F1 has a real problem when 100% of the action after the first lap is focused on the battle for 9th or 8th or 14th. Max could have moved a full car width to the left without leaving the track, and avoiding contact. The stewards could have black flagged Leclerc if they thought the car was unsafe. They did not. The time to make the call was during the race, not after. Lewis lost a mirror, did that render his car unsafe? How about a 5-second penalty for proceeding with an unsafe car?
Seb is well aware that he lost another win, add this one to Canada. What bothers me most is how loose he was after the race, chatting with Charles and joking with Bottas. It's almost as if he is content with just beating his teammate.
He had the monodado option. CL gave him the Monospecchio / flying mirror option. Good thing it wasn't the Barrichello flying spring option
The whole point of keeping a car safe in this sort of scenario is to avoid what happened to Massa when a spring from Barrichello's car detached and struck him. The officials don't want drivers knowingly race with debris that is coming off and could strike another driver. Lewis swerves to the right because the first bits exploded to his left. Image Unavailable, Please Login Then the rest of the end plate comes flying that way. https://i.imgur.com/Peqg3Md.jpg Except in that argument, Charles should've realized he would not have had the grip to complete the inside turn as usual, so he was almost certain to have to either move/slow down or tag the opponent.... Except he doesn't have to. He made an outside overtake before the turn and held his line because Charles is on his inside. If Max runs any wider, he risks going off. The issue is Max is the lead car in this scenario which means LeClerc is the one who must watch his positioning for the overtake. You cannot force a leading car to concede position through a turn, even if you are on the ideal line initially; there was room left for Charles to back out of the attempt if he felt his grip losing. They did make the call. The Race Director instructed Ferrari to bring him in. Ferrari did just that. Charles protested and the team ended up going, "Okay". Lewis' car became "unsafe" as a result of Charles. Do you penalize Charles a third time as he finished the race with the same "unsafe", mirror issue?
I'm a fan of LeClerc and I think he should have been dsq a few inches over and that could have been Hamilton's head and very tragic. The Stewards in action on this shows a disgrace for driver safety. The FIA should look into it and the drivers shouldn't stand for it.
Yeah, check out the big piece. https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2019/10/Japanese_GP__Hamilton_struck_by_debris_from_Leclerc%27s_damaged_Ferrari.html Image Unavailable, Please Login
Apparent not worried about his job. Sad as he is the most over rated WDC with multiple titles. Stats show he is on path to make a major tactical mistake 30% of the races. Why he has a seat is amusing as it shows how weak team management is and has been. Allowing the bland pairing of Kimi and Vettel to exist too long and not maturing the team around Charles openly by replacing Vettel next year. It is not at all about funding as Vettel is absurd and poor ROI.
Exactly it was dangerous by the Stewards not waving the meatball flag Ferrari for not demanding that he comes in now and LeClerc for ignoring Ferraris request to come in on the second lap. This was massive failure on all parts. I don't care who the protagonist are that was a dangerous situation that should not have happened .
If all drivers could predict what would happen at any point in time during a race, they wouldn't be human, but computers. The real point here is, evident from so many posts; you don't like Max, whatever he does. Leclerc was overtaken by Max who had the better line and was already in front and better positioned right from the start up untill the crash. Max also gave Leclerc more than enough room. So it was Leclerc who should've predicted that his trajectory wasn't sufficient and should've backed off. But Leclerc didn't and wrecked his own and Max's race by understeering into Max. That's a driver error.
No, Lecler send that meassage a couple of races ago, this time though Leclerc made a mistake and just understeered into the side of Max.
Really? I like Maxine actually, so you are wrong in your assumptions, I just want people like him and Elton to grow up and stop whining. They are racing, if they can’t cope with a bit of pushing (they give it out often enough) then let someone else have the seat. Leclerc drives like a boss, but because it’s for ferrari, the stewards take the piss with stupid penalties. If Elton did any of it they wouldn’t have even discussed it. Remember, he is the prick that pushed his car on a live track - no sanction, that smashed into Rosberg in Spain on purpose - no sanction, that committed a multitude of dumbass acts - no sanctions. The guy was on the radio in Abu Dhabi 2016 stating he was trying to cause Rosberg to have an accident and he wasn’t sanctioned. Leclerc did nothing wrong except not take account of his tyres washing across the track into the car ALONGSIDE him, not in front. Let’s get it right eh steward fans Forza Ferrari..... the only racing team and car marque that matters. Italia forever It’s easier to apologise than it is to ask permission
Chuck is definitely getting his elbows out. Like Max, he is learning sometimes you win, other times it bites you in the ass.
Looking back on the race: Carlos Sainz drove a terrific race. And he has been surprisingly very good over the last 2 races.
I feel in 2021 Formula one should adopt giant rub rails like the amusement go carts have and at the drivers meeting tell everyone no bumping. And since when did they start dishing out a penalty after the race from an incident on the first lap and since when did they start issuing two penalties for the same incident? Can you say the fix is in?
Next regulation: End plate tethers. ... Given how many end plates have come adrift, over the past few years. Isn't that one reason they imposed the halo? If they want F1 "guaranteed safe", they'll need to go with closed cockpits and full fenders.
Stupid thing is , if Ferrari knew chuck was going to be penalized they would not have stoped him and he would have retained 6º place, so teh stewards managed to stael him a place, totally unecceptable...
Well not the race that qualifying promised. Seb and Charles both blew their first laps. Seb's start cost him the race. Charles impatience cost him the same, or at least being number two. I can't blame the team on the pit wall this time. And the cars were more than fast enough...but both drivers blew it. Yes Mercedes is almost or often just as fast...but no longer are they faster. I am actually very pleased with how Seb defended and held onto second place for those last five laps. It also demonstrated the strength of the car and speaks well of Ferrari at this point in time. Next year is a long ways off. I understand Charles not wanting to come in. He could not fully see the damage, and he was still in front of Lewis, and able to stay there. If Charles' car was not given a formal black flag by the stewards then I think it was right for him to stay out and keep fighting. Driver "whinning" seems to be the SOP these days...like athletes feigning injury at the slightest contact in hope of getting another player penalized. They're all turning into Grosjeans. Haas should dump one their drivers and bring Hulkenberg over to the team. Bottas deserved his win but Lewis and Mercedes were beaten fair and square by Seb and Ferrari. And I love the mid-field fighting. So, far from a perfect race for our team, but a good race over all with lots of excitment.