2022 Formula 1 Season thread

[Apple fanboy]

Oh, it’s not "manufacturers champion" it’s Constructors Champion. And Max didn’t get it, Red Bull did. Max was only person of 1000, and Adrian Newey is by far the most successful/important person in that team.

Are you aware that teams, be it Red Bull or whatever, work to 1) to maximise points, 2) try and maximise drivers points. When Max has already won the championship for the 2nd time*, why wouldn’t he help his teammate to become 2nd in the drivers championships.

You aware that Checo was asked to let Max through, being told that they will swap back? Max had other plans.

I wonder why Max has had so many team mates. 5 in 8 years! Max always screws them over. He screwed Sainz, Ricciardo, Gasly and Ocon. Now he’s done it to Perez. Wow!

*2021 World Championship will always be tainted.

Max is a spoilt child. If he doesn’t get his own way in the team he’d rather not play. Like the kid who disagrees with a decision in a football game and storms off with the ball!
I hope he retires very early on. Once we lose Lewis, Alonso and Seb it’s quickly changing from a sport I love to one I can take it or leave it.
Really hope Mercedes get their act together and take it to RB next season. I want the wheels to come off at RB so Max goes to Ferrari and then it will all go wrong for him.

 

[steve09090]

Max is a spoilt child. If he doesn’t get his own way in the team he’d rather not play. Like the kid who disagrees with a decision in a football game and storms off with the ball!
I hope he retires very early on. Once we lose Lewis, Alonso and Seb it’s quickly changing from a sport I love to one I can take it or leave it.
Really hope Mercedes get their act together and take it to RB next season. I want the wheels to come off at RB so Max goes to Ferrari and then it will all go wrong for him.

On F1 Beyond the Grid Podcast. Tom Clarkson interviewed Mercedes Technical Director Mike Elliott, and they discussed the design mistakes From this year. He is certain they know exactly what it was, without giving away the issue. But said, the changes could result in .5-1 second difference. He did say it wasn’t the side pods. But they always said there was speed in the car (wind tunnel?), but they just needed to unlock it.

Now we know that it could be bullish, but if they can, it’ll be a much better season.

Can you imagine the divorce settlement between Max & Horner? I hope Gerry Horner has a prenup.

 

[Boidem]

Max is a spoilt child. If he doesn’t get his own way in the team he’d rather not play. Like the kid who disagrees with a decision in a football game and storms off with the ball!

Hmm. Except that he doesn't; he takes the ball and scores. And wins the game. Perez, for all his skills, can't do that. 15 wins to 2, over a season. I think that demonstrates who is the superior driver.

Many of the anti-Max/RBc omments here and elsewhere are simply sour grapes from F1 viewers who feel aggrieved. Well, get over it. If 'your' guy lost, that's just how it is. If the tables were reversed, you'd be crowing about how great Hamilton is, how much he deserved his wins, etc etc. It's called being partisan. It's to be expected with sports; people are still going on about 'Hand of God' ffs, and that was 36 years ago. Sames 'Russian Linesman' in '66 World Cup; I'm sure there are Germans out there who will bring this up. Etc etc.

"*2021 World Championship will always be tainted."

Erm, no. Because that's notihng more than a personal opinion. The stats will always state that Max won the DWC in 2021. People really, really need to get over it and move on. Nothing you can say will ever change the facts, will they? So why waste energy moaning all the time?

 

[steve09090]

Hmm. Except that he doesn't; he takes the ball and scores. And wins the game. Perez, for all his skills, can't do that. 15 wins to 2, over a season. I think that demonstrates who is the superior driver.

Many of the anti-Max/RBc omments here and elsewhere are simply sour grapes from F1 viewers who feel aggrieved. Well, get over it. If 'your' guy lost, that's just how it is. If the tables were reversed, you'd be crowing about how great Hamilton is, how much he deserved his wins, etc etc. It's called being partisan. It's to be expected with sports; people are still going on about 'Hand of God' ffs, and that was 36 years ago. Sames 'Russian Linesman' in '66 World Cup; I'm sure there are Germans out there who will bring this up. Etc etc.

"*2021 World Championship will always be tainted."

Erm, no. Because that's notihng more than a personal opinion. The stats will always state that Max won the DWC in 2021. People really, really need to get over it and move on. Nothing you can say will ever change the facts, will they? So why waste energy moaning all the time?

Always tainted. So take the Red Bull Goggles off and look at the facts. We all know 2 mistakes were made at the end of the race, and that’s not a personal opinion, it’s the FIA saying that. Max is definitely the World Champion from 2021 and did nothing wrong At the time. But tainted nonetheless.

He was definitely the better driver in the best car this year and Adrian Newey and Red Bull should be well proud. No doubt and deserves his World Championship. But don’t believe for a second that he is a team player. 2022 Max was a beast. But he is also a liar and a selfish driver.

Red Bull on the other hand, regardless of what you say, have shown to be cheats and benefitted from it. With only 63% wind tunnel time, we shall see how they come out next year.

It’s not sour grapes. It’s not about partisanship or being parochial. It’s about seeing the facts for the facts. Can Red Bull fans do that, or is it right to be blinded by winning that Gold Helmut.

Now I’ve got that off my chest 😂. Question to someone who actually watched the race in Brazil.

Why, when Checo was asked to let Max through and told it would be reversed later, did Max refuse to do it, when it would have made no difference to Max, but could have meant 2nd place in the driver championship for Checo?​

 

[Boidem]

Always tainted

Nope. As you said yourself, Max did nothing wrong. Had Hamilton benefitted from such a situation, you wouldn't be claiming his victory was 'tainted'.

Red Bull on the other hand, regardless of what you say, have shown to be cheats and benefitted from it. With only 63% wind tunnel time, we shall see how they come out next year.

Yes, we'll see. Mercedes were spending around £40m+ per year more than any other team in their recent heyday, which is why the budget cap was introduced. So; you can argue that they always had a significant advantage there. Much more than any RB might have had by spending a few million extra. Stuff like that doesn't bother me though.

It’s not sour grapes

It really is. It really, really is.

Why, when Checo was asked to let Max through and told it would be reversed later, did Max refuse to do it, when it would have made no difference to Max, but could have meant 2nd place in the driver championship for Checo?

Who knows? Nobody outside RB, that's for sure. Irrelevant now anyway. Hamilton refused to obey a team order in Hungary 2007, to let Alonso though to have a crack at pole. So...

 

[steve09090]

Who knows? Nobody outside RB, that's for sure. Irrelevant now anyway. Hamilton refused to obey a team order in Hungary 2007, to let Alonso though to have a crack at pole. So...

Yeah. Max is a team player 😂😂😂. There are more than 2 teams out there. In FACT one of those other teams came second. It could have been a Red Bull 1-2 except that Max thought he was the only player in the team.

Yes, we'll see. Mercedes were spending around £40m+ per year more than any other team in their recent heyday, which is why the budget cap was introduced. So; you can argue that they always had a significant advantage there. Much more than any RB might have had by spending a few million extra. Stuff like that doesn't bother me though.

It seems like it bothers people. You just said Mercedes had a bigger budget and played by the rules. But the first time there is a budget cap, 1 team thought it didn’t apply to them. Boy were they wrong.

In 2019, Mercedes spent around $484 million while Ferrari spent $463 million, and finally, Red Bull invested $445 million. So your £40M more than any other team is actually wrong. Remember…facts.

Nope. As you said yourself, Max did nothing wrong. Had Hamilton benefitted from such a situation, you wouldn't be claiming his victory was 'tainted'.

I’ve always maintained Max did what he should have done. It’s not tainted because Max did the wrong thing, it’s tainted because F1 failed and manipulated the race with a decision that changed the World Championship. Why are you ignoring the facts? Whether it was Max, Hamilton is irrelevant. But they're just the facts. If the roles were reversed I would have the same view, I don’t have skin in the game and not a Mercedes fan, so i couldn't care who wins. Tainted is tainted.

Facts are facts. I don’t care for Red Bull or any other parochialism. But that must just be me.

 

[Boidem]

Yeah. Max is a team player 😂😂😂. There are more than 2 teams out there. In FACT one of those other teams came second. It could have been a Red Bull 1-2 except that Max thought he was the only player in the team.

Perez didn't do enough to secure 2nd place. What Max did or didn't do in Brazil is irrelevant.

In 2019, Mercedes spent around $484 million while Ferrari spent $463 million, and finally, Red Bull invested $445 million. So your £40M more than any other team is actually wrong. Remember…facts.

So sue me. £39million more than RB is still a colossal amount. A lot more than the few million RB overspent due to what even the authorities accept as an administrative error rather than out and out cheating.

it’s tainted because F1 failed and manipulated the race with a decision that changed the World Championship. Why are you ignoring the facts?

That's opinion, not actual facts. Yes, there were errors in the race direction (Hamilton not being penalised earlier in the race for gaining an advantage, something he was penalised for this year, was an error Hamilton fans seem to conveniently overlook...), but ultimately all drivers drove according to the situation they were in. Saying it's 'tainted' is just opinion. Not a fact. Sorry, but that's how it is.

 

[steve09090]

Perez didn't do enough to secure 2nd place. What Max did or didn't do in Brazil is irrelevant.

Youre right. Perez didn’t do enough, but unlike Max, Pérez was only ever fighting on his own. Remember that regardless of last years debacle, Pérez held off Hamilton allowing Max to even be close enough to catch him. That’s what a team mate does.

So sue me. £39million more than RB is still a colossal amount. A lot more than the few million RB overspent due to what even the authorities accept as an administrative error rather than out and out cheating.

No suing. And it was US$39M (£33M) and within the rules. I’m just presenting the facts instead of misrepresenting them. Administrative error? That was Aston Martin. Red Bull went over the cost cap. Facts

That's opinion, not actual facts. Yes, there were errors in the race direction (Hamilton not being penalised earlier in the race for gaining an advantage, something he was penalised for this year, was an error Hamilton fans seem to conveniently overlook...), but ultimately all drivers drove according to the situation they were in. Saying it's 'tainted' is just opinion. Not a fact. Sorry, but that's how it is.

No, it’s facts. They restarted DRS a lap too early plus not allowing all lapped cars to overtake. They were facts from the FIA. You can’t change the facts. I’ve always said Max did the right thing. Why are you ignoring that and going on about it?

With regard to sour grapes, about Hamiton gaining an advantage on track, that’s 100% opinion and not the view of the stewards. No error was identified by the FIA in that call. Stewards v Red Bull fan? Hmmmmm Do you think Max would have won the race if not for Horner getting in the ear of Masi, and getting him to break the F1 rules? Did you see the surprise face on Horner when he did?

I'm out. If people can’t see the difference between fact and fiction, what’s the point.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Hmm. Except that he doesn't; he takes the ball and scores. And wins the game. Perez, for all his skills, can't do that. 15 wins to 2, over a season. I think that demonstrates who is the superior driver.

Many of the anti-Max/RBc omments here and elsewhere are simply sour grapes from F1 viewers who feel aggrieved. Well, get over it. If 'your' guy lost, that's just how it is. If the tables were reversed, you'd be crowing about how great Hamilton is, how much he deserved his wins, etc etc. It's called being partisan. It's to be expected with sports; people are still going on about 'Hand of God' ffs, and that was 36 years ago. Sames 'Russian Linesman' in '66 World Cup; I'm sure there are Germans out there who will bring this up. Etc etc.

"*2021 World Championship will always be tainted."

Erm, no. Because that's notihng more than a personal opinion. The stats will always state that Max won the DWC in 2021. People really, really need to get over it and move on. Nothing you can say will ever change the facts, will they? So why waste energy moaning all the time?

Absolutely Max is a better driver than Perez. Never disputed that. But Max is the sort of driver who will expect Perez to play rear gunner for him, but won’t return the favour when he literally has nothing on the line.
Just not someone I like. Even his racing style is dubious. Never the sort to give room etc to another driver.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

That's opinion, not actual facts. Yes, there were errors in the race direction (Hamilton not being penalised earlier in the race for gaining an advantage, something he was penalised for this year, was an error Hamilton fans seem to conveniently overlook...), but ultimately all drivers drove according to the situation they were in. Saying it's 'tainted' is just opinion. Not a fact. Sorry, but that's how it is.

Hamilton wasn’t penalised in Abu Dhabi 2021 because I’d two factors. Firstly Verstappen pushed him across that said chicane and secondly Lewis adjusted his speed to reduce the advantage he had gained to which the FIA confirmed was satisfactory. He didn’t have to concede position because he had lost position due to being forced off the circuit. This year he conceded his position due to not giving back any of the advantage he had gained, even though he’d been forced off the track. Those are the facts without rose tinted glasses so may differ from the usual bias.

I think plenty out there feel the 2021 championship is tainted due to it being decided off the track. Verstappen lost the championship after seeing a significant points lead overturned by a more consistent Hamilton. He was given a life line by a now sacked race director and he may not wish for it to be remembered as such but that’s how it is and will always be. Much like the 1994 title will always be remembered for Schumacher taking out his rival deliberately. Nobody talks about how good Michael was that year, just how he lost it due to his own mistake and won due to a governing body not doing the right thing.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Hamilton wasn’t penalised in Abu Dhabi 2021 because I’d two factors. Firstly Verstappen pushed him across that said chicane and secondly Lewis adjusted his speed to reduce the advantage he had gained to which the FIA confirmed was satisfactory. He didn’t have to concede position because he had lost position due to being forced off the circuit. This year he conceded his position due to not giving back any of the advantage he had gained, even though he’d been forced off the track. Those are the facts without rose tinted glasses so may differ from the usual bias.

I think plenty out there feel the 2021 championship is tainted due to it being decided off the track. Verstappen lost the championship after seeing a significant points lead overturned by a more consistent Hamilton. He was given a life line by a now sacked race director and he may not wish for it to be remembered as such but that’s how it is and will always be. Much like the 1994 title will always be remembered for Schumacher taking out his rival deliberately. Nobody talks about how good Michael was that year, just how he lost it due to his own mistake and won due to a governing body not doing the right thing.

Yup. 2021 was a farce. Not Max’s fault of course. He just took advantage of the race director rule changes as anyone would. Let’s hope 2023 can bring the cars a bit closer. RB have too much of an advantage this year. But that’s as much to do with Adrian as it is Max.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Yup. 2021 was a farce. Not Max’s fault of course. He just took advantage of the race director rule changes as anyone would. Let’s hope 2023 can bring the cars a bit closer. RB have too much of an advantage this year. But that’s as much to do with Adrian as it is Max.

I suppose it’s the name of the game where much of the competition is on the drawing board as it is on the track. Red Bull did a great job of interpreting the new regs much like Mercedes did with hybrid engine regs all those years ago. I got very bored of Mercedes winning every season too despite cheering for Lewis. I hope 2023 brings a better season and we see a title fight between different teams, not just teammates.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I suppose it’s the name of the game where much of the competition is on the drawing board as it is on the track. Red Bull did a great job of interpreting the new regs much like Mercedes did with hybrid engine regs all those years ago. I got very bored of Mercedes winning every season too despite cheering for Lewis. I hope 2023 brings a better season and we see a title fight between different teams, not just teammates.

Absolutely. No one wants to see any team run away with it. Even if it’s your favourite driver or team.

 

[Boidem]

No suing. And it was US$39M (£33M) and within the rules. I’m just presenting the facts instead of misrepresenting them. Administrative error? That was Aston Martin. Red Bull went over the cost cap. Facts

Ok you win. 🤣 Like I give a flying fig what the numbers were. Point was (that you clearly missed) that Mercedes had an advantage over other teams, because they were spending a lot more. Regardless of rules, that's just a fact. RB's breach was £1.86 million. Hardly in the same league as spending £33m more. But anyway; as I said, it's not something that bothers me. If it bothers you, that's your choice. Haterz gonna hate...

With regard to sour grapes, about Hamiton gaining an advantage on track, that’s 100% opinion and not the view of the stewards. No error was identified by the FIA in that call.

Hamilton was penalised for EXACTLY the same manoeuvre as he got away with last year. You're all banging on about 'rules' and errors from last season, so just accept that he got away with it last year. Exceeding the track limits is an offence; just because the race director failed toactlast season, doens't mean Hamilton didn't break the rules. It just means the director failed to apply the rules correctly. You can't cry about the end of the race fiasco, but ignore the other errors.

Firstly Verstappen pushed him across that said chicane and secondly Lewis adjusted his speed to reduce the advantage he had gained to which the FIA confirmed was satisfactory

Lol! Ok then. That's why he wasn't penalised this year for exactly the same offence OH NO WAIT HE WAS. 🤣

I'm out. If people can’t see the difference between fact and fiction, what’s the point.

If you look carefully, you'll see I'm not arguing against facts. I was making a point that your assertion that the season will be 'tainted' is nothing more than an opinion. The stats won't show that, or explain it, they'll just show Max won and Lewis lost. End of.

I'm out. If people can’t see the difference between fact and fiction, what’s the point.

People are entitled to have opinions that differ from your own, you do know this, right?

 

[CWallace]

Question to someone who actually watched the race in Brazil.

Why, when Checo was asked to let Max through and told it would be reversed later, did Max refuse to do it, when it would have made no difference to Max, but could have meant 2nd place in the driver championship for Checo?​

Perez was in 6th place and holding Max off/up in 7th place. Perez was not making any serious inroads on Alonso ahead of him in 5th place so Max petitioned the team to let him pass so he could attack Alonso. The team agreed and ordered Perez to let Max past with the caveat that if Max could not pass Alonso, he would give 6th place back to Perez as the difference between 6th and 7th was one WDC point and if Perez finished 6th, he would be 1 point up on LeClerc for second in the WDC and if he finished 7th, he would be tied with LeClerc on points, but LeClerc would be 2nd due to more wins with Perez 3rd.

Max attacked, but could not pass Alonso who finished in 5th place. Per the agreement (which was broadcast on the World Feed), Max was obligated to slow and give 6th back to Perez, but Max refused and finished 6th with Perez finishing 7th.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Perez was in 6th place and holding Max off/up in 7th place. Perez was not making any serious inroads on Alonso ahead of him in 5th place so Max petitioned the team to let him pass so he could attack Alonso. The team agreed and ordered Perez to let Max past with the caveat that if Max could not pass Alonso, he would give 6th place back to Perez as the difference between 6th and 7th was one WDC point and if Perez finished 6th, he would be 1 point up on LeClerc for second in the WDC and if he finished 7th, he would be tied with LeClerc on points, but LeClerc would be 2nd due to more wins with Perez 3rd.

Max attacked, but could not pass Alonso who finished in 5th place. Per the agreement (which was broadcast on the World Feed), Max was obligated to slow and give 6th back to Perez, but Max refused and finished 6th with Perez finishing 7th.

Std Max behaviour.

 

[CWallace]

Point was...that Mercedes had an advantage over other teams, because they were spending a lot more.

Ferrari spent more than Red Bull, and yet they finished well behind Red Bull in terms of finishes and points scored, so clearly "money isn't everything" when it comes to winning.

Max and RBR also performed exceptionally well in 2021 up until the British Grand Prix when Lewis won and Max DNF'd, eliminating a significant portion of the point advantage Max had built up over Lewis by that point. Lewis then found his "second wind" and started consistently outscoring Max, allowing him to claw his way back to parity going into Abu Dhabi.

Then again, maybe Mercedes spent the bulk of there budget post-Silverstone and that is why they were better. But then maybe Red Bull should have spent more to stay competitive.

Exceeding the track limits is an offence; just because the race director failed to act last season, doens't mean Hamilton didn't break the rules. It just means the director failed to apply the rules correctly.

Except the race director in 2021 did - he determined that Lewis had sufficiently given back the advantage he had gained - even if that still kept him ahead - and therefore "no further action was warranted". So Lewis broke the rules, but provided sufficient contrition in his actions to not trigger further penalties. Just as what happened in 2022 with Sainz.

And if you want to argue interpretation of the rules, the rule this year was that the FIA would not tell a team to give a spot back, but allow the team to make the decision and if they make the "wrong" decision in the eyes of the FIA, the driver would be given a time penalty.

Mercedes commenting that "the FIA told us to give the spot back" was raising eyes on the Sky Broadcast and social media because if the FIA did indeed tell Mercedes to order Lewis to hand the spot back or risk a penalty, that would be a violation of the rules.

Now it is possible that the FIA did not tell Mercedes to do this and the team had in fact made the decision to hand the spot back and mentioned the FIA in context of if the team did not tell Lewis to give the spot back he would be penalized by the FIA, but if that was the case, their wording was confusing.

If you look carefully, you'll see I'm not arguing against facts. I was making a point that your assertion that the season will be 'tainted' is nothing more than an opinion. The stats won't show that, or explain it, they'll just show Max won and Lewis lost.

Yes it is an opinion. But being positive or negative in that opinion does not sit alone on whether or not you wanted Max to win the 2021 WDC.

For many of us, we are not fans of how the Race Director handled the end because we see it as intrinsically unfair. Under the rules at the time, there would be lapped cars between Lewis and Max when the race resumed under Green and both teams made their tire choices based on that.

RBR had to pit Max for new tires because Max needed every advantage he could to get past those lapped cars and close in on Lewis. Mercedes, on the other hand, did not want to trade track position and was willing to keep Lewis on used tires and hope the lapped cars held up Max enough for Lewis to build up a sufficient gap to carry him to the finish. If they had pitted Lewis, then Max would have been right behind him on fresh tires and would have had the slipstream on the straights. While not as powerful as DRS, it still favors the car behind.

So when the Race Director ordered the lapped cars out of the way, he handed Lewis a massive disadvantage he was not expecting while also handing Max a massive advantage (that he was also not expecting). If the Race Director had said to both teams earlier he was going to order the lapped cars out of the way, Mercedes would have certainly pitted Lewis for new tires, as well, and Lewis and Max would have started 1-2 and the chips would have fallen where they would.

And yes, some of us (myself included) would still be complaining about the Race Director not following the rules, but at least it would have been a much fairer fight over that last lap then what happened due to the Race Director not making his intentions clear until it was too late to pit Lewis.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Ferrari spent more than Red Bull, and yet they finished well behind Red Bull in terms of finishes and points scored, so clearly "money isn't everything" when it comes to winning.

Max and RBR also performed exceptionally well in 2021 up until the British Grand Prix when Lewis won and Max DNF'd, eliminating a significant portion of the point advantage Max had built up over Lewis by that point. Lewis then found his "second wind" and started consistently outscoring Max, allowing him to claw his way back to parity going into Abu Dhabi.

Then again, maybe Mercedes spent the bulk of there budget post-Silverstone and that is why they were better. But then maybe Red Bull should have spent more to stay competitive.




Except the race director in 2021 did - he determined that Lewis had sufficiently given back the advantage he had gained - even if that still kept him ahead - and therefore "no further action was warranted". So Lewis broke the rules, but provided sufficient contrition in his actions to not trigger further penalties. Just as what happened in 2022 with Sainz.

And if you want to argue interpretation of the rules, the rule this year was that the FIA would not tell a team to give a spot back, but allow the team to make the decision and if they make the "wrong" decision in the eyes of the FIA, the driver would be given a time penalty.

Mercedes commenting that "the FIA told us to give the spot back" was raising eyes on the Sky Broadcast and social media because if the FIA did indeed tell Mercedes to order Lewis to hand the spot back or risk a penalty, that would be a violation of the rules.

Now it is possible that the FIA did not tell Mercedes to do this and the team had in fact made the decision to hand the spot back and mentioned the FIA in context of if the team did not tell Lewis to give the spot back he would be penalized by the FIA, but if that was the case, their wording was confusing.




Yes it is an opinion. But being positive or negative in that opinion does not sit alone on whether or not you wanted Max to win the 2021 WDC.

For many of us, we are not fans of how the Race Director handled the end because we see it as intrinsically unfair. Under the rules at the time, there would be lapped cars between Lewis and Max when the race resumed under Green and both teams made their tire choices based on that.

RBR had to pit Max for new tires because Max needed every advantage he could to get past those lapped cars and close in on Lewis. Mercedes, on the other hand, did not want to trade track position and was willing to keep Lewis on used tires and hope the lapped cars held up Max enough for Lewis to build up a sufficient gap to carry him to the finish. If they had pitted Lewis, then Max would have been right behind him on fresh tires and would have had the slipstream on the straights. While not as powerful as DNS, it still favors the car behind.

So when the Race Director ordered the lapped cars out of the way, he handed Lewis a massive disadvantage he was not expecting while also handing Max a massive advantage (that he was also not expecting). If the Race Director had said to both teams earlier he was going to order the lapped cars out of the way, Mercedes would have certainly pitted Lewis for new tires, as well, and Lewis and Max would have started 1-2 and the chips would have fallen where they would.

And yes, some of us (myself included) would still be complaining about the Race Director not following the rules, but at least it would have been a much fairer fight over that last lap then what happened due to the Race Director not making his intentions clear until it was too late to pit Lewis.

Only some lapped cars. They weren’t even consistent in that!

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Only some lapped cars. They weren’t even consistent in that!

I think the fact the FIA sacked their Race Director in the aftermath due to it being publicly obvious he made decisions that decided the World Championship are enough to conclude the 2021 WDC was not won by a driver on the track. Verstappen and his fans may be keen to disagree with that for obvious reasons but that race was done and dusted until an incompetent RD made judgements under pressure he couldn’t handle. That’s the legacy of that season and Max’s first WDC. Max was mostly flawless this year and won convincingly so deserves it. I’d like to see him back to being challenged next year as it’s explosive and exciting to watch due to his erratic driving under pressure even if it’s frustrating at the same time lol.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Oh, it’s not "manufacturers champion" it’s Constructors Champion. And Max didn’t get it, Red Bull did. Max was only person of 1000, and Adrian Newey is by far the most successful/important person in that team.

Thanks for the corrections, was pretty obvious wasn't it. You didn't even have to guess what I meant 😀

Are you aware that teams, be it Red Bull or whatever, work to 1) to maximise points, 2) try and maximise drivers points. When Max has already won the championship for the 2nd time*, why wouldn’t he help his teammate to become 2nd in the drivers championships.

He has his reasons, the team knows his reasons, his reasons haven't been made public, so why do you think you know better by filling in the blanks with stuff you are making up?

You aware that Checo was asked to let Max through, being told that they will swap back? Max had other plans.

I heard that message to Perez, didn't hear the message being relayed to Max until much later after the event. Besides it's not like you have to ask to let Max through, he was coming through anyway. The pace was at a different level. Now in racing you can try and fight that and loose time with the one your real battle is with, or focus on your own race...

I wonder why Max has had so many team mates. 5 in 8 years! Max always screws them over. He screwed Sainz, Ricciardo, Gasly and Ocon. Now he’s done it to Perez. Wow!

There are two sides to everything, it is not like any of them perform better. Either you have a winning attitude or not. That isn't screwing anyone at all.

*2021 World Championship will always be tainted.

And there we have it once again team lh still crying. Look at how he drove this year at that same circuit. Even Sainz who you suggest was screwed by Max acknowledged he did the same as last year to Max. And again this year, that circuit is about the tyres, and tyre strategy. And Ferrari outsmarted Redbull, in a different was than last year, but with the same results, Redbull outsmarted Mercedes last year.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Hmm. Except that he doesn't; he takes the ball and scores. And wins the game. Perez, for all his skills, can't do that. 15 wins to 2, over a season. I think that demonstrates who is the superior driver.

Bingo ! Exactly, in order to win you've got to be a winner. You got to be confident, opinionated, but then also deliver. And he has been doing that, and with quite some margin.

Many of the anti-Max/RBc omments here and elsewhere are simply sour grapes from F1 viewers who feel aggrieved. Well, get over it. If 'your' guy lost, that's just how it is. If the tables were reversed, you'd be crowing about how great Hamilton is, how much he deserved his wins, etc etc. It's called being partisan. It's to be expected with sports; people are still going on about 'Hand of God' ffs, and that was 36 years ago. Sames 'Russian Linesman' in '66 World Cup; I'm sure there are Germans out there who will bring this up. Etc etc.

Yup, Max could be arranging world peace whilst having two cute puppies in his arms and people will still have a go at him. Its crazy and a reality distortion, it does make me wonder how some people manage to breathe all by themselves.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Absolutely Max is a better driver than Perez. Never disputed that. But Max is the sort of driver who will expect Perez to play rear gunner for him, but won’t return the favour when he literally has nothing on the line.
Just not someone I like. Even his racing style is dubious. Never the sort to give room etc to another driver.

And it wouldn't have made any different to the outcome of Perez. It is purely for optics and irrelevant. Have so many become so shallow that that matters more than the actual results that were obtainable?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Our old spinny favourite Mazepin had some words of wisdom on the Gram for departing F1 drivers on Sunday:

Not sure he realises that Seb retired and wasn’t dropped though lol.

 

[steve09090]

Our old spinny favourite Mazepin had some words of wisdom on the Gram for departing F1 drivers on Sunday:

Not sure he realises that Seb retired and wasn’t dropped though lol.

Thanks for the post. I was never a Mazespin fan, but it is interesting reading this. Holds many grudges it seems, and a sense of entitlement, but he gave us lots of eye rolls!

 

[Bodhitree]

I think you have to forgive Max a few things for his youth and success, very few people who get success at a young age also have gentlemanly tendencies. They tend to mellow with age though.