And as there's no such thing, I'll go with the decision being a very human 'mistake'.
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Still don’t see the problem. Happened 1 time 13 years ago, and the current rules reward this behavior more than a proposed rule change would.
Tough one for sure. As much as I don't like the fia flip flopping and changing rules on the fly, it seems to me the real key here was that max pitted and took tires. It still feels like a cheap victory to me.
So I heard in the broadcast the team tell Hamilton they didn't pit because they didn't want to loose track position. I feel like they could have pitted and came out atleast P1 or P2. Did they just not have tires ready? I feel like if Hamilton had fresh tires he could have taken max on the final lap regardless of if he restarted P1 or P2. He had the dominate car. He had better speed for sure. I wonder why they didn't pit and get new tires, as I feel that cost them the race. Hamilton on super old tires was hanging with Max.
I was rooting for Max, but not happy the way it went down. It was a gift and this all came down to a call from the box imho. Maybe Mercedes was expecting it to go yellow and finish under safety car , so they didn't want to risk coming out P2.
So I heard in the broadcast the team tell Hamilton they didn't pit because they didn't want to loose track position. I feel like they could have pitted and came out atleast P1 or P2. Did they just not have tires ready? I feel like if Hamilton had fresh tires he could have taken max on the final lap regardless of if he restarted P1 or P2. He had the dominate car. He had better speed for sure. I wonder why they didn't pit and get new tires, as I feel that cost them the race. Hamilton on super old tires was hanging with Max.
I was rooting for Max, but not happy the way it went down. It was a gift and this all came down to a call from the box imho. Maybe Mercedes was expecting it to go yellow and finish under safety car , so they didn't want to risk coming out P2.
LOL, NOOOO!They've aready protested the result and like you I think they have a very strong case. Apparently F1 needs competition cautions, lucky dogs, and green-white-checkers, LOL.
I'm a big NASCAR fan and wish they would get rid of the competition cautions ,lucky dogs, green white checkers and while we are on the subject the chase / playoffs. All of those things need to go away.
If it was Hamiltons call they would have pitted. If Mercedes had pitted and Red Bull didn't the roles would have been reversed. If both Merecedes and Red Bull pitted Hamilton would have most likely motored away and again the roles would have been reversed.
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I think the human error was on the Mercedes think tank. Masi knew he had an extra (albeit vague) overriding clause in the rulebook. Should we think that he does not know every single clause, how they might interact and how he can use them at his discretion to ensure "motor racing".
As far as the good old days F1 was never "fair", would the Jean Marie Balestre way of doing things really be preferable?
I'll assume he got it wrong as it looks such a crappy decision - 5 cars only can unlap?? - everyone makes mistakes, especially with little Jack Horner bellowing in your ear. If the sports appeals body rules otherwise, I'll congratulate Versy for his smarts in beating the faster driver on the day.
It feels a little like people keep making my point for me. From what I can tell all of these team captains are crybaby whiners looking to manipulate and get whatever advantage they can. This doesn't really seem any different from coaches in any other sport. The rule change I'm proposing would have leveled the playing field and negated any influence Horner may have had over the race officials in allowing Max to bypass 4 or 5 cars AND overcome 10 seconds of race time AND given him a huge tire advantage.
Even if you're a huge Max fan, you shouldn't be happy how he won - despite the fact that he clearly wasn't the best racer on the track and didn't deserve to win. That title will have an asterisk next to it in the minds of 10's of millions of fans for eternity.
I don't have a horse in the race, so to speak, being new to the sport. Lewis Hamilton seems like a really classy guy so I feel bad for him, but I'm not pro this guy or that guy. Just my views as an outside observer with a fresh set of eyes.
If Merc had pitted, Red Bull would not have pitted and there would be no guarantee that there would be a green flag lap. The problem is that the FIA manipulated the rules to get a result they wanted. The fact that the FIA had to manipulate the rules to get a green flag lap shows that Merc made the right call by staying out. By the FIA's own regulations, the race should have finished under the Safety Car.
And let me be clear. When I say FIA got the result they want, I am not referring to a Verstappen championship, I am referring to a single lap winner takes all. But the FIA should not manipulate the rules for this purpose. There is a procedure in place that should be followed in the interest of fair sport. Changing the rules in the middle of the race is not fair sport.
F1 is a reality TV show, not a sport.
This is especially true for all of us that came to the last 3 seasons because NETFLIX introduced us to the people and we personally got involved in their lives and stories.
I cannot watch Nascar as I do not know any of the people involved.
Growing up in England , F1 was a part of our culture and all the drivers were a part of our life stories..
Same for Superbike racing....Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda....Barry Sheene being my guy...lol
Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts, now they had some battles!
Edit: Modern day (ahem) "wimps" have no idea what cajines those guys had riding those out of control two strokes.
Barry Sheen getting thrown off at Daytona and ending up a crumpled mess of broken bones. Kenny hitting a guardrail in testing and breaking his back. Both due to two stroke temperment both healed up and raced again. Sorry I digress....
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James Hinchcliffe's tweet is savage.
Money Money Mon..e...eeh $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Absolutely true. Name one high profile sport (business) that isnt in it for profit, that has never ever adjusted the rules (or manipulated us) in favor of the bottom line, above all Formula 1!
F1 doesn't need to be adding laps to their races. If one of their events ends under yellow (for whatever the cause), that's the way the cookie crumbles... or if it ends with one lap of green, that's just how it is. But F1 (or any racing series) shouldn't have to "keep going" until another outcome takes place. This is motorsport.
After yesterday's checkered, supporters of Max were happy, supporters of Lewis were upset and the internet is filled with discussions like ours. If Masi and his team had ended the race under yellow, the shoes would be on other feet and there would still be a bunch of unhappy people crying foul, that the wrong decision was made.
Can you imagine what the fans would be saying if the race ended under yellow??? "The Mercedes-powered Williams brought out a questionable caution which allowed Lewis to win the title." At least we don't have to hear that for the rest of time.
After yesterday's checkered, supporters of Max were happy, supporters of Lewis were upset and the internet is filled with discussions like ours. If Masi and his team had ended the race under yellow, the shoes would be on other feet and there would still be a bunch of unhappy people crying foul, that the wrong decision was made.
Can you imagine what the fans would be saying if the race ended under yellow??? "The Mercedes-powered Williams brought out a questionable caution which allowed Lewis to win the title." At least we don't have to hear that for the rest of time.
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I've always thought that during the 2013 Indianapolis 500, Dario Franchitti eased his car into the wall to bring out the caution, giving Tony Kanaan the precious swig of milk. It's no secret Franchitti and Kanaan are very good friends. Dario's "crash" was very light by Indy 500 standards and looked fishy to me as it took place just after Kanaan took the lead with just a few laps to go. With Dario already a winner of the race, what a nice gesture to get his buddy in the club. 
Not the first time this kind of thing has happened in motorsports... won't be the last.
Pick it up at 2:04:30 if you're interested...
Not the first time this kind of thing has happened in motorsports... won't be the last.Pick it up at 2:04:30 if you're interested...
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Ending under a yellow would have been unsatisfying, but less stupid than what happened and less stupid then the rain out "win" Max was credited with earlier in the season. Write this season off as exciting but ultimately a crap show of bad decisions by F1.
