Formula 1 Round 22 Abu Dhabi GP

We don't know what would have happened if Hamilton handed back the spot. Verstappen is hard to pass even in a slower car as was seen in Brazil. They could have knocked each other out. Max could have slowed up and allowed Perez or someone else to pass Hamilton. It could have been a different race and there's no doubt Hamilton got a lasting advantage.

The contractual obligations were met that day. Don't say there was a race.

The rules only count when they benefit Mercedes. If they don't benefit them, they are called into question.

Its playground stuff from them.

No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he rubbed you. And rubbing, son, is racing!

Another quote from Vettel:

So much like Alonso, he was very surprised at the initial reluctance to let lapped cars through immediately like they normally do.

The more information that comes out the clearer the picture gets - the lapped cars should have been allowed to unlap themselves like they always do. This was delayed because Toto was lobbying the FIA and trying to get them to tear up the rule book and ignore all precedent in order to gift the victory to Hamilton.

Ultimately, after all the wrangling, the FIA decided to do the right thing, but unfortunately the delay meant that some backmarkers couldn’t unlap themselves like they normally do, which was unfortunate but it was the best that could be done in the circumstances.

No. The event was held and they done the minimum, awarded the points and all that. Technically you are correct, well done. Maybe ask the Belgian fans did they enjoy the "race". I've never been a Mercedes or Hamilton fan.

Yeah I don’t think there’s anything to complain with about Imola or Spa really. The red flag rules make total sense from a safety point of view and it’s incredibly rare that it would happen while the fastest car on the track is a lap behind the leader.

It was crap we didn’t get a race in Spa but ultimately they followed the rules to dish out the points.

Both drivers have had luck this season, and the last one to benefit was Max.

This back and forth between posters is tiresome at this point. Can ye take it to DMs and leave the rest of us be?

I've been thinking about the result all day, my feelings are that the decision that were taken weren't ideal, but play to the whistle to adopt a different sporting analogy. The result was very harsh on Hamilton, but the result is the result. For everyone's sake, Mercedes shouldn't have protested, they stole the sheen off of Verstappen's victory and are coming across as petty at this stage. Wolff not looking good either, which is odd - from watching Drive to Survive and stuff I would have expected him to be the more conciliatory of the 2 principals.

This does leave Formula 1 with a lot of lessons learned though, and clearly better rules need to be in place going forward. I heard somebody say that the rulebook is 99 pages long, but if one of the rules is that the race director can do what they want, then why have the other rules?

One for the nerds here - who has the decision making power to change the rules? Do the teams have any input at all? Do they get to vote on them, do the FIA impose them or is it something else? Because clearly an overhaul is needed. One simple thing that I heard Martin Brundle suggest - if it's a safety car, get the backmarkers to just fall through the pack, rather than going all the way around to un-lap themselves. That would have helped yesterday...

I won't be forced to a closed answer as that's not the framework we're dealing with. Topic is Max v Lewis and their respective runs of luck.

You're using Max's apparent Belgium "luck" to counter Lewis' Imola (-18 Max versus a race where no external incident occured), Silverstone (-18 Max) and Hungary (-15 Max).

I'm saying Belgium didn't sway the title in any direction versus a scenario where they race. If anything Lewis benefited by only conceding 5 to a pole sitting Max in wet weather.

You are calling Belgium a gift/luck towards Max. I countered with the alternative. And if you can't comprehend the maths then I'll leave you to blindly defend sir Lewis versus the rest

The thing with Hamilton for me is that he's just a complete PR machine now. My dislike for him started back in his 'monkeys at the back of the grid' days, but maybe he's just matured since then.