Formula One 2021.

[Cleoriff]

So the new season will start in March and Australia was planned as usual to be the opening track. Now it looks set to be cancelled. (March 21st)

I have heard via someone who lives in Australia that although Covid related, nothing to do with that per se. More due to the fact, they are not prepared to run it without spectators. It's a street circuit and they make millions from the fans and ticket prices.

I'm inclined to agree with that. The Covid Bubble teams have put in place seemed to work well, 3 drivers out of 20 catching a mild dose and 3 team staff...

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/formula-1-season-opener-in-australia-set-for-postponement/4935595... 

It means that the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for 28 March now looks poised to become the 2021 season opener.

[Cleoriff]

What an absolute cockshambles. Lewis in the lead all race, 10 seconds ahead of Max. then a safety car about 4 laps before the end. Max pits but there are 8 cars he has to overtake to get to Lewis. Race director decides NOT to let lapped cars unlap. Then Red Bull gets on the phone LET CARS UNLAP...so Masi changes his mind and allows 5 cars to unlap. 1 lap to go, safety cars comes in and Max is now behind Lewis on fresh tyres. He overtakes him, Lewis fights back twice. Max wins because of the race director and his change of mind!!

It was Lewis's win. Lost because of FIA!!

[Anonymous]

It's was completely unfair on Hamilton, the rules state either no lapped cars can pass, or all pass after a safety car, you can't do a combination of both just to get one lap to the line.

If the race director wanted a race at the end he could have Red Flagged the race, then restarted with 6 laps to go with both drivers on fresh tyres. 

[Cleoriff]

Well it's all over now, Except Mercedes are going to the court of appeal !

Congratulations to Lewis for the race he won (apart from the FIA engineering the win for Max)

As you say @Anonymous  the rule book states ALL cars to unlap themselves or none. They engineered it so Max was right behind Lewis on new tyres. A tainted hollow victory. The guy who leads the race from lap1 has his win taken away by a load of incompetent idiots. 😡

Well done Lewis for showing such dignity.

[Anonymous]

Well that ruined the season for me, I can't believe how inept Race Control have been all season, but today was just staggeringly ridiculous.

Both Mercedes appeals were rejected, but then the result was never going to be overturned as it was the fault of the Race Director and not the drivers or teams. What's done is done and cant be changed now (Unless they rerun the race)

Hamilton was unbelievably unlucky and in the end robbed of the championship, but, I thought at the time that it was a mistake not to pit the first time under the VSC, there was always a chance of a safety car and it was a long way to go. In the end it wouldn't of made a difference but it will still a bad call imo. 

I just hope they sort out the rules and race control for next season, and get rid of Masi! 

[Anonymous]

@Cleoriff Yes I totally agree, I thought is was great the way Lewis and his dad congratulated the winner, it's such a shame it ended that way.

A Red Flag and 6 laps on fresh tyres for both drivers would have been fair and a great ending to the season.

[Cleoriff]

Like everyone who is leading the race, pitting under the VSC would have lost him position, not a risk they were prepared to take, as Max would have stayed out.

Lewis is a master of tyre management and those tyres would have got him to the end of the race. Max, on fresh tyres, although closing the gap, was still 14 seconds behind him with 9 laps left.

I thought Lewis behaved with tremendous dignity during every interview. Congratulated Max, made no excuses and refused to be drawn on any contentious question. Went over to the RBR to shake hands.

In fact he behaved like the champ he is.

[Anonymous]

@Cleoriff Yes Hamilton would have lost position under the VSC, but he would have lost the race if there had been any safety car for the remainder of the race and that was even riskier imo (And so it proved in the end, he might well of just stayed in front with better tyres - Who knows?) Still, it's done now, but even Hamilton called it on the radio, I would have backed Hamilton to have got back in front of Verstappen in any case. 

Edit: Plus don't forget, Verstappen would have needed tyres anyway so would probably sill have pitted, or would have been easy prey for Hamilton in the end. 

[Cleoriff]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@Cleoriff Yes Hamilton would have lost position under the VSC, but he would have lost the race if there had been any safety car for the remainder of the race and that was even riskier imo (And so it proved in the end, he might well of just stayed in front with better tyres - Who knows?) Still, it's done now, but even Hamilton called it on the radio, I would have backed Hamilton to have got back in front of Verstappen in any case. 

Edit: Plus don't forget, Verstappen would have needed tyres anyway so would probably sill have pitted, or would have been easy prey for Hamilton in the end. 

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Yes I suppose you are right @Anonymous. I'm just sickened by the way the stewards mishandled this so badly. The unlap car shambles just brought Max up right behind Lewis and Masi saying he just wanted a 1 lap race to the finish was totally engineered. Max on fresh tyres against a guy who had led the race on 35 lap old tyres, doesn't seem like a race to me.

Masi made up the rules as he went along. Needs sacking.

This is the guy who had the cars run two laps behind the safety car in the lashing rain in Belgium...'just so we could have a race'!!

Oh well, roll on 2022 (If Merc are still there)

Something interesting from Norris

[Anonymous]

@Cleoriff Yeah I saw Norris say that when he was interviewed after the race, and a few other drivers said the same. Mark Webber was very critical too, and a lot of other pundits.

It obviously wasn't right, but then there was BS all season from race control, I'm pretty sure that somebody has been pulling Masi's strings all season.

Mercedes are going to appeal but I can't see what can be done now, it's over really. 

On to 2022... 

[jonsie]

Lewis will have to make do with his knighthood on Wednesday...