Formula 1 Round 22 Abu Dhabi GP

If this was Race 1 and not race 22 there wouldn't be any hysteria about it.

Personally I feel the stewarding has been a shitshow all season. Max deserves the title, he benefited from the final stewarding decision, but it wasn’t that single decision that shaped the entirety of the championship. Rules and stewarding need to be simplified and clarified, but Red Bull made the right choice at the end and Mercedes didn’t. That’s all there is to it.

Mercedes set to abort appeal according The Times.

Its not bizarre. Its perfectly within the rules to allow cars to unlap themselves under a safety car and also within the rules for the race director to bring in the Safety car whenever he wants.

The race director and Red Bull followed the rules. Mercedes are trying to use the rules selectively.

Mercedes made a balls of their pitstop strategy and now are crying about it. Fair play to Hamilton, he accepted the defeat. But Toto Wolff is the biggest crybaby and sore loser in F1 history, throwing his headset around every time something went against him.

That he wants this decided by lawyers is a new low for F1 and the sport could do without people like that. What next? Lawyers in the paddock watching every move? Leave it to Wolff to turn the most exciting finish in history and a badly needed shot in the arm for the sport into one of the most boring finishes.

Anyone who wanted this to finish under a safety car is not a proper F1 fan.

I wonder has Kallenius told Toto to cop onto himself?

Are you for real. It was properly exciting

Any examples of previous times the race director has allow certain cars to unlap themselves and others not? And any examples of the safety car being called in immediately after the lapped cars pass rather than on the next lap?

Don't get me wrong I was delighted at the time and am delighted Max won and I certainly didn't want to see if end under a SC but it was a decision that looked to be based purely on appealing to the huge numbers watching rather than previously understood procedure imo

Fuel.

Formula E tried this last year (not counting safety car laps) and in a race most of the cars ran out of power trying to complete those extra laps at the end.

One thing I'll say about this is it's always a more difficult decision for the lead car. Look at Lando in the Russian GP this year. He decided to stay out because he didn't want to give up track position. Lewis pitted as it was essentially a free hit for him.

Mercedes absolutely gambled by leaving Lewis out. And I have to say he was incredibly unlucky. But the difference between some cars unlapping themselves no cars doing it isn’t the defining reason he lost the race.

Merc did anticipate a safety car. Not too long before it happened there was comms broadcast between Lewis and Bonno discussing what tyre to pit for in the event of a safety car and Lewis said either work fine (M or H) So clearly it was something they were thinking about.

I don't have to give you examples.

People are complaining about rules and when you point out some admittedly obscure rules of F1, they complain about something else or try to focus selectively on the rules like Mercedes are doing.

There are a lot of rules to F1, hundreds if not thousands.

But the over-arching one appears to be that that race director has the final say. This is the main one. F1 races happen at over 100 miles an hour. Race Directors have to think fast and on their feet.

Masi was within the rules to pull in the safety car whenever he wanted. Everything after that is probably secondary. The reason for allowing cars unlap themselves is so they don't get in the way of the front runners competing. This is perfectly fair and within the rules as is pitting under a safety car.

If they allow pitting under a safety car, then they have to allow cars to unlap, otherwise it puts the second car at a huge disadvantage.

Mercedes complaining about rules not being followed is massive sore loser stuff.

Even with the safety cars and cars unlapping Hamilton had a number of chances to win the race, particularly on the final lap. He had the straighline speed. But he always wants to go on the outside rather than risk going on the inside and in fairness Max put him out there. Verstappen is a better driver imo in a slightly inferior car.

There's been little mention of Hamiltons gaining a huge advantage on the first lap. And as for Mercedes sticking a new engine in the car every so often, taking the 5 place penalty but gaining almost a second a lap on everyone else, it makes a mockery of fairness.

The problem with Mercedes is they like to have F1 titles handed to them on a plate with a huge advantage and to have it practically sown up mid season. With a massive budget, all they are doing is buying titles left right and centre. Great for them, but terminal for the sport of F1.

No, I’m not certain. That’s not important though, these sort of decisions win or lose races and Mercedes made the wrong decision. It doesn’t matter if I say that with hindsight or not.

Mostly from a health and safety point of view, they don't refuel anymore. You don't really want to rush a fuel stop and there was plenty of examples of it going haywire.

Also the cost - pit teams having to dress in fire retardant gear, practising etc.

They've put bigger tanks in the cars now and lengthened the cars to take them. Personally I don't miss the refueling. And some drivers ran out of fuel on the lap while trying to gain an advantage.

The result doesn't sit right with me at all and i'm a big fan of both drivers and F1, Horner seemed to influence what happened in getting the race going again which doesn't seem right but i'm sure Toto would probably have done the same.

But that's F1, there's a history of dodgy calls and decisions and i guess max is the more marketable F1 star going forward, coincidence ? i'm not sure. One thing is for sure, the gloves will really be off next year.