in the race after the collision Max again had to give up the position to Lewis which is when Max’s engineer told him you didn’t need to give it up again because the stewards had already given him a 5 second penalty for not properly giving up the position. It’s amazing everyone commenting do not understand why the first 5 second penalty was assessed against Max - because he never properly gave up the position when he immediately passed Hamilton in the very next corner.

[@mikelitoris6315]

@@mattbilello6229 (honest question) Where is that rule? I am pretty sure is it just an unwritten rule of the sport, unless its in the regs somewhere and I missed it. I've gone through the Regulations and could not find the specific area where it states giving back the advantage and staying behind for x amount of time/corners. 27.3 of the sporting regs only states he has to give the "whole of any advantage" and thats all.

[@megawave79]

Oh cool. What rule?

[@richdean4909]

@@mikelitoris6315 this rule came when Lewis slowed let Kimi past and retook the position at the next corner in Spa years ago

[@zedrhyx1788]

@@mikelitoris6315 the rule was implemented when Hamilton was caught doing it in 2008

[@silvenshadow]

I'd guess that nobody wanted to pass before the detection zone, Max slowed to a crawl and Hamilton wouldn't take the bait. Max got frustrated and decided to basically stop on track and Hamilton was a little too close.

[@AnythingVW]

Exactly 👍🏼

[@nemesiszar757]

Easily said👍🏿

[@MsArjun1111]

Yep, that's the gift of experience man. I hope Max can calm down further.

[@nikosf3n]

Max thought, ok as#@!e say goodbye to your front wing. Max at that point is 8 points ahead, so he wins the championship even if he finish second on the final race. A dnf for both was a perfect scenario for him. But it didn't work like that at all.

[@lijoy_mathew]

@@nikosf3n omfg thats so not what happened..

[@MitchWebb94]

All I can say from this season is, I miss Charlie Whiting - Michael Masi does not command the respect from the teams or drivers like Charlie did, and the pressure is getting to him in a season where we needed Charlie's experience more than ever. RIP

[@DaviMourao]

Yeah, I feel like Ross Brawn would be a perfect replacement, but he's already with Liberty/F1 side of things.

[@eQ-13]

I think Masi is doing the best he can. I'm sure Charlie also made a few mistakes on his way to being very good. He's obviously better than last year and next year, he'll be even better

[@user-sj8oy8oi4r]

When he retires Seb would be the best replacement

[@tarasala]

said the redbull fan...

[@eQ-13]

@@tarasala I'm actually a Lewis fan. But I'm objective enough to see Masi means no malice

[@frankrizan3357]

The main cause of all this is the FIA not telling both teams at the exact same time. That's not to say Verstappen wouldn't try to be strategic, but Hamilton would know what's going on and it would be much less likely for a collision to happen.

[@GloomGaiGar]

I don't think that's even possible. What they can do is inform them quickly and in the right order.

[@blazedyoda8608]

I agree, I don't put all the blame verstappen because lewis didn't want to lead into the drs zone either and there was clearly space for him to pass vertsappen at points. If the FIA/stewards told red bull at the exact same time they told Mercedes about the position swap then this whole thing probably would've been avoided because lewis would know what max is doing and probably wouldn't get as close/ be as cautious as he was.

[@blazedyoda8608]

@@GloomGaiGar it's not hard to tell them both at the same time.

[@harrison7494]

Who are you? You work for Mercedes? If a car slows you pass them case closed you don’t have to know why they are slowing they both were playing games with the DRS detection zone case closed. Enough whining from Mercedes and captain whiner sir lewis. Did you ever hear Michael Schumacher whine? Or complain? Or leak data on twitter with McLaren at spa? Or blame his team? Or mid race complain his team screwed him? No no no no no Michael was team 1st always mature driver.

[@Camdennnn]

@@harrison7494 I'm a verstappen fan and I 100% agree with the original comment

[@zatosan729]

Knowing the Stewards didn't issue Max a penalty in Brazil for running wide with Lewis impacted the driver's mindset. F1 has been inconsistent on these driving over the white line.

[@jeremiahbachmann3901]

Considering that forcing drivers wide is one of HAM's signature moves that never get penalized.........

[@vebastiansettel1173]

Yeah I hope this season is the last. They hit reset on season break and start enforcing the consistent rule in the race.

[@theraomaN]

@@jeremiahbachmann3901 ????. Lewis got a 10 sec penalty at Silverstone, 5 seconds at Brazil and 5 seconds at Austria.

[@ananthu8534]

that they hadn't penalised Max in Brazil and they got him penalised responsible for the Collision in Saudi for their miscommunication is really Weird !!!!

[@justinburley8659]

@@theraomaN what year are you talking about? Lewis didn’t get any time penalties in Austria or Brazil

[@Roy-jy6vp]

2 things stand out...to me. First, Verstappen brakes and Hamilton reacts with acceleration. That is just weird and contradictory. Second, Hamilton must be the first ever and only F1 driver that is confused because of a slower car. It's in the DNA of a racing driver to instantly overtake slower competition. Very, very unusual.

[@RoxUnlimited]

I think even normal people know to overtake slower traffic idk wtf Hamilton was thinking

[@adamjozsef4427]

@@RoxUnlimited Could simply think there was VSC for example 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@RoxUnlimited]

@@adamjozsef4427 it appears on their dashboard if they are under VSC or SC as well as yellow flags

[@ObatolceTV]

Did you watch the Video? Neither driver wanted to give the other DRS.

[@hub-p4g]

Looked like Max was hoping to crash him out to me..drifting across on a narrow section, Lulu is right to not trust him.

[@Shanghaimartin]

Both of them were playing silly buggers. Hamilton should have passed the slower car, but I get why he didn't want to. Verstappen should have made the move easier for Hamilton, but I get why he didn't want to. A perfect storm of nonsense and unpredictability at 100kph.

[@mrjace3]

If He knew he would have.

[@woutoboy9039]

@@mrjace3 If a car in front of you suddenly lost power and started to slow down would you not overtake? i mean they didn't tell you to right? that makes no sense

[@CHLBUTTERWORTH]

The solution to this is to take the gamesmanship and ambiguity around it. Make the place change happen on the pit straight and the car that is slowing down must pull off the racing line and be behind the other car going into the next lap/before the next corner.

[@MrDavekek]

@@mrjace3 Shut up, Lewis knew exactly what was going on. When has it become a normal thing to slow down your car whenever a car infront of you slows down?

[@pineapple0427]

​@@woutoboy9039 From my eye, i think max could've gone to the side of the track more and slowdown consistently instead of moving closer to the center of the track and both decelerate and accelerate.

[@bukwok]

i think FIA deserve 10 second penalty on this one.

[@zahaan4040]

Fia deserves 10 points of there license to exercise control

[@willielouw5154]

Haha.. more like a one race ban.. final race without stuards.. total caos.. one we would never forget..

[@tonTeufel]

The whole fight over who's behind at the DRS detection point is ridiculous and shows again the issue of inconsistent stewarding. Letting someone by right before the detection point and then immidiately retaking that position with DRS is not giving back the place that you illegally earned. It's farcical and would definitely be punished if we had reliable stewards. If drivers can rely on such a manoeuvre to not be accepted as "giving back the position", Hamilton would've overtaken Verstappen there. But stewarding is so unreliable in F1, especially after they allowed Verstappen to use more than double the track with in Brazil.

[@demon1spence]

It is farcical indeed. but if he hadn't overtaken off track he still would have been well within DRS range so its hard to say the outcome would have been any different.

[@adrielamadeus3900]

On this particular instant, I actually agree with Max giving the positing before the start/finish straight to get DRS. Max 'gained an advantage by going off track' when he and Hamilton were both wheel-to-wheel coming into turn 1. Of course Max gained the advantage illegally hence he needed to give up his position (not give BACK his postion imo) but I do feel he has an entitlement to fight for his position back.

[@JPRDYER]

it’s also interesting that Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty at Spa in 2008 for doing exactly that, where as Verstappen tried it here, and then successfully did it later on with no immediate ramification, they need a blanket “you can’t do that” just to squash any inconsistency

[@doctorsatansrobot]

It shows why DRS is farcical. Either everyone should have it all the time, or it should be activated based on proximity at the point you use it, not an arbitrary point on the track that can be aimed for strategically.

[@henriwolbrink]

Simply define clear overtaking zones and block DRS.

[@hunterquinlan5459]

Something I noticed but have yet to hear an explanation on was Verstappen’s steering. He wasn’t going straight, he was weaving a little bit which I’m sure is another reason Hamilton was hesitant to pass him. You can see it from Hamilton’s view as well as Verstappen’s driver cam

[@mclarensaleenf7]

Right he was weaving pretty quickly as Ham got really close. I'd be afraid to pass the crazy guy too, since Ham literally had to finish this race to keep his title fight alive. Max should really be disqualified for that crap. Weaving and then sudden hard braking with someone right behind? That's nuts

[@tonysunny8927]

And he claims he was on the right side of the track in post race 🙄 absolute joke verstappen is. The telemetry data of braking input itself is more than enough to disqualify Crashtappen what he did is obvious. FIA have been really kind to Verstappen and red bull this season and for hamilton basically its drive to survival because Verstappen is trying everything to make sure Hamilton doesn't win the title and it's absolutely disgraceful.

[@vipulgadekar3074]

Baku 2018 Memory Flash!

[@terryurquhart8724]

Absolutely spot on statement … Verstappens movement was and as is usual is questionable but Stewards rarely call it as that …

[@lightninlarry8936]

I think Max was trying to move over to let Hamilton pass. Hamilton came up to the back of him and didn’t pass. So max decided to go left trying to signal to Hamilton that he should be passing him. Idk that’s what I think. I genuinely don’t believe Max was trying to cause a collision here.

[@get2dachoppa249]

I’m hoping against hope that Abu Dhabi goes down as a clean race, without a questionable finish.

[@gdog6226]

Not a chance of that happening while mad max is on track... Mark my words he will take Lewis out the first chance he gets and the race channel will run cover for him!

[@stewartmcphail6856]

@@gdog6226I think tbe same thing max is going to take them both out and win it all. All the crazy max fans will celebrate knowing he only won because he followed the safety car for 3 laps and got a race win for it👏

[@ronwilken5219]

@@Wolfywolf7 I think Jos should be banned from the pits altogether. He's obviously a bad influence along with the Dr. Communications between the team principals and race director/stewards should also be disallowed during the race. Instructions from race director would be necessary.

[@ColinJ88]

It seems sadly obvious now, that Verstappen will do anything to win this championship, no matter how low and dirty it may be.

[@luckyreda]

Hamilton is the most dirty cry baby. Max is making F1 fun to watch again

[@penusliski]

I believe when Max realized Lewis had no intention to pass him before DRS detection point, he tried to force him by hitting the brakes and give him no choice but to overtake him. There was no intention to cause the crash tho, just a split second decision, counting on Lewis' space awareness

[@TNTmatteos]

I agree with you, this is what I think too. Still very irresponsible and worthy on a penalty on Max, maybe even a larger one than 10 seconds...

[@keepthemhonest2]

This is exactly the point. It should have been obvious to Lewis that Max would continue to slow down so he would overtake before the DRS line. Lewis had very few options here 1) Slow down and stay behind Max in which case I think Max should have just speed up and said "I tried to let him past but he wouldn't" 2) Overtaken Max and used the faster car that Lewis had to pull a gap

[@nwigchert10]

@@TNTmatteos lmao but Lewis putting max into a wall is LESS of a penalty? Wtf!

[@Lee883]

Even if he did that it's also illegal to do that, Hamilton had a win stripped from him in spa a few years back for giving a place back before the drs line.

[@roughead6469]

Next race, both of them would be stopped just in front of DRS line

[@socas_nic]

"Had Verstappen moved over to the side in one continuous movement rather than slowing down in the middle of the track." This sums everything up

[@endthisnonsense7202]

That's exactly what Max did at the first attempt. I didn't work as Lewis refused to take position back.

[@rkan2]

He was plenty off to the right when he first slowed down.. It would've been easy pass for Hamilton, but they both didn't want to get passed by DRS obviously lol. The penalty from FIA is weird because there is no regulation on letting people pass again...

[@roelsiebrand7181]

Would you, when fighting for the championship?

[@socas_nic]

@@rkan2 It wasn't clear. He should of stayed to one side in one continuous movement. End of story. You know how wreckless Max is. Penalty points well deserved. Might be a hursh penalty but it didn't cost him anything. I thought he learned from his crash with Riccardo in 2018 but oh well...

[@Sur5mePC]

@@socas_nic like Lewis normally needs approval for overtaking someone lol. Even if he overtook him and Verstappen swooped past him at the straight, Verstappen would be penalized (like later in the race). Hamilton shouldve known this because he did this himself once and got penalized too. There was no reason for Hamilton not to pass him, Verstappen would get a penalty no matter what, either in giving position back or a severe time penalty.

[@KG780c]

If Max was going 200kph slower even without braking why didn’t LH just keep on the throttle and blow past him. Even with drs I don’t think Red Bull could even catch him to try a pass. The Merc has been such a dominant car in this era. There are 10 drivers that could drive that car and win.

[@sniggs101]

A number of reasons explain this. From the complete farce of handling incidents on this track and with blind corners, in Hamiltons position I would be worried about a potential obstruction on track or a slow car in front of max. No info from the pit wall to tell him what's happening, it could be anything. The last thing any driver wants to do at 180mph is swing left and meet a really slow car or debris. It's instant death or severe injury. The other factor is the position of max on the track, he made very little effort to move to the outside, keeping his car relatively central so giving no clear indication that he was letting Lewis past. Every case where someone has to give the place back they go to one side of the track or the other to show intent. Regardless of how much space is available either side, keeping to the middle of the circuit leaves too many possibilities and what if's. Then of course the whole issue of who would reach the drs detection zone first. We will never know fully what was going on but hopefully a situation like this won't happen again.

[@junsengjs]

@@sniggs101 It was a long pit straight though. If Hamilton cut to the middle early he would have seen the hypothetical crashed car. And it being the pitstraight with the most eyes around, it would extremely unlikely that the flags/dash aren't waving when there is a crash there. If anything, Hamilton wouldn't be able to see any flags or anything at all if he stayed behind Max, which he did. If there was crashed car(s) and Max has to steer around them, being right up to Max's rear there is the absolute worst place you can be at.

[@ate8eight_162]

Toto needs to find the person who made that front wing to bulid the entire car because Max aint gonna hold back in the final race.

[@MrTheAntisocial]

Whatever happened, it's clear that the FIA should review and amend the rules to remove the opportunity for gamesmanship and potential for confusion. All it needs is for the place and time to be designated by the stewards/director rather than the team being punished choosing so they can do it tactically, and to make sure the info if passed on properly and timely: "driver XX must let driver XX pass at XX on lap XX".

[@benanderson9551]

I think it was the wrong choice of words. He was essentially saying either swap the cars or I refer to stewards which will most likely bring a harsher punishment. I agree though that he was too soft with RB. He’s in charge and should show it

[@pw6048]

And for those cars DRS will be disabled for that lap.

[@arfived4]

Giving a place back is an act of sportsmanship, not something governed by rules per se - if you gain an advantage by passing offtrack, and 'voluntarily' hand the place back, it's 'no harm, on foul', and race control don't report you to the stewards. It's pretty straightforward - give the place back properly, or get a penalty

[@ricardonurse1241]

@@benanderson9551 the reason why he's soft with RB is, he's their lobbyists so that every time RB or Max breaches he's there to soften the impact of the punishment or in the Brazil case nullify any action being taken.

[@youngman44]

Just use the rule you can’t attempt to re-take until 2 corners after giving it up. It was clearly a lack of sportsmanship.

[@curiousdrivers]

I am amazed to see innocence of British media and Hamilton. 7 time world champion is confused to overtake a slow car. 😀

[@RevvyF1Der]

Go scam some more people bro

[@Paul58069]

Ha ha ha !! My thoughts exactly Shamazan :)

[@smokenls4205]

Changing the rules for passing could help with this in the future. If a driver is ordered to give back a spot it should have to be done outside of a DRS zone.

[@yautjayarrington1732]

Easy fix have a designated re-adressing zone. On every track you can only give back spots at a pre- determined place designated by the FIA or whomever decides such things.

[@shelleyking8450]

Max didn't want to do that, he wanted to repass in DRS, which he tried to do the next time he let Lewis by.

[@matthiasbroek8055]

@@IsSalty Mercedes was given this pass by the FIA. Max had the corner earlier and Lewis almost drove into him, you can’t dot that. If anything Lewis should have been given a penalty instead of this freebie pass.

[@matthiasbroek8055]

@@IsSalty It seems that way. And I wouldn't have an issue if it was consistent, however more then often if Lewis does a similar action its ok, then Max drove into Lewis, but the other way around Max pushed Lewis off.. Anyway lets hope for a clean race on Sunday.

[@Sjoppe]

There should be a certain point on every circuit where you give the position back. Like always in Turn 1 or always after a DRS zone so you can't benefit afterwards

[@adriangaleron3293]

Long lap penalty like in motogp. Its given for exceding track limits, but could be used for this purpose too.

[@barrymckockiner8737]

that'll only work if there are just 2 drivers on the track

[@adriangaleron3293]

@@barrymckockiner8737 it is a penalty, if more than one driver overtake you, simply keep your car inside the track, or give the position back inmediately.

[@SueMyChin]

The driver should be in his original position at the point that the place was illegally taken. Turn 1 in this case, but you could only do that relevant to the other driver involved. When Lewis lost a place to Ocon because Max rejoined the track in front of him, it complicates things. In this scenario, forget telling the driver to give the place back and issue a time penalty regardless, they have to be dissuaded from making illegal moves. Going back to as you were is not a punishment for risking a collision by forcing someone off the track the way Max did.

[@davideloi9176]

That's a very smart solution! simple and effective

[@exelium1]

DRS shouldn't ever be a factor that can be used as a "vulnerability". If both drivers admitted to DRS being a factor this should be judged a racing incident and DRS rules revised so that DRS can be switched off in such situation. Also Max should have been instantly overtaken which would prevent the situation entirely.

[@wp12mv]

Max got into Lewis' head

[@cbreazienutz]

@@wp12mv you’re high, max cracked under pressure multiple times last weekend

[@kylejoly577]

Yes, HAM should see a slower car ahead and breeze past him on the left. Instead drives right up behind VER, then into him.

[@bman977]

@@kylejoly577 @W P keep making excuses for his dangerous behavior it all good and well until someone ends up at the morgue

[@benfulford3943]

There is no need to introduce rules around the DRS. Rules already exist, they were introduced after Hamilton did that exact trick and let raikonnen by then breeze past him with DRS in spa a number of years ago. What max was attempting to do was illegal and 8s why he got a 5 sec penalty when he did do it a few laps latter. Not that max really cares about the rules

[@zaidmurrieta5770]

I think the main thing regardless of who you support/think is in the right or wrong is that if you are giving a place back you should do so off of the racing line. I feel like this would make everything super simple and cut out any of these incidents happening in the future

[@cheesyriceo4]

Tbh out of all the possibly complicated suggestions I’ve seen, this is the simplest fix. Going off line is a clear sign you’re yielding, and dirtying up their tires may help deny a pass for a few corners

[@iandez8455]

If anyone overtakes either under a blue flag or for any other reason there is no requirement for the car in front to move off the racing line and it should not be required for any reason.

[@DriverDad58]

Think you may be ignoring the ultra competitive nature of F1 :) Lewis didn't want to pass. Max slowed earlier by a LOT, and there was plenty of room to pass the entire time. Max could have stopped and Lewis apparently would have stopped as well. The first instinct of every racer I've ever known, when a car slows in front, is to PASS. Not tuck in behind. What if there was a problem with the car in front? The LAST thing you do is get behind them as Lewis did. So I'm not at all buying Lewis was "confused". He's probably the smartest driver on the track, which his supporters never stop talking about, and yet now they seem to think he doesn't have sufficient experience and smarts to understand what was happening. Face it; they were both messing with each other. Lewis is good at doing this and then deflecting blame (as I said, very smart driver). Max...not so much :)

[@jrodrc4137]

@@DriverDad58 100%. To me this was both their fault for messing around. Can't believe it got the same penalty as hammy at Silverstone tho.

[@cheesyriceo4]

For a blue flag, I agree they shouldn’t have to move off line to let them pass. But giving a place back to avoid harsher penalty? Yea they should have to move off line. Most of the time they have to give the place back because of a mistake they made anyways. Only time Id say it’s wrong is say when you get pushed off course and have to cut the chicane, passing another car in the process Edit: but by then their tires are already dirty af anyways so I guess it’s whatever lol

[@alotl1kevegas860]

If Hamilton, wasn't so erratic on the throttle, he wouldn't of hit Max. Maybe he was intending to run into the back of Max? Hard to say, even with the telemetry data. That's why they should of just let them race. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@terryurquhart2413]

“Verstappen braked suddenly “ ……… To give a place back there is NO need to brake …it’s not the way to slow and allow the following driver to pass ….the heavy brake application is the reason for the collision ….simple ….

[@sajjadhashmani4064]

@@terryurquhart2413 he had to brake because when he slowed down, lewis slowed too. Lewis wanted to play chicken with DRS

[@alotl1kevegas860]

@@terryurquhart2413 Hamilton has pulled off this same move. It's called strategy. Let the car behind pass, before DRS detection zone, so you can get DRS and easily pass the car you just let past you. It's called racing, and accidents happen.

[@terryurquhart2413]

@@sajjadhashmani4064 ehhhhhh….no!……..coming off the throttle is the way to slow down …NOT heavy braking and moving erratically on track ……especially where he was on track at that time …..I think you need to rethink that …. Experience on a track would tell you that it doesn’t require repeated downshifting and heavy braking …which was found to be the case …

[@alotl1kevegas860]

@@terryurquhart2413 When you drive your car, do you roll off the throttle, and steadily roll up to the stop sign, with no brake pedal? I highly doubt it. If rolling on the throttle was all that was needed, vehicles wouldn't have brakes at all!

[@akosrex]

Why isn't there a designated part of the track to do this? Like u have to give the position back between turn X and Y within 2 laps or u get a 5 sec penalty. It would be so simple.

[@neilgift11]

Yes, much like the long lap penalty in MotoGP.

[@nunocarmona]

Or an obligation of staying behind until AFTER the next corner, for example.

[@Optimus-Prime-Rib]

Hopefully thats the case going forward

[@tonespeaks]

@@nunocarmona There is an obligation, hence why Max got a 5 sec penalty.

[@Kyuubi840]

@@tonespeaks Is there such an explicit obligation though? AFAIK the only obligation is "give the place back", no word on having to stay back until the next corner. Although drivers have been punished for giving the place back but then retaking it "strategically", like Lewis did on Raikkonen in 2007 (or 2008?). Does the rule say "until after the next corner" now?

[@zwwwz12]

Is breaking forbidden if you have to give back a position? If not, then Max did nothing wrong there.

[@damot1051]

I don't think Max needed to brake at all. Foot off gas and downshift would've slowed him enough for Hamilton to pass. But by then he would probably be at the DRS line and thats what he was avoiding. What this video didn't cover is that fact that upon impact, Max immediately floored it which suggests to me he was hoping Hamilton would run into the back of him and damage his front wing.

[@PaulKentSkates]

There is about breaking at inappropriate times, yes.

[@jamestravis21]

Usually drivers are surprised when they are rear ended, not Max though.

[@Loidy14]

Horner NOT saying that Hamilton drives dangerously into Max speaks volumes

[@andrewhrichardson]

Obviously. If you slam on the brakes when you can see the other car line astern then you wouldn’t be surprised.

[@Val12354]

Max salty fan can say whatever he wants...

[@tony5006]

Clarification about handing a place back needs to happen before next season for sure. Fear of the other having DRS straight after giving the place back was what caused this collision. The driver giving the place back should have his DRS disabled for 1 lap to stop this happening, or, scrap the hateful DRS altogether.

[@patrikcvik3843]

best suggestion I ve read so far

[@Rikcey]

They will, next year's cars won't have it, as they try to solve the problem DRS was meant to solve, dirty air.

[@ballaking1000]

No DRS means well over half the overtakes wouldn’t be possible.. People complaining about DRS’ existence is basically the same as whining about the powerful slipstream effect before these current cars on those same parts of the track where DRS is considered too powerful.. These cars are bigger and faster, DRS is 100% required; get over this already people, it’s been 11 years.. Unless you want to go back to the “golden years” of F1 where overtakes averaged well below 20 per race. Also, a better way to implement the rule would be that the driver in front simply must let the driver behind through in DRS zones only. He must be the first to cross the detection point and then give up the position somewhere along the straight before the braking zone. No overtaking allowed after the first corner until the second corner to make sure it was a true pass. That eliminates any cheeky business of not actually giving the position. The driver in front must also go off the racing line to ensure there’s no confusion on what side both drivers should be on.. If driver fails to give up position or overtakes after the first corner will get a +5s time penalty (and give the position back again, repeating the process?).. This makes it absolutely clear to all parties what’s going on and it never changes. Both driver’s get notified at the same, every time, and it’s always the upcoming DRS zone, no giving up position elsewhere. No need for disabling anything and is extremely easy to police as it’s crystal clear.

[@tony5006]

@@ballaking1000 Total crap. We would be better going back to full ground effect cars rather than putting up with this “false” overtaking on a track where it can controlled by the FIA. I truly hope that 2022 brings REAL overtaking by real drivers.

[@ballaking1000]

@@tony5006 You're acting as if DRS is literally a "push to pass" button. There's very few straights in the F1 calendar where DRS is actually like that and as I said earlier, it was NO different before DRS when the cars were smaller and made much less dirty air behind it- especially in the eras of refueling. The reduced weight of the cars back then also aided in climbing speed before going out of slipstream (as well as longer times being spent on those straights) which isn't as pronounced in the current gen. These cars have insane cornering speeds which makes acceleration slower out of corners meaning less differentiating speeds between two drivers, nullifying DRS a lot. The vast majority of the time for DRS to work, the driver behind has to have a perfect run out the last corner and often times needs to be within .5-.7 seconds for the overtake to work which is incredibly difficult to get to that point before the DRS zone. Then to top it off, the driver in front obviously chooses what side to be on and more than likely gets to 'cut off' the driver behind from making the pass. If not that then it's very likely to be who brakes the latest. The only super easy DRS overtakes are from drivers ahead having old tires or backmarkers getting out of the way lol! Also, drivers often can't stick behind other drivers for too long before overheating which gives them a smaller window to get the move right early. Take the Hungarian GP for example, Hamilton took 11 laps to get around Alonso in the far inferior Alpine and literally had to wait for Alonso to make a mistake to get a move to stick. If that's too small a track for an example (even though the performance gap between Mercedes/Alpine must bear some weight and that Hamilton had WAY fresher tires), what about the season opener when Verstappen struggled for a third of the Bahrain GP trying to overtake Hamilton and literally just had that one chance to get the move done before the tires were cooked. One last thing to consider is that drivers/teams often think it's not worth it to try and get DRS- if it was as simple as you make it sound, they would ALWAYS go for it but they don't, they often times think it's better to wait for a better opportunity later on in the race. That may make for not-as-good racing but it does disprove that DRS is this all-powerful "push to pass" button that does everything for you. Drivers before DRS were also in the same dilemma of trying to overtake or hold back, literally nothing has really actually changed.. The overtakes are just as real as the drivers are lol... Yeah, 2022 will definitely bring the racing closer and the DRS won't be as powerful nor as much a necessity as the cars won't have huge vacuums behind them slowing themselves down and needing the DRS as much.

[@Niinsa62]

This actually makes sense of what happened. Max being ordered to let Lewis pass, but in a strategic manner so that they got DRS advantage afterwards, to retake the lead. And Lewis not wanting to pass too early, because he too wanted DRS advantage.

[@georgiekimson8068]

Noooooo Mad Max only wanted to retire both cars so he can get an easier job in the Yas Marina circuit.

[@luckyluc25]

@@georgiekimson8068 Really? Then why didn't that happen then? So how many times has Hamilton sped past a slower car on their left side. 1000 times? More most likely. He knew what was going on. He knew Max left the track and the stewards would make him give the place back eventually. That's normal. They all get 3 warning for yellow flags. On the steering wheel, by the flashing yellow light on the side of the track, and stewards waving flag. There were none. He knew exactly what was going on. All I saw was Max trying to let him by and Hamilton was being Hamilton, which caused all the confusion. Max did have the choice the left him by where ever he wanted too. Hamilton did the same thing to Raikkonen in 2008 by dropping back and passing immediately. So he knew what was going on. He's just selfish. He did it 13 years ago ad can't let it be done to him?

[@angelm8530]

@@georgiekimson8068 if that was the case he had several corners that they were next to each other he could’ve done that. Especially when Ham was next to Ocon

[@Bahamuttiamat]

@@luckyluc25 Everything you've written would've made sense against a normal respectful driver. Not one that's been trying his best to run you off the road the entire race. It makes perfect sense for lewis to have a large degree of caution against max. Furthermore, the stewards are reluctant to penalise max as shown in brazil. So betting on them to do the right thing is naïve at best. Even when he did give the place, he immediately retook it on corner exit. I mean honestly, did you watch the same race?

[@fcl2024]

@@Bahamuttiamat So what your saving is that the stewards should be prejudiced.

[@woodenhoe]

Q: Who's fault is it? Ham or Max? A: The FIA

[@gezzelick]

Funny stuff...So we're just going to ignore the fact that Hamilton himself positioned his car behind Verstappen's without any reason whatsoever? What was he trying to achieve by putting himself exactly behind a slowing car? What kind of racer does not take the opportunity to overtake a even if he is confused? Would he have obediently stayed behind Max if he had had engine problems? Anyway, British media and pundits just take his BS at face value no matter what. Hamilton knew exactly what was happening and tried to be a smart ass, as always.. and as always the media machine never questions the golden boy.

[@user-hb9bf3kn3n]

If Lewis overtakes there, Max gets a DRS zone and immediately overtakes Lewis. A smart and experienced racer is one that does not act impulsively

[@weevilsnitz]

I can't answer why Max was swerving but I imagine the Big Brake was him getting frustrated and working through "I slowed down so much, and you just slowed down behind me, just pass me already!"

[@zeeblats]

The way to stop this happening in the future is to disable DRS on the cars involved, or simply not having it at all.

[@angustam7509]

Or not have drivers gain an advantage outside track limits

[@rotnbazturd7569]

Seems everyone is over looking the issue of Mercedes not telling Hamilton about Max having to give position back. Just after the collision there is a conversation between stewards and Mercedes in which Mercedes admits they didn't tell Hamilton about getting the position back. This needs to be taken into account it is a big factor in how that incident evolved.

[@Cynyr]

I don't think we'll ever know the exact order of things. I think it should go lead team agrees to give place back and tells race control, race control tells following team. Following team informed driver and gets ack that driver understands, following team informed race control, race control tells lead team to swap cars ASAP, lead team tells driver to obviously pull off line and slow steadily. Honestly the real issue here is that this is all "convention" and not actually in the rules. As much as I want to see them go racing the rules need to be applied consistently and written in a way where any stewards panel would come to the same conclusion if down the same event.

[@jasperpol6795]

Good objective break down. For me Max his tactical way of giving the place back is on the same level as Bottas slowing Max down before the double Mercedes pitstop and Lewis keeping more than 5 cards difference for Max his tyres to cool off. they played with Max twice and got away with it. Of course Max did not want Lewis to hit him but he was willing to take a bit of a risk. The stakes are high and both drivers/teams are not giving an inch. Think that givin the context the penalty was not necessary. FIA could have taken the blame for not informing Mercedes in time that Max was intructed to give the place back. It would change nothing in the championship but it would have calmed things down just a little bit between the 2 teams.

[@metalyelpantera]

Exactly this. Nobody talks about Bottas slowing down under safety car before boxing or Ham making everything possible to cool down Max tires before the first restart. And no penalty was given to Merc. Same with Ham pushing Max out of track, only a “please don’t do that again” Max has bad reputation and everyone chooses to bash only him because it’s easier and cheap

[@patrickwhite4449]

Umm Bottas slowing down did nothing to max though. It only helped Mercedes and ultimately hurt them because of the red flag. Those are not comparable.

[@WDLC1911]

Max is a dirty clown as is his management. Period. FIA would like to have someone other than Hamilton and MB win (and I get that) but they put their money behind a couple of sociopaths.

[@robertjamesbaker8573]

Mad max knows what was doing he understood that if Hamilton got a dnf he become champion so max being max will try n do anything to get that first championship nowt more to say about it even marko now know max brake tested Hamilton and has said a half arsed sorry

[@dovercomer.2748]

@@metalyelpantera lol people talk about bottas slow down.

[@michaelsalter2473]

They are fighting for a world title and after 45 years watching F1 none of this is a surprise. This is a great analysis and insight, I think you show clearly from the data neither was malicious as such, they were just trying for that extra 0.01% advantage that makes the difference. End result was that they collided and it was, on balance, caused by Max being inconsistent in the way he did things so was to blame but it wasn’t the heinous crime some might believe. The 10 secs seems to reasonably reflect that.

[@JBVXR]

A nice balanced summary, agreed.

[@Neishy4AGTE]

I'm a red bull fan and even I think it was malicious the way Max braked seeing Hamilton in his mirror, you just can't really explain that away. He could have easily moved to the right and braked hard, either he was trying to take Hamilton's wing off under the guise of an accident, or he just stuffed up in the heat of the moment. His diving into turn 1 was bad enough before this incident, I've been backing him all year but this just isn't racing.

[@douglascatty9976]

@@Neishy4AGTE Yes! Max has no judgment as to where sportsmanship ends.

[@michaelsalter2473]

@@Neishy4AGTE y I do feel Max went in to the race thinking he doesn't need to finish so long as Hamilton doesn't so drove at him through the corners where Hamilton got through. He is probably wrestling inside with the dilemma of the Schumacher championship where he took Hill out when his car was crippled. He desperately wants to win but if it was as a result of such an action it would be forever tainted, and in the unlikely event that its his only WC he might not want it remembered as such. I come at it as someone who isnt particularly a fan of drivers, I'm more a fan of the engineers and the amazing solutions they arrive at though I accept Im a bit unusual in that respect. Been a great season though!

[@coleslawg3779]

@@douglascatty9976 delusional

[@NicotheSpeel]

Okay hear me out. How about, if a driver has made an illegal overtake, the next time he crosses the start-finish line, he is shown a new flag with the meaning that he has to let the car behind him through. If by the end of the next lap the driver is still in front, then the stewards have to investigate the overtake. I think this would make the whole thing more official and less confusing and dangerous.

[@simonwatson2399]

That would work most times, but at this circuit as second DRS zone is along the start finish straight the manoeuvre max was trying could have been times so that he passed Hamilton with DRS after the S/F line.

[@grahameida7163]

@@simonwatson2399 Maybe disable their DRS for that lap as well

[@simonwatson2399]

@@grahameida7163 maybe, but I suspect it would be hard to write a rule that would always work. Imagine if there were in a DRS train for example. Who knows?

[@NicotheSpeel]

@@simonwatson2399 But I dont think that would be a problem. You could define it like as soon as the flag is shown you have to let him pass at the next safe opportunity and you have to stay behind until the end of the lap. And by that point he would be allowed to try again.

[@simonwatson2399]

@@NicotheSpeel not disagreeing that it could work and it's definitely better than what we have now.

[@majsterV]

I blame rules. When switching places by order, there should be no drs, no any kind of manipulation of any situation. Switching should be happened in area ment for that and obeyed immediately after stewards decision without any strategical manipulation of decision to gain advantage for overtaking back . End of discussion!

[@diegovillavicencio3172]

There is already a rule that prevents people on overtaking right after giving the position. Max was trying to break that rule before the collision. Later when he finally left Hamilton pass, he indeed broke the rule, which is why he was instructed to let Hamilton pass for the third time

[@Xstatic1975]

Hamilton was also to blame, he shouldnt have stayed right behind Verstappen for so long, unneccesary riskfull. He could have easily stayed along the side and behind.

[@logthis3479]

@ Xstatic, Thanks, just the second intelligent comment I've read or heard on this issue.

[@Ashaman0gbg]

Question: What if Verstappens car actually had broke down, say he couldnt steer properly and gearbox was failing - Yeah say his steeringwheel just flat out failed. (for sake of argument) Which in turn would cause rapid slowing. Hamilton saying 'I am confused' is clearly not an excuse for him to then run up Verstappens rear. Now that scenario is farfetched, I know.... But doesnt this speak for the mindset of Hamilton being quite off aswell? He even said in the interviews after the race that 'he didnt know if there was something wrong with the car or not', which makes (to me) his handling of the situation really strange. I Personally think it was almost Hamilton daring Verstappen (naturally he didnt want to crash, but still a dare) - and Verstappen fell for it, out of frustration. Frustrations shouldnt dictate how you race, but I think merc and Hamilton are well aware that the best way to put Verstappen off his game, is to get his emotions riled up. Which was consistantly done from the first yellow flag and onwards (Bottas slow lap, Hamilton 10 car lengths etc etc). You could then see it, continue after the race, in the podium interviews. Hamiltons answers, while correct, were worded in such a way that it would add more fuel to the fire. The mindgames are real.

[@Batters56]

The most incredible thing is how they were both able to continue at pretty much their full racing speeds afterwards. If that was the two Ferraris colliding it would have probably ended with the second car upside down and the front car with no rear wing and suspension damage!

[@daryl2617]

Actually no. Verstappen suffered from broken diffuser and scratches on rears which is why RBR instructed him to take it easy and he lost pace rapidly

[@nikolaybonapartov7379]

Ferraris are prety tough this year, to be honest. Just check how Leclerc collided with Perez and continued his race without any visible issues.

[@nelsonmartins1777]

I believe Hamilton still had time and space to pass and chose not too even though Verstappen was slower than normal which added to the confusion. A 7 time world champion all of a sudden forgets how to overtake a slower car? Very suspicious.

[@j.3o21]

He didn't want to overtake, he wanted the DRS advantage, or at least wanted to keep it away from Max. It is what it is these things happen.

[@jimyy3435]

Exactly

[@ultraslowhand]

If Max was letting Lewis pass, why did he deliberately move into the very middle of the track before applying the brakes??? Definitely a nasty move.

[@azzzrie]

I'm totally agreed with you. Max should move to aside. Can I say that drivers are allowed to stay slow in the middle of the track during qualifying if they want to let another fast drivers to overtake.

[@HerveMaas]

Because Hamilton was waiting waaay too long to pass Red Bull... If Hamilton just raced passed as he easily could do it. What happened was like nearly walking into someone on the street and coming to a standstill and you and the oncomer choose to pass at in the same position. F.e. when you choose left and the other chooses their right. Meaning you would walk into each other. So it wasn't a nasty move, it was a confused one. Just like in the video was said. And honestly Jeddah IS NOT a racing circuit for these F1 cars. This track is horrible for racing and fun for qualifying. But F1 isn't about qualifying, its about racing. Which didn't happen here... at all.

[@azzzrie]

@@HerveMaas not really, why wait until the end of the track to let Lewis overtake or slowing down in the middle of the track. Another thing is Lewis did not know about the steward instruction.

[@blademan7671]

This is the best F1 data analysis ever! I’m so happy you guys did this, and zoomed in on just that one event.

[@mjmfox]

Genius. about Max driving for 3 or four laps before giving back the lead. MAX IS BS

[@TheTororist]

its obvious what he was thinking. lewis just lost his front wing endplate. max probably figured he could create a large enough gap that a penalty wouldnt matter. he didnt count on lewis's wing being magical

[@OzzyCPT]

What about the FIA not clearly communicating to Mercedes and Red Bull at the same time? Surely they have a hand in causing the Hamilton's confusion and the accident. I think that's a big part of why Verstappen got the inconsequential penalty and not something more serious

[@sielo6279]

Masi said on tv that he gave the call to Red Bull and Mercedes at the same time. Just Mercedes failed to give it through to Lewis. But Masi could also be talking shit so.

[@irishRocker1]

@@sielo6279 He isnt. merc engineer said he was talking to someone else at the time. they essentially either missed it, or didnt relay it to lewis in time.

[@ricardothorburn4089]

The FIA have to take some blame for this fiasco. They are inconsistent in enforcing rules and the should inform the driver behind that a place is to be handed back before the driver in front. Maybe also a rule that the drivers need to pass through 2 DRS points before overtaking is allowed

[@ShantanuSuchil]

2 DRS points is fine on a track with 3 DRS points, but some tracks only have 1 DRS point. Meaning 2 full laps before an overtake is considered legal.

[@cheesyriceo4]

I think even without DRS max still had a great chance to pass before T2

[@ricardothorburn4089]

@@ShantanuSuchil fair point. Maybe the rule should determine that overtaking is not allowed until after the next DRS zone has been completed. 🤔

[@Harrypjotter7]

Hamilton likes to tell you he has so much experience but here he seemed like a whimpering rookie

[@dianamaioru497]

Ahhh are you thick in the head? Max literally stamped on the brakes in front of him. Clueless comment 🤣

[@Harrypjotter7]

@@dianamaioru497 you only want to to see what you like. Hamilton was just as wrong. Lewis is a hard driver but nu race driver.

[@dianamaioru497]

@@Harrypjotter7 I'm sure a random internet person knows more than the formula 1 paddock.... lol. Get a grip man.

[@geo41e]

Well, there you have it fellas. Max knew Lewis was on his arse, and he knew both were thinking the same regarding the DRS detection zone. Max pretty much did brake test Lewis.. and my opinion, was to damage his car, to the point where Lewis would either DNF or not get enough points for the next round. There was 100% no reason to brake that hard, knowing somebody is behind you... and if you really wanted Lewis to go past, get off the line then brake. Dirty Max 100%. In saying that, I do hope he matures more in the coming years n wins multiple titles.

[@hamcrazy96]

I think it was clear to all what happened live, everyone who has a different take is just lying for their boy Verstappen

[@jrodrc4137]

Yeah completely ignore the fact they they were going 200kmph slower than they should have been and it was hammy who braked first. Even admitted to not want to pass there because of Drs. Down shifted 4 gears to not pass. This was both of them playing games. Would have been great to see hammy get taken out of a race for once.

[@hamcrazy96]

@@jrodrc4137 except he avoided the crash on purpose sucks when dirty tactics don’t play off. Downshifting 5 gears rapidly 300+ meters away from the turn is worse

[@thomasnichol4138]

@@jrodrc4137 Hamilton is not obligated to pass at Verstappen's convenience. He's causing no danger to Verstappen. Verstappen knew exactly where Hamilton was and braked in the middle of the track. Penalty deserved.

[@javiazar]

All of this brings into question if my obligation to "give back the position" has been fulfilled or not if I try to give it to you and you refuse. The rules need to be more clear on this.

[@andrewphillips90]

Max was weaving in the middle of the track , I think Lewis was waiting for the track to get wider just at that point Max braked.

[@Thomas-qn4hj]

@@andrewphillips90 Lewis slowed down to stay behind Max, he had more than enough room to pass on the left.

[@fablewalls]

@@Thomas-qn4hj so you just going to ignore the weaving and sitting in the middle of the track facts? Or even Max possibly braking just as Lewis might try jinking past? 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@dylanfarnum4121]

No, of course it has not been fulfilled, because you are still in the position you gained illegally by going off track. Additionally, Max had no reason to be in the center of the track intermittently jamming the brakes and throttle trying to time Lewis' overtake so that he could immediately get DRS and re pass him. If you're a good driver, you simply move to the edge of the track, slow down and allow the other car to pass, then speed up again, and THEN begin attempting to position yourself to overtake legally. To begin making active preparations to overtake the car that you owe a position to, before they have even passed you, is not giving up your lasting advantage. Unfortunately for Max, despite the huge aerodynamics advantage Red Bull have this season, his car can't keep up with the Mercedes, and he knows that, so he feels he has no choice but to drive like an ass clown because he knows he can't beat Lewis legitimately.

[@fablewalls]

@スペースマン You're just lying. Video clearly states at 07:05 onwards yet you Red Bull guys will see rain as sunshine as long as it involved Max.

[@johnmarshall6684]

Until we can effectively get rid of DRS a better solution for mandated track position swaps should include where the swap will take place. In this case at the end of the last DRS zone seems like a fair option to reduce an advantage or disadvantage of the swap itself. Leaving it up to the drivers and teams isn't working especially with the convoluted and stumbling efforts of the race director. Hopefully they can at least improve communications for the final race.

[@Tan99bani]

Tbh easy solution would be give the position back from the exactly place where the issue occurred.. If its in drs zone then be it in drs zone and usual drs rules apply... And incase if its in last lap just give time penalty simple... No shenanigans..

[@Lee883]

The rule used to be that I you didn't give the place back within 3 corners it was considered a lasting advantage. Problem is the FIA are tearing up the rule book every race and making excuses for dangerous driving from verstappen. It's clear the FIA are playing with safety to increase viewer numbers. More controversy means more viewers and red bull breaking mercedes dominant streak means more viewers. I feel the FIA are putting money over safety.

[@robertlarder1907]

Just a thought, Motogp rules include the option of the stewards giving a long lap penalty, wonder if that would work?

[@Chest0606]

@@Lee883 Indeed, it's complete nonsense that someone who already got an unfair advantage is deciding when and where to give it back while considering how to gain unfair advantage once again.

[@RD-wg9em]

@@Chest0606 w/ drs a solution would be to just say the driver in front can’t use it on a lap where they give a place back or they get 5 seconds anyway.

[@TeachAManToAngle]

I thought Hamilton said at that point he didn’t know Max was supposed to give up the spot? Lewis slowing like that sure seems to indicate he knew what Max was doing.

[@julianmorgan79]

Of course he knew, Hamilton Constantly freigns ignorance to avoid punishment.

[@rob-c.]

100%. What if Verstappen had a problem and was nursing the car to the pit lane? Was Hamilton going to sit behind all the way just in case? - I don’t think so. He knew and wouldn’t take the place back being offered. Max asked a very important question (by continuing in the lead) which will have to be cleared up for next season - How long do you have to wait for someone to take the place back before you are allowed to get on with your race?

[@psychologicalprojectionist]

Hamilton certainly didn't know what MV was doing at the start of the incident and he probably wasn't certain when Max weaved and slammed on the brakes and then accelerated away when he saw Hamilton position himself for the overtake. Whether or not Hamilton had a notion of "playing" for DRS detection, is not important and I think the data shows the Hamilton was accelerating and likely to overtake before the DRS line anyway. He was just using caution overtaking a driver who would benefit from taking him out of the race and drove accordingly.

[@alimantado373]

@@rob-c. What utter BS. 1. you give back the place in a safe manner at a safe place or incur a penalty 2. You dont accelerate then brake then accelerate (As Stapp did repeatedly) 3. Who brakes in the middle of the track? Surely you have to give the driver some room to pass. Yes both were trying to gain advantage at the DRS zone, but erratic driving by Stapp caused the collision, should have been grid penalty for him. the amount of bad driving hes displayed this year he shouldnt be on equal points at this stage of the season.

[@itikutok6568]

What I didn't understand was why Hamilton slowed down, when Max slowed down, instead of just overtaking him. There was ample space on the track for the manoeuvre and Brundle said it multiple times.

[@Lamos01]

Because verstappen drove on the middle of the track instead move to the right as he should and tryin to say he did, all the cameras simply show that he was in the middle,

[@jsphblw]

Because Hamilton would have been very suspicious of why Verstappen was slowing down on the straight. There was space but Verstappen was still on the racing line. Hamilton probably thought Verstappen was breaking down and would turn into him and crash him out as soon as he was alongside ala Hill-Schumacher 1994 and the FIA would do nothing about it.

[@MartIn-ik1ic]

He might not have wanted to overtake straight away as he was unsure what was ahead of Max. To see a car going 200 kph slower than you expect would make you think there was a danger ahead (accident maybe). The was i see it, by the time Ham decided he wanted to pass, he was too close so slowed slightly to give enough of a gap. Max applied the brakes so the gap the momentarily existed, now did not because Ham was too close causing the accident. If you look at the onboard, there isnt much room at all for Ham to pass until he actually attempts to do so where the track widens. 100% the fault of Max in my eyes,

[@etr_dylan5867]

Stewards to Max and Lewis :Have a clean race Max and Lewis : A clean race huh Stewards: Why you two again

[@nighmeansnear]

I honestly don’t understand the debate here. If you’ve taken an advantageous position illegally, you don’t get to give it back “strategically”. You can’t play a card you were never allowed to draw in the first place.

[@bige9830]

So let me see if I understand this correctly. Lewis runs into the back of Max and Max's penalized. Maybe Lewis should have been paying a little bit more attention to his surroundings.

[@safarandtravel1999]

Verstapen is feeling the championship pressure now more, thats why behaving eratically.

[@deanm4290]

One thing I haven't seen people mentioning is that in the build up to this incident there had been Virtual Safety Cars for what seemed almost every other lap! I'd imagine the repetitive slowing down behind your title rival when you really wanted to pass him had a part to play in Lewis' confusion as to why Max was slowing and following suit, considering he hadn't received the message yet over radio. I know you get signals & flags etc for that but as shown in the FP3 incident... they don't always work. Just my two cents on the saga. Looking forward to a cracking weekend of racing ahead!!

[@Maarten_vd]

I agree, could have been the reason for H's hesitations. But fail to see why that is the reason for Max getting the penalty.

[@uditlenka5652]

That's my point as well, even it was a driver's fault (Max's more than Lewis) it happened in the first place because fia told max to give position before Hamilton while there were vsc every second laps which made Lewis almost made clueless for a moment.

[@alexandrucondac9778]

don't they have in they steering lights for vsc or other flags?

[@CORTEZZZZZ87]

@@alexandrucondac9778Yup they do!! So that argument makes no sense. The simple fact is mercedes fucked up and didn´t infom hamilton that verstapen was giving it's place. And for people talking all that shit about max they clearly forgot or simply is not convenient to remember that hamilton was just like that when he was mas age. And no i'm not a fan of either of them.

[@uditlenka5652]

@@alexandrucondac9778 they have but it's not that fast and and there have been times it malfunctions max in Qatar qualifying and Hamilton in jeddah free practice

[@r-lq249]

Not to defend the FIA because God knows they’ve been inconsistent, but the stewards gave the call to both teams at the same time. Mercedes engineers failed to receive it and pass it along to Lewis. Shouldn’t that deserve a penalty?

[@ivankontenski4396]

Thought the same thing, but apperently not. Inconsistent as always

[@edsvideos4375]

I mis two important things in this analyses: - when were teams told that Verstappen should geven up his position (listening or not, because I seem to remember that Mercedes was told to always listen) - when were the drivers told?

[@pruthvireddy5007]

Does a driver need to be told to overtake his opponent in racing under no flag? Surprising!

[@MurCellic1903]

@@pruthvireddy5007 you don't fly past your opponent who has irregularly braked. Might be a crash ahead or debris. Have you never driven a car on a highway before? And giving position back should be done by giving the ideal race line too. You can't just park it in the middle.

[@raymondhartmeijer9300]

@@MurCellic1903 it can't be compared to a highway, at a Grand prix nowadays, even when a car is just off the track, immediatly there's a Yellow flag signal on the steering wheel of the cars. That wasn't the case here, if Ham was told to overtake by his team, he should've just move around Verst. He didn't want to do it there bc of tactical reasons. I don't believe giving the position back is the same as Blue flag. With Blue flag you must get out of the way, I'm not sure if Verst in this case should give the ideal line to Ham, that must be in the rulebook, but I don't know

[@pruthvireddy5007]

Check the race channels telemetry analyzing video, both were going at 150kmph on a straight where usual speed is 300 when Max dropped suddenly and further low. They were already at 50 percent speed to begin with. Which is why I wonder why did lewis reduce pace?

[@florisbackx1744]

4:26 this is the main point. If Hamilton didn't know Max was ordered to let him pass it would mean we was in racing mode. I have never seen F1 champion not taking the opportunity to overtake their competitor. Imagine Max loosing power and Hamilton not just passing him. He was clearly playing mind games, just like they were doing with Bottas intentionally slowing down preventing Max to take a pitstop during the safety car as well letting wait Max wait very long at the restart. That doesn't excuse Max's reaction however, he should have played it cool and not try to force Hamilton in the lead by touching the brake. He clearly steers to the right just as he brakes. But I do dislike the disingenuous behavior and the acting like saint from the Merc side....

[@meneldil7604]

my point is why would you drive at something that is slowing for he new max had a mechanical and was stopping

[@aasavshah3183]

That's just implausible, because Lewis could see Max going at speed, then slowing, then speeding up and moving onto the racing line, before moving back over and slamming the brakes. If max were to have been losing power, he would an a negative linear deceleration off the racing line, and would notice smoke or some sort of issue. Also for Bottas and the restart: I read into it. It seems that Bottas was slowed just enough, barely outside the range of a penalty. And Lewis was not obliged to stay within 10 car lengths because the rule said it was only for yellow flag periods, not restarts.

[@dragonkrieg4444]

@@meneldil7604 if he was stopping he would pull over to the side of the track and there would be yellow flags waved. not slowing then accelerating then hard braking again in the middle of the track.

[@flavious27]

With the way max was driving, slowing down then speeding up while in the middle of the track, that is going to create confusion. Merc and Hamilton were not told that the position was being given back. Without that communication, max was not off the racing line to signal he was giving the position back. In addition, Max was not constantly slowing down. And when Hamilton saw what Max was trying to do and pass him on the left, max hit the breaks. This is Max and FIA's fault. The FIA should have told Merc. But they should also have rules in place to stop this kind of behavior of giving positions back in disingenuous ways. And max, Horner, and Marko did not want to give the position back without taking an advantage.

[@meneldil7604]

No he simply did not want to pass before the drs zone in steed crashed in to the back off max if this had been on the road it wouldn't be Max's fault the bigger issue is the FIA don't no is arse for it elbow and would rather bargain with teams instead of enforcing the rules

[@messorix2033]

Quick summary: FIA's total lack of consistency in enforcing its on rulings as well as its communications towards the teams meant they influenced the championship since race 1. Teams have kept trying to deal with it in their own way, resulting in increasingly weirder and weirder situations. Expect some crazy shit to happen in Abu Dhabi

[@baclava69]

This is true, no matter what, they favour ham, it's a shame, it shows the amazing uphill journey anyone has against this huge bias.

[@migss9581]

@@baclava69 not true at all. verstappen was playing games with the drs line. hamilton could have avoided but he perhaps knew verstappen wanted drs. i find it dumb because he had to give it back anyway. if verstappen gave back the place at a fair place it wouldnt have been any issue imo. verstappen should be applauded for the start on the mediums, but his driving through turn 1 to keep his place no matter what and his strange petulant way of giving the place back means he pushed it too far this time. the brakes being applied erratically is also an issue and not something you see happen for a reason..

[@LongStep]

FIA's inconsistent application of rules is the complete cause of teams trying to 'guess' how anything will be looked at from race to race. It is fairly easy to go through the races and find time after time where rule infractions had no consequence.

[@ljm8812]

Wow you were right! Haha

[@thrasherx9319]

A remarkable prediction. Congratulations.

[@2005StangMan]

The brake pressure is what’s really needed but you can hear Max’s revs drop dramatically right before the collision, meaning he hit the brakes pretty quick.

[@TreyMotes]

The amount of sugar coating in this video to attempt to make the brake check a "mistake" is kind of hilarious.

[@ermalmorina7261]

@@TreyMotes lol ikr. They make it seem like it was something usual. What Max did there was the highest level of unsportmanship I ever saw him do over the years, and it's a known he has done some.

[@christophermcdonald6440]

orrr Hamilton could have just kept accelerating around the slowing max...

[@iammadeofsound]

Max will get his championship title eventually that’s for sure he is an awesome driver. But to hell his on track ethics and style. This shitshow shows you who’s worth the title. Amazing race on an amazing track. Cant wait to see the end of the season!

[@jamesf7437]

He is not an awesome driver... he is so overrated... up until this season, his results were poor... at the beginning of the season, RB were far ahead of Mercedes because of those forced changes, now Mercedes has caught up... Max is 7 years into F1 and has not won the WDC... he is not as special as people like to make him out to be...

[@Jeb_06]

@@jamesf7437 salty hamilton fan

[@simonwatson2399]

@@jamesf7437 of come on. I'm no MV fan but his qualification lap up to his mistake shows real skill, good car or not. I do think though that in 7 years he should have managed to clean up the mistakes.

[@TheEkkas]

Not if Russel has anything to say about it. :)

[@mrworldwide187]

@@jamesf7437 yeah, no. The car was bullshit the years before and he'd have already won the championship if Silverstone and Hungary wouln't have happened.

[@speedmatters]

You summed it up nicely - I don't blame Lewis for not wanting to give up the DRS advantage, nor Max for (very intelligently) tryng to re-overtake Lewis straight away. That was a brilliant move before when he gave the position back. Max should have moved off the racing line earlier, kept his car in a straight line and lifted off. None of this 'strategic' dancing around, lifting, braking and accelerating. He deserves a much harsher penalty for this IMO, but I'm glad he didn't get one because it probably would have robbed us of the best end to a season in 50 years! May the best driver on the day win. They both deserve to win!

[@ahadkas1m]

finally someone who loves the sport . All i see on comments are max is trash or either lewis is trash.

[@ru40342]

Even if Verstappen did it cleanly, he would still be punished similar to Hamilton 2008. You can't just handed a position only to overtake immediately afterwards. That's why Verstappen was handed a 5 sec penalty as he did that few laps after they crashed.

[@benigro12]

Query… if Hamilton by own admission thought firstly that there was a yellow he missed, then he surely should have kept more distance. Instead he didn’t understand why Max had slowed down. Unaware Max in this case could have had engine trouble, gearbox trouble and so on… in that case coming up close behind Verstappen was ludicrous, and remember Lewis claimed not to know the reason for Verstappens slowing down. It’s this unknown that gives Lewis shared blame. However, Mercedes claims that they were unaware about Red Bulls decision to give Lewis back the place, and claim the the FIA only made them aware at the time of the overtake. I find this part seriously hard te believe as teams listen in to any and all radio messages. It’s my believe that Mercedes played unaware in order to play this penalty game. Penultimately, the FIA do away with their responsibility regarding the give back order failing to make Mercedes timely aware of the decision and as a consequence influenced the situation. I am if the opinion that non of this would have changed the outcome of the race, but to put all blame on Verstappen is a cheap shot. Had Hamilton gone past Max full speed assuming he had engine trouble nothing would have happened… instead he chose to close in on the back of Verstappen not know why Verstappen was slowing down and collided.

[@y_gagaring]

My thoughts exactly about radio transmissions, Mercedes is so quick to say they did not know he was giving the place back but everyone knows all transmissions are open to hear. We've all heard engineers tell the drivers that blah blah is having issues push push push. So for Mercedes claiming they didn't know is down right ridiculous, if they didn't know then everyone on their pit wall including the engineers in the garage should be fired. Data shows how far and long Max had been slowing down. These are all just games each team is playing but because of the sad to say British bias Max is the enemy of it all and Lewis and Mercedes can do no wrong. There is blame both ways all over in this incident but the media and some fans put it all on Max.

[@terryurquhart2413]

All because Verstappen is a dangerous driver ….. all the other drivers know it …. You guys are obviously MV fanboys …..Red bull did themselves no favours by advising the boy to do it a strategic manner ..

[@brooksfarmer5795]

It was interesting cause bono was telling lewis that max was giving the place at the moment of the crash and immediately after so they definitely had knowledge of what was happening

[@donaldtracey4541]

No wonder you got 26 likes . Your comment tells me a lot about you Ben . Did you know when you Hate!! you are Defeated .

[@RevvyF1Der]

How would you like to know that every word of what you just said was wrong.

[@cfl941]

I don't understand how the comments "I didn't understand what he (Max) was doing/ what was going on" and "Hamilton slowed down and wanted to make sure he was in position for DRS" can both be true.

[@daveash9572]

I don't know why everyone is saying that hamilton should have been told what was about to happen. If max had backed off the gas and pulled over to one side off the racing line, it would have been obvious what was happening. It's simple really, he didn't want to allow the pass, so did what he thought he could get away with and caused a collision as a result. Very dangerous indeed.

[@King0neEurope]

You didnt watch the video did you? Because we just learned he slowed down waaay more than he normally would have ro let somebody pass and that was because Hamilton didnt want to pass him there.

[@titanmode3888]

Dave Ash This. I have noticed all these channels don’t want to blame Verstappen for his dirty driving, they all try to soft Max’s dirty racing which is called “break testing” plain and simple

[@jsphblw]

@Dave Ash - Verstappen hadn’t pulled over to one side of the racing line. He was slowing down on the racing line and expected Hamilton to go around (which is fair). It wouldn’t be obvious to Hamilton that he’d been asked to let him pass. He was probably thinking 1994 when Hill came up to a slow moving Schumacher and Schumacher crashed him out. When Hamilton started to turn to get out from behind Verstappen, Max slammed the brakes and they ran into each other. Pretending like that was somehow Hamilton’s fault? That’s a little much.

[@davestrider2045]

To be fair Hamilton’s blip in the throttle could be the result of the impact jostling everything around

[@denegra]

No. It was pretty clear that he got on the throttle at the same time Max braked. You can even see in the video that he moved to overtake right there as well. I think this video's analysis is spot on. I do not think it was a brake check and just two drivers trying to not give each other an advantage... that coupled with Masi not letting Merc know what was going on fast enough.... although you'd think the 7-time world champ (soon to be 8th) would know exactly what was going on. Regardless, this has been the best season of F1 in recent history... enjoy the battle.

[@mumulester]

Hamilton moved out of line because there was a Red Bull suddenly braking at 2.4g ahead. Right before the accident, they had identical speeds, and Hamilton was braking, so the only way he could have hit Verstappen from the rear is if the Red Bull was slowing faster than a car with the brakes applied, which the speed graph confirms.

[@denegra]

@@mumulester he moved the wheel before hand.

[@denegra]

@@mumulester not to mention, he accelerated before the impact.. which also lends to him trying to pass max at that moement.

[@jlahoud94]

Absolutely love the data in graphics. A special KZbin page for F1 enthusiasts like me. I was waiting religiously for this video since they crashed on Sunday.

[@petkopetkov7858]

I keep on watching this graphics and can't stop thinking, that their braking and acceleration points overlap prior to the incident which would assume that they were on same part of the the track at the same time, which was not the case. Max was ahead of Lewis and his brakeing and accelerating should happen before Lewis's. I think the overlap is not time shifted with the time difference relating their position on the track, this changes how reacted how.

[@GaresMusic]

Masi needed to tell both of the engineers at the same time, but instead made the excuse "I can only press a number of buttons at a time"... smh

[@VIEWMARY001]

Last race rule: Causing a collision will result in 10 points deduction lol

[@planetdustbowl4825]

I thought the same :)

[@andrewbell7579]

Actually this has been done before, Schumacher was disqualified and points deducted after he took out Villneuve in the last race, so the FIA have the power to do it, although they could use Torro Rosso to do it.

[@noname-sd5dt]

@@andrewbell7579 tsunoda could, but not because of team orders, just because.

[@patrickgeerlings4192]

@@noname-sd5dt Or Fernando, who hates Lewis' guts, like almost any other non-british driver in the field....

[@IZn0g0uDatAll]

So the situation is that 1- Max team knows but is not sure that he will get penalized for giving the position at a place where it makes absolutely no sense and tell him to give it at a « strategic location » knowing full well he might get a penalty but think the fia is so incompetent they might not apply their own rules. 2. Lewis knows full well it’s a move that should be penalized and should totally goes for it since Max should get a penalty like he did at Spa against Kimi but doesn’t trust the fia steward to understand the situation and apply their own rules. And they collide. If the FIA weren’t a bunch of incoherent donkeys and were able to draw clear lines in the sand, none of that would happen. Horner would never tell Max to go for such a bullshit tactics, and Lewis would know the rules are on his side and he doesn’t need to slow down like crazy too. Such bullshit.

[@TheTruthHz]

Totally agree. This race and Spa are the biggest jokes in FIA history so far. I'm getting to the point where I'm not going to watch if things don't improve.

[@Ceece20]

I mean to be fair for Hamilton, he probably knew the stewards are bullshit since they were the ones who didn’t penalize him for violating the double yellow flag during practice. When you don’t give any penalty for that, yet you gave a penalty for that literally the race before, you can kind of tell there is bullshit going on.

[@cuatro6456]

i totally agree with you, Massi should have instructed Max to give the place back in a specific section, no bargain just an order. but the incompetence of even having to bargain a place in a restart takes the cake of incompetence.

[@cuatro6456]

@@TheTruthHz Dont forget Brazil, its there they empowered Max to run Hamilton off track, by not investigating that incident, so i cant even fault max for doing it again, when the FIA say its OK.

[@Ceece20]

@@cuatro6456 they let Hamilton run Max off the road and into the wall on the British GP with just a slap on the wrists and a kiss on the cheek.

[@rf7012]

Well I’ll be sure to send anyone ever asking for an explanation for anything to you guys. You’re able to seem like you’re explaining something whilst actually explaining nothing at all. Great job!

[@Chris-vi6tg]

the first person to tell is Hamilton ... “Lewis, Max will be instructed to give back the position, be on the lookout for his maneovre to let you by, we will tell you when he has been informed”.

[@Shifty_Malone]

It's up to the Driver who is readdressing as to where and how how he slows. Of course it will be strategic, when has it ever not been? There is no justification whatsoever for both cars to slow. For sure Max started to drive erratically once it was clear that Hamilton was hesitating. For sure this contributed and deserved a penalty, even though even Hamilton would have been frustrated if the roles were reversed. Because Hamilton hesitating to make the pass played a bigger role in the collision as it was the catalyst and as such, deserved a more severe penalty than Max. I am a Ferrari fan who does not consume energy drinks, for what that's worth.

[@thieuba1]

Of course max is allowed to be strategic but lewis cannot. Makes sense

[@pectenmaximus231]

Can you tell your left from your right?

[@DK-hg9eb]

In any other race, I'd question the hesitation of Hamilton. But with no info on the radio, 2 red flags and god knows how many yellow flags and VSCs preceding this incident, there's no way I'd throw my championship away by accidentally overtaking on a yellow flag that my opponent might be slowing for

[@Shifty_Malone]

@@DK-hg9eb He still had nothing to lose even if that was the case. He had no indication of a yellow and if he passed as a yellow was thrown he could easily readdress and not get penalised.

[@Shifty_Malone]

@@thieuba1 I generalised. I said the readdressing driver, not Max.

[@abitoutofsorts]

The driver behind doesn’t need any indication to pass. Ever. It’s why they have a job.

[@Pj676]

Lewis is literally unable to overtake without DRS lmao

[@kristianvanvliet4821]

Hamilton “ why is Max driving so slow on the straight?! there’s only one thing to do, pull up right behind him”

[@madhurpatel3644]

This season is absolutely nuts. Can't wait for the finale🌋

[@isocuda]

I think Hamilton was caught out here, but the idea that he had no idea what was going on is laughable. He's a veteran racer in F1, he knew the chance of getting his position back was elevated given the previous incident. This is obvious to me given the lack of reaction to the initial closing rate. On the flip side, I'm fine with Max moving slightly on center to make things annoying for Lewis, but the additional braking when you can't accurately track the car behind was foolish. This is a DRS thing first and foremost which highlights a complication of such "passing aids".

[@aasavshah3183]

I think Lewis did know something was up, but wasn't sure what. I think he knew Max wanted him to go by before the line so he decided not to play ball with him if you understand what I am trying to say.

[@franswessels810]

Sorry, but I have a different view. Verstappen had to gave his position back , the rule is clear and it does not state Hamilton can decide when to take it back. Also earlier in the race he took it back instantly. Hamilton claims he did not know why Verstappen slows down, but while they were fighting lap After lap he suddenly slows down and stays behind Verstappen instead of blasting by . So HE KNEW. There was plenty of room to pass, but Hamilton closes up behind Verstappen. The only reason for his behaviour we don’t have to guess, he knows that overtaking at that point Will make HIM a sitting duck in the next drs part of the track. So Hamilton causes this silly situation and then is making up an excuse. Verstappen was not really braking more. Your analyses is using the data to proove Hamilton childish behaviour of being brake-checked. You state that the brake data does not reflect the presure of braking. How can you conclude that Verstappen braked hard at the moment of collision. The data show foot on the pedal yes or no, his speed reduction is almost liniar. What this proves if at all is the mercedes mentallity, bending the rule and situations to their advantage and using the radio to signal the so called governing body of the FIA. For Verstappen, there was no reason to brake be he must show that he gives room for Hamilton to pass. The FIA is the Joke of the dat handling this incident. They should ignore this and let them race.

[@higmanross]

Totally agree with this

[@karl-robinkago3630]

If it benefits verstappen ppl say let them race if not u ask for penaltys people really need to enjoy this amazing battle not be such crybabys all the time. In the end best driver will win not the one with most fans or who is more loved!

[@CS-fp1ik]

yup, assuming hamilton didnt know, then there would be no reason to stay behind max. it could have easily been max having a mechanical issue and told to stop the car... clearly this was hamilton's fault, anyone that thinks otherwise has a perspective bias.

[@dir114]

Look What happen when lewis passed max at that point i.e. Drs detection zone on next ocassion. That why he or max dont want to become 1st to pass that zone. (Palmar’s analysis)

[@higmanross]

@@dir114 well its upto max where he let hamilton pass hamilton didn't want to and hit max

[@patrickconlon140]

I see the “brake test” collision as a really unfortunate miscommunication. For me (a diehard max / Red Bull fan), the bigger issues were the two instances where Max passed Lewis off track at T1 and forced Lewis to take avoiding action. It is so frustrating that we can’t watch these legends engage in clean racing. Both of those instances should have been penalized heavily.

[@gdesouza6264]

I’ll agree… But this is Max’s driving style! It makes it almost impossible for a clean race! Clean racing there’s always a Give and Take = Give what’s taken and take what’s given. Max does neither which is why I call him a reckless driver. I know that he’ll be even more desperate to win at Abu Dhabi which makes me even more nervous.

[@braden2289]

Yeah if Lewis was informed of Max letting him pass, he’d of just initially gone around him. Except for the fact that he wouldn’t of because of the DRS zone. Also you, along with Max should know the most basic of rules for letting a car pass. You move out of the driving line and slow down subtly. What did max do? Well he did just that initially; yet he then went back into the driving line, waited until Lewis was right on his rear. Then hit his brakes with the force of 2.4 G’s. The telemetry already proved he brake tested him. The fact that you can’t see how deliberately Max was attempting to damage Lewis’ wing is just astonishing. It isn’t a question nor opinion. Like I said, the telemetry has already proven he did. Hence why he got a 10 second penalty. Even Masa and Damon Hill said that 10 second penalty was insanely generous for how wreckless he was.

[@specialingu]

at best i think max was furious, so he did slow down very quickly after the message (drivers often argue about penalty/position change... so maybe he was like FINE! and did all these odd things and abrutptness. and brake test...

[@DidierPeroni]

In my view, Verstappen should've gotten more penalty points for this incident. Brake testing can be really dangerous and should be discouraged heavily

[@58Odyssey]

When you want to allow a pass you move to the side which make your intention clear. Max was not doing that. I have no favourite driver but no doubt Max is a good driver my view is Max is driving dangerously . He is so zealous to win his first title. I am very anxious and I hope the last race will be a safe race and everyone come home safely. So be patient Max , your time is coming (you are only 24 yrs old)

[@01Color]

@@58Odyssey Why would you move over and drive over the dirty track and have a chance to cut your tires from all that carbon fiber pieces that is laying there. Why not everyone move over for cry baby Hamilton. Looks like you guys want to give him a free track

[@peachulemon]

@@01Color yeah see cry baby Hamilton lost any credibility Max fan boi

[@MJR-Fotografie]

It remains strange that Lewis closed in on Max and stayed so close to the car, there was space enough to stay behind but drive not on the same line. Second: Lewis said that he wasn't aware of what was going on, so in fact Max could have had mechanical problems....why should you follow a car with a mechanical issue in this way. There are more strange things to this situation then the recorded data. There were furthermore more strange things done by the Mercedes team which were "not seen" by the FIA

[@chanhw]

Verstappen will do anything to win.

[@koensen65]

also Lewis ,did you forget Silverstone

[@williemckinney2168]

Thank you, you covered EVERY base. No one, not one, can be made with you. Merry Christmas to All! Cheers!!!

[@brentsaelens3174]

Can we just mension that its illegal to give the position back and then immediatly retaking the lead. So what Verstappen was trying to do was still illegal.

[@Maarten_vd]

Where can i find this rule? Just point me in the direction, most likely you cannot post URL's here

[@CliffieScottWilliams]

He wouldn't have retaken the lead immediately - it would have been at the end of the next straight going into turn 1. That is definitely not illegal.

[@nikomoin7604]

Yes but it’s not illegal when the other driver gives u the place back on purpose, just like Lewis did here

[@brentsaelens3174]

@@CliffieScottWilliams actualy it still is, look at Hamilton at spa in 2008

[@brentsaelens3174]

@@nikomoin7604 i am talking about retaking it the next corner like Verstappen did the next time he 'gave the position back'. He took it back after 2 seconds, and that is illegal. I think he was trying that at the moment of their crash as well

[@K_Diggy]

If the FIA reprimanded Max and Red Bull for what he did in Brazil, none of this would have happened. How come Mercedes didn't get the message Max was giving back the place. I didn't like this race because it was bad, an other "Fans" love it because of the drama and chaos. Both F2 sprint races were more enjoyable to watch, an F2 the last few year has been more enjoyable then F1.

[@NexuJin]

Racing itself was furious. But the governing of any incident was simply a shitshow by FIA. Honestly the fighting words of the team managers also doesn't help.

[@jammin8300]

I think FIA need to look at rule change for when where places must be given up regarding DRS zones to make it clear for all drivers to avoid this i. Future

[@darrenjackson813]

It's kinda a rule already, because if you do this and take the place back like 2 secondds later, your not eliminating your unfair advantage.. which giving the place back is meant to negate. This is why Max had to give back the position on Lap 42 because he got the DRS and took ham straight away and took off down the straight with DRS still.

[@LexeLite]

Or simply, hand back any unfair advantage you gain immediately, not after a few laps and doing it strategically.

[@ElGonzoMayor]

I wonder why 44 was in the back of 33 when he saw him considerably reducing speed. And how much of the blame goes to race control for not advising on time to 44 that 33 was to let him pass.

[@joshhiggins9431]

Problem is the team is notified and then the message is passed on. Race control does not typically talk directly to drivers as it may be too distracting and considered unsafe.

[@ElGonzoMayor]

@@joshhiggins9431 Exactly. The problem was in the procedure. Cause even if Merc knew, they didn't warn Lewis on time. But still I'd like to know why Hamilton remained in the back of Max as he slowed down. Makes no sense.

[@RickSolus]

The real problem here is drs and the lack of rules. So, for the future, I would regulate like this: 1- If a driver overtakes or defends illegally, they must let the opponent pass BUT it has to be commanded by RD. 2- Specific sections of the track should be designated for the purpose of giving back positions, so that it can be done safely and without shady tactics. 3- if a driver doesn’t comply after a certain amount of laps/zones, they get a penalty

[@Tomwithnonumbers]

4 - drivers should concede the racing line when letting an opponent pass

[@tijger238]

Hamilton pretended he was confused. For a seasoned 7 times WC that’s a joke. He knew exactly what was going on.

[@Itukaaj]

Exactly!!!!! But the Hamfosi are in full and convenient denial of this fact. We

[@Mgoblagulkablong]

The point is Hamilton does NOT need to know that Verstappen is going to let him pass. The bs his fanboys make up is mind boggling. By that "logic" every time some car gets slower bc of technical issues or whatever all cars behind them would crash into them bc they have not been told to pass them... it's absurd... ON TOP OF THAT Hamilton was literally expecting Verstappen to let him pass. Didn't he complain and even demand that himself after Verstappen gained an advantage by cutting the corner? First he wants Verstappen to let him pass and if Verstappen does he doesn't like it and crashes into him and the people take his side and blame Verstappen and paint him as a villain, this is insane...

[@yeastboyuk]

Senna-Prost. Schumacher-Hill. Schumacher-Villeneuve. Vettel-Weber. Rosberg-Hamilton. Verstappen-Hamilton. Want to be remembered well? Win through skill and courage, not through cynical thuggery. I blame Horner, he's toxic, and will ruin Max's legacy as an outstanding talent.