Shouldn't be allowed to pit/change tyres under safety car, virtual safety car or red flag imo. That wouldn't have happened if that was the case. RB did it twice with both cars today
An excuse in other words, any time I hear anyone saying that I assume it's bull and they were told to go. It's very common in politics and business Kellyanne Conway from trumps camp. Thierry Henry said it when leaving some Canadian outfit etc
Like that but nicer for the person as it sound like it's their decision. Gardening leave is really you are fired but have a contract to be seen out
First one is about overtaking before the line after the safety car pulls in. He doesn't actually overtake, he gets level (this isn't allowed either). Can't see anything coming from that because no advantage was gained, Max dropped back behind Lewis well before the line. Second is obviously about the five lapped cars. FIA don't usually go against themselves but nor does that decision appear to be within the rules. I actually said to the mrs (nm) before the race started that it might not get settled today, it could end up in the courts.
Well, that finished the way exactly nobody wanted it to finish, apart maybe from those who just wanted Max to win the championship. Can't not be pleased for the guy, both drivers equally deserved this championship, so congrats to him, but he's won it on a technicality and on the basis of a dubious decision that's been made in an office rather than through pure racing on track. I'd say the same if it was the other way round. If it was the latter and was allowed to be settled just on track Lewis would have won today pretty comfortably. The FIA/race director have clearly not followed or applied their own rules and legislation in a rational, logical or accurate way here with regards to the unlapping. But they've not been doing that all season, making rules and decisions up on the spot, being much too influenced by both teams, Merc and RB, on the radio. It seems like today they just wanted that situation and to create a one-lap shoot out artificially. Something has to change with this and it will be interesting to see what happens with the Mercedes appeal. I think I just saw Latifi enjoying a drop of a certain high taurine energy drink with Horner, Verstappen and Perez in the back of the garage.
You are dead right. The constant influencing from both sides has spoiled the real racing. I am sick of the wolff/hamilton radio politics so now we have two memes from wolff.
The attempted influencing should be punished, hard enough as it is without applying unnecessary pressure. Guess it's likened to football's crowded the ref!
Red Bull argued that wording ‘any car will unlap themselves’ doesn’t mean that all cars have to and Race Director says that it’s an agreement that the reason for unlapping is to not interfere with the race so the other 3 weren’t importwnt given those 3 not unlapping themselves have pretty much cost Lewis the title you’d say that they are interfering with the race? Not a great look all round tbh
They'll take it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. No way the FIA could overturn their own decisions, they'd already lost enough integrity in how they handled the end of the race, if they then reneged on their own poor decisions they'd look like utter clowns which they're already close to doing
To be honest then race director was in a bit of a bind. Barring the safety car stopping there wasnt time to get all cars past before he peeled off. They probably could have managed it but again it wasnt necessary to get the thing going. It's the make it up as you go along nature that's the issue but in the end last race masi made hamilton win and in this case hes made verstappen win.
In the end all merc can do is refuse to give any other team engines or withdraw totally from the sport. I'm sure when ferrari threaten that they get their way.
They'd have been better off red flagging it and then a grid restart. Both would have been able to swap tyres and it would have been a fair one lap race. Alternatively, they could have ruled out pit stops under that particular safety car but that would have been making the rules up as they go too.
Imo that makes sense. Neither driver gets an advantage in a one corner dice to the death. But the politics would have come.in just as much with wolff on another high horse demanding something or other.
