PWestAg18 said:

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Another thing about this is someone (maybe Masi maybe someone higher up) made the call to let the lapped cars pass after Masi had previously told Horner that they weren't going to. Just seemed really weird to say that and then suddenly BAM safety car ending and everyone pass

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The impression I got from that convo was Masi cut off Horner and said he was focused on clearing the track. I don't remember him outright saying they weren't going to do it.

So....once the track was clear, Masi decided to have the cars between HAM and VER overtake the SC...

Here is the video...skip to the 4:30 mark.

This is what the commentators alluded to. At the last minute the track was clear and it would be safe to let the lapped cars go through

If I remember correctly the whole exchange started with Masi saying lapped cars not allowed through (to everyone), then Red Bull saying WTF, then Masi coming back to Red Bull and saying I'm busy clearing the track

🚨 MERCEDES TO LAUNCH SECOND APPEAL 🚨

— Matt Gallagher (@MattyWTF1) December 12, 2021

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXZC2owlQQQ/?utm_medium=copy_link

Sore losers.

Let'em appeal, Max is the 2021 WDC *****ES

For now. The Wolff is angry and hopped up on Red Bull.

Mercedes appeal will take a week or more. This reminds me of the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix. Ferrari finished first and second but were DQ'd over their barge boards. They were reinstated a week or so later after appeal which kept Eddie Irvine's championship hopes alive.

Mercedes should have gone with Lewis' first instinct, it is usually correct. He is the best overall driver and has a great ability to process race strategy as things change in a race.

All they are accomplishing is poisoning there own reputation. If they somehow do win the appeal they will be pariahs.

To be fair, F1 is notorious for this kind of thing. If the appeal leads to clearer rules on end-of-race restarts, I'm all for it. NASCAR has an established way of handling these types of situations, F1 clearly does not. No matter the outcome of the appeal, Max's win will be tainted because of the appearance of the steward giving him the victory. if Lewis wins the appeal, his win would be tainted because he "lost on the track." These are the types of things that keep casual fans casual and drive people that would spend more time and money on the sport away.

pic.twitter.com/NYxjwwhd6r

— ; (@mohitThisSide) December 12, 2021

Final Drivers results

A relentless 22-round duel ends with our top two split by just eight points 😅#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/zmF9RmipQX

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021

Quote:

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Mercedes appeal will take a week or more. This reminds me of the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix. Ferrari finished first and second but were DQ'd over their barge boards. They were reinstated a week or so later after appeal which kept Eddie Irvine's championship hopes alive.

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The huge difference here is that there is no protest filed against RB. RB and Max and Checo did absolutely nothing wrong at any point in the race. It's Merc basically requesting the FIA throw out the final lap. Not sure there is any precedent for something like that. It seems a bit like Merc is more interested in tarnishing RB and Max than actually having the title awarded to Lewis. Does that work or will public opinion turn against them?

I have no problem being wrong re: casual fans. I hope I am. I'm personally just happy with the level of competition this season, not just between Max and Lewis. That doesn't change my opinion that F1 cocked up that end of race scenario. I have no doubt the result will stand. I'm guessing, at this point, Merc tries to get some rule changes out of it and uses it as motivation for next year. They certainly have to give off the appearance of seeking "justice" if you want to call it that.

Reminds me of Brett Hull's totally legal goal to win the Cup

After I've had a few hours to reflect here are some of my random thoughts on the season and the current state of F1 in general:

I think what is lost in the controversy today is that the changes made to the Abu Dhabi circuit did wonders for its raceability. Historically it has been one of the duller races with no overtaking opportunities. I remember the 4 way title fight in 2010 - Alonso couldn't make any passes with a faster car. In 2016 Hamilton drove super slow to back up Rosberg, and Rosberg couldn't make a pass, nor could the cars behind him.

Now about that finish - I think Masi could have handled the whole safety car period better if he would have been open about wanting to clear the back markers earlier. Saying no then yes with just 1 lap remaining seems like he was manipulating the outcome. Since Liberty Media bought F1 from Bernie, there have been a lot of WWF type moments, and this is one of them. I have no love for them, but Bernie and Max Mosely on the FIA side ran a tight ship w/ F1 (other than the obvious favoritism to Ferrari). Now in some sense it's become a show more than a sport.

Despite what I think about the finish I'm glad Schumacher still holds the record of 7 titles. He was a special talent. If you haven't watched the Netflix film Schumacher, do so.

23 races is too many. I think the sweet spot is 18-20 races in a season.

The cars are too long and too heavy. I know they won't bring back refueling due to their desire to 'go green', but they need to do something. The cars are longer than a full size SUV now, and weights have gone from 600kg to 750kg in the last 13 years, and next year they'll be almost 800kg.

F1 cars have had flat bottoms since 1983. 2022 will see that change with the return of ground effect Venturi tunnels or underwings. This is long overdue as the cars are way too dependent on overbody downforce. Adrien Newey is heralded as the biggest aero genius in the sport, so unless there is some loophole found by another team I would expect Red Bull to come out w/ the best aero package. I still don't see anyone challenging the Mercedes engine though. There should also be a significant suspension shake up with the 18 inch wheels - that's another opportunity for teams to make gains.

I wonder how Red Bull taking over for Honda on engine development is going to go. I assume they just hired all of the Honda team.

Poor Sainz. Literally no one gives a single **** he was nearly screwed out of a podium by the restart antics.

Why did Checo retire?

Afraid of his engine failing and they needed to protect Max's potential miracle from another safety car.

Ferg said:

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aggiejumper said:

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Anyone hear why Checo retired?

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I googled it. After the restart LeClerc's front tire made contact with his rear tire. I guess there was damage.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio-perez-constructors-championship-hurt/

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For Spaceball

Anyone else notice how far inside Lewis went right before Max overtook him? That's not the normal line, is it?

That article is from Dec 5

Brad 98 said:

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The final lap did more for F1 then I think they realize. My wife now wants to watch the last season of DTS and the upcoming season. I think there will be millions more watching next year because of the race. I could see the F1 calendar with 3 US races in the next 4-5 years.


98 8ays it begins again!!!!!

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Definitely. My wife wants to go back to Austin and would like to go to Canada plus some other international races eventually. She was even talking about club seats. Hard to say no except $$$$.

I don't understand why Lewis keeps coming into corners so wide and giving Max the opp to do this late braking inside dive thing he's done the last few weeks. Make him go around the outside... Take the long way around to pass you.

They both went way off track there. Neither made that corner, you can tell they are at the limit.

I agree completely! I think they only time that they should talk is if Masi reaches out or its a Red Flag. I don't remember hearing from any other team principal except Christian and Toto. Am I wrong?