After the initial tests, and the first 2 GP (easy) wins when Red Bull had reliability problems, Ferrari became over confident, IMO. Didn't we witness Leclerc playing cat and mouse around Max at Bahrain ? Many (me among them) thought it was a foregone conclusion that Lerclerc would be WDC this year. Boy, how wrong we were ! Once RB cured the gremlins, and Max moved into top gear, that was it ! Ferrari can have the satisfaction to have won the Winter Championship, as Ron Dennis used to call it. Ferrari was often better in qualifs, but never threatened Red Bull on pace during races when it mattered. As an aside, that reminds me of Prost's method to work essentially on race settings during practice. Prost prefered to have his car carefully prepared for race conditions, rather than go for a banzai lap in Qualifs.
Ferrari need to eliminate porpoising, improve their straight line speed, improve reliability in their PU, and develop the car to Leclerc's liking. Then and only then, will they have a chance to win the title next year.
Yes, so they can botch strategy, pit stops, & getting all 4 tires out. Sent from my Samsung Note 8 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Congrats to Max. Wdc well deserved. Absolute class of the field this year. RB and Max head and shoulders above the rest.
He didn't win it, but I can agree with "first" and "tittle" . If you really win, you are sure that you've wonthe championship. But he didn't look like that He just became a WDC. Such is life, unfortunately It's FIA that made a bit of a mess with everything (full points for that shortened race etc, and the penalty for Charles (according to Binotto, running off the track didn't give Charles advantage)
So, another contested result ? I wonder what's the point. Max Verstappen is now officially a double WDC winner, like it or not. Although the FIA being the FIA we may have a surprise before long. As for Charles, unless I am proven wrong, he didn't get his 5 sec. penalty for "running off the track", but for "rejoining in an unsafe manner". The same fault that did cost Vettel a similar penalty at Montreal a few years back.
We agree that FIA made a mess today, even Max was surprised that he had become WDC again. Just one simple communique (during the race!) stating "in current circumstances full points will be rewarded" would have been sufficient to provide clarity for all. The moment I saw the interview of Max after the race, the exact moment he was told that he had won the WDC after all, I knew this FIA created confusion would give a field day again to all those ......... who still can't accept that he really got his first WDC last year. And I hate to say this proved to be correct, the trolls are out again in masses. Comon guys, get over it. Face reality!
Deniers and conspiracy theorists will always thrive in F1. The FIA seems to write rules they don't even understand ! Max was the true winner today, and now a double WDC !! I am happy with that, he is a worthy champ.
From another site: Wolff is attempting to hoodwink you al and you appear to be buying it. Mercedes cost Lewis his 8th world driving championship with their incorrect strategy decision. Every other team in the race pitted least one of their cars for tires when the safety car was called. Some of them pitted both cars. Mercedes was the only one that went the other way. Article 15:3 grants Masi the power to alter race start and safety car procedures beyond the standard regulations if he feels it's the best thing to do for the competition. The steward's decision reinforced that and so has the FIA. Before each race the race director meets with all of the team principles and lays out the FIA's objectives for the race. In every meeting the race director stresses the importance of finishing races under green flag conditions. Toto has been present at all of these meeting so he knew that green flag finish initiative. I suggest you review the ending of the Abu Dhabi race: burningwhee1s.blogspot.com/2021/12/f1-abu-dhabi-gp.html#more Lewis is picked up by the safety car at turn 4 on lap 55. On the SkyF1 broadcast we see him being led through turn 5 by the safety car. Lewis comes on the radio and asks his engineer Bono, “What’s the situation?” Bono, “The situation is Max took a free stop, if we pitted you would have lost track position, there will be 4 laps remaining when you cross the line. This field has to bunch and the lapped cars will have to be let through, the race may not restart. Lewis, “Is he (Max) right behind me?” Bono, “He will be, once they have sorted out the order, this is going to take a while to sort out.” Lewis, “Should have pitted me for new tires.” Bono, “Copy Lewis we would have lost track position had we pitted.” Mercedes knew damn well that there was a very significant chance that the race was going to restart with Max on fresh tires right behind Lewis on tires that were 40+ laps old. They seem to be almost expecting it. All of Toto's crying and hand ringing post race is a smokescreen. He's trying to give himself and his strategy team cover from a very bad decision. They blew it. Masi’s handling of the safety car didn’t cost Lewis his 8th Driving Championship, Mercedes’ flawed strategy did. At some point a true journalist, not a Brit homer, is going to review the end of this race just as I did and write an article exposing it all. He/she should title it, “Toto’s Big Lie”.
C'mon guys, with such supremacy of RedBull team this year (others are not even close to them), we should expect Max winning the title in a big style! I mean, in circumstances that are very clear to everyone. RedBull has the best car, best team, good drivers - so it would clearly grab the "tittles" anyway during next GP, with much wider applause I think. Instead, we got "hurried" points by FIA decisions, as if RedBull's team image and results were going to collapse the very next day (after Monday's budget cap enforcement decisions). I think all is clear now. Have a nice debate
Some points: 1) The Red Bull team certainly is superior to any. That's undisputed. 2) The Red Bull car has not been the fastest all season long. The Ferrari started fastest, from Baku onwards there was little between the Red Bull and Ferrari any more. After Spa (TD), Ferrari totally lost it on race pace, particularly tyre wear has been an overwhelming negative since the introduction of the compliant floor. 3) Good drivers? Perez good, but lets not undermine Max. 4) Hurried decisions? I think not. The FIA introduced this rule because of the backlash of Belgium last year. With all the **** that happened over the last 12 months, and the rule being written rather poorly, it's not a complete surprise no one considered this rule as the circumstances are a bit unorthodox. But the rule was brought in. Nothing hurried, nothing suspicious. Nada. Nothing to do with the race being held at Honda's country/track and nothing to do with the budget cap. Pretty sad.
Masi won the 2021 tittle. Leclerc lost his tittle to Verstappen this year. Lewis is doing great job in that cardboard car.
And masi was never seen again representing f1 or even works for the fia any more because he got a promotion right? Not because he didnt seriously f up lol. Any way.... Congrats to Max has done some super drives this season.
