Formula 1 Round 22 Abu Dhabi GP

If there was no time, then why did they let any cars unlap themselves?

They could have not unlapped any cars because they didn't have time. But instead they made the very unusual step of unlapping only the cars between Max and Lewis (which took more time than not unlapping any cars) and then took a second unusual step of bringing in the safety car on the same lap.

If it was all about getting to green flag, then why do you think they took the additionally time consuming step of unlapping the cars between max and Lewis?

I've said I think it was purely for showbiz. Why do you think they did it?

So do you think it was pure coincidence that they had time to unlap all the cars between max and Lewis, and no other cars? Nothing to do with the showbiz of the final lap shootout between the two title contenders?

Letting no cars unlap would have been unusual but it would have been consistent with your argument that there wasn't enough time to unlap everyone.

So are you suggesting it was complete coincidence that there only enough time to unlap exactly all the cars between the championship contenders. Not just enough time for any fewer cars and no time for any more cars. Just time for all the cars between them, and it was pure coincidence?

I'm not a Hamilton fan. But the 2 safety car decisions are not normal. They were all about showbiz. That's all. I don't think it was a pro or anti Hamilton decision.

I support max and I'm glad he won the championship. But the safety car decisions were very unusual. F1 is showbiz so it's probably fair enough that they make decisions for the entertainment.

If the same safety car decisions helped Lewis and he won instead, then those lads would be furious with the decisions.

How could red flag be the right call when it wasn't a red flag situation.

As has been said, the track was clear on lap 56 and according to article 48.13 of the sporting regulations the safety car will be called in as soon as the track is deemed safe. There was plenty of time to let through the backmarkers including the last couple on this lap, in order to avoid what would be an utterly unprecedented step of not letting them through. If they had been allowed through at this point like they normally do and like multiple teams were on the radio expecting them to, all other arguments would have been completely null and void. Unfortunately they delayed doing this, probably due to the amount of lobbying they were dealing with, but it was by far and away the lesser of two evils to follow correct procedure a little late than to just throw it out the window because of a slight delay.

It would have gone against the rule book and gone against what all the teams agreed to, if they were to end under a safety car despite the track being clear for multiple laps. It would have thrown all precedent out the window to not allow lapped cars through. Missing the last couple of backmarkers was not ideal but ultimately it had absolutely zero impact on the outcome of the race. It cost Ricciardo a shot at 11th place perhaps, but the purpose of the rule is to get backmarkers out of the way of front runners, not to ensure backmarkers have a better chance of gaining places.

Sometimes the rules contradict each other and a call has to be made because it's impossible for the regulations to encapsulate every possible event that could ever happen.

In this case the rules are clear that the safety car should be called in as soon as it is safe. This is doubly important near the end of the race as all teams unanimously agreed beforehand that finishing under green flags should always be the priority, and it would have made a mockery of the sport to keep the safety car out for an extra two laps and end under a safety car despite the fact the track had been entirely safe for a long time.

The second rule in article 48.12, which you are homing in on and have decided is the only one that matters above all else, is that there should be a lap between the lapped cars being let by and the safety car coming in. This directly contradicts the above rule. So a judgement call needs to be made. It's worth noting that the entire reason for this rule is so the leaders don't suddenly catch a large gaggle of lapped cars 3 or 4 laps after the safety car comes in. This can't happen when there's too few laps remaining, so that justification is gone. Secondly, if they'd been quick enough off the mark the lapped cars could easily have been let past a lap earlier, which is the reason why so many teams and drivers were on the radio saying it should be happening, so to anally follow this rule at the expense of the above rule would basically have just been doubling down on that mistake, rather than correcting it.

Objectively, there were two rules in direct contradiction of each other given the circumstances and it was only physically possible to apply one of them - this is why article 15.3 exists which says the race director has full discretion in how these are applied. If it was half way through a race with plenty of time for green flag racing and the real possibility that the leaders would catch the pack of backmarkers again if they hadn't pulled out enough of a gap, delaying bringing in the safety car would probably have taken priority. But in the actual cricumstances, given the choice between applying the rule that everyone unanimously agreed in advance should be applied in order to avoid finishing behind the safety car, or applying the one who's whole purpose was moot given the number of laps remaining, and which should never have entered the equation anyway if they hadn't been so slow to let lapped cars through on the previous lap, the race director made the only logical choice. It would have been absolutely unprecedented to have done anything else.

This is such a boring conversation now...

Heard Lineker made another reference on SPOTY. What an absolute tool.

No, there should be a safety car as the situation dictates. Same as , if the situation dictates (eg if the barrier was deformed) then there would be a red flag.

Whiney "noo michael that isnt right" messages to the race director dont help the situation.

Safety cars, VSC, red flags etc are not about "fairness". They are about clearing the track and keeping racing.

Yes so many people are only looking at this through the lens of who it helped or didn't help and are blinded by their biases. The safety car is there for safety. You can't throw a red flag when it isn't warranted. You can't keep the safety car out needlessly for extra laps long after the blockage is cleared.

Sometimes people get lucky from safety car periods and sometimes they don't. Sometimes teams and drivers make the most of them with perfectly executed strategies and sometimes they don't think quickly enough on their feet and get caught out. Any luck at Abu Dhabi was more than balanced out over the course of the season and it's really tiresome the amount of people who just don't understand F1, or think the season was only one race long, or are just plain salty because their man was beaten, all of which is of course being egged on by the Mercedes PR machine and the media trying to create a controversy out of a fairly standard safety car period.

It's really tiresome at this stage.

You calling others out for being "blinded by their biases" is hilarious 😂