• sport

• Additional industries

The heads of Formula 1 staged a great drama for themselves.

The question is whether it is fair

A judicial decision by the "God of Racing" gave Lorstappen its first world championship in the last lap.

Hamilton's strategy, the big mistake and the controversial moment that decided an unforgettable season: a summary of a staged drama, which is not over yet

Tags

• formula 1

• Lewis Hamilton

• Max Verstappen

• Red Bull

• Mercedes

Yaakov Tzalal

Monday, December 13, 2021, 3:00 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments

Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 drama (Reuters)

The longest racing season in the history of Formula 1 lasted a few more hours, from the moment Max Verstappen, Brad Bull-Honda, crossed the finish line and won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating Lewis Hamilton by 2.2 seconds in Mercedes, until the World Drivers' Championship, in which Won for the first time, finally confirmed, after two Mercedes appeals against the management of the race and its results were rejected by the heads of the round (Mercedes has two more days to appeal the decision).

10 laps before the race Christian Horner, team boss of Red Bull came in contact despair.

"Only the God of the races" can help Lorstafn win the World Series, he said.

5 laps from the end of the race, "God of Racing" intervened.

Two laps from the finish intervened in the championship fight Michael Massey, the FIA ​​race director, and gave Max Verstappen the first world championship, in a race whose result was in stark contrast to his development, and in stark contrast to everything that has happened in the last month.

More on Walla!

Huge drama: Verstappen overtook Hamilton in the final lap and won the championship

To the full article

Was exciting, no doubt.

But is that fair?

Verstappen (Photo: GettyImages, ANP Sport)

The whole world was waiting for the drama, the heads of Formula 1 were committed to it, maybe a little too much.

Winner and loser (Photo: Reuters)

2021 Grand Prix season lasted nine months, 22 races, but last month was intense mini season in itself, where Lewis Hamilton returned to the big driver from previous seasons, taking advantage of the improved Mercedes granted him close the gap Sorstafn built for himself during the first 18 races;

After two victories of Rstafn US and Mexico seemed to be no stopping him on his way to an impressive world championship. Hamilton probably will not notice.

There has been almost no change in Verstappen's ability in recent races. He continued to be the brilliant and uncompromising driver. He went on to introduce his remarkable ability indirect, with "clarity" to Apax and braking super late. But the stress accumulated in recent weeks, with Hamilton and Mercedes showed a significant speed advantage, it also affected. Orbiting rating last Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, he smashed his Red Bull into the safety fence; In a leap to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he fell asleep on the starting line, allowing Hamilton to take the lead and dominate the race throughout, just as he dominated races in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Only a top force could take away from Hamilton an eighth world championship. Red Bull and Verstappen were not in the same league. And they knew it.

This was why Survivor Bull chose to implement a disruptive strategy in the last race. Verstappen was sent to leap into the decisive race on soft tires (there was another excuse, but it was worth ignoring) instead of intermediate tires, which limited the flexibility in race management, but was supposed to allow Lorstaff to lead in the early stages of the race. But the coma that fell on Verstappen in a leap (he responded to the red lights lying a tenth of a second behind Hamilton) disrupted the plans.

And Rstafn still trying to overtake Hamilton, who was forced off the course, during the first lap, one of a Note "His impressive, but Hstioards, much to the dismay of Rstafn Rose Ball, decided not to punish Hamilton Place this. Hence Hamilton ran a perfect race, increasing gradually and continuously advantage on Rstafn, nor the Dutch were allowed to significantly reduce the gap between them, after a second tire replacement and Rstafn of the 37th lap. Hamilton seemed the safest way to an eighth championship. Until God of races "sent Nicholas Latifi, a group of Canadian drove Williams to intervene.

The racing accident that Tipi caused in the 53rd lap was not unusual, but everything that happened after it was unusual and confusing. Under normal circumstances, Michael Massi, the FIA ​​race director, would let the cars go five more laps behind the safety car, and finish the race (or in a more extreme case stop the race with a red flag, and resume it for five laps, as happened twice in Saudi Arabia) However, the last five rounds of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have not been what might be called a "normal situation." .

Immediately after the accident of Letippi, Hamilton, on hard tires worn for nearly 40 laps, he passed the entrance to Pitts and did not dive for a tire change.

It was a no-brainer.

Mercedes strategists was important to keep the first place, on the assumption that the race finished behind the safety car.

Verstaffen, during a disruptive and predictable, dive into Pitts, was also a no-brainer, and its wheels were replaced with new ones with soft tires.

All Survival Bull needed now was for the race to be renewed for even one lap.

"We need one more coffee" Red Bull boss broadcast Lmasi, who led the race from the control room.

And Massi granted it to him, even if by way of breach of regulation.

More on Walla!

The excited Verstappen: "It's crazy, sometimes miracles happen."

Mercedes appealed and was rejected

To the full article

Led all the way.

Hamilton (Photo: GettyImages, Lars Baron)

The last five laps of the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi were not what you might call a "normal condition".

Hamilton (Photo: Reuters)

A new star

Massey recent races has become a star in this year championship. Race organizers decision to broadcast in real time (or near real time) messages between group leaders revealed little race manager what was going on behind the scenes and it was fascinating and teaching. Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia placed Red Bull Massey choose what punishment they prefer Sorstafn absorb, after pushing the Hamilton out on track. Wheeling, who won the world press dubbed "the Arab bazaar" opened the door for groups to exert their influence on the race director to interpret the regulations races as they want to see them at the moment. And Massey, who had never been a racing driver, but grew bureaucracy of Hfi"a, was open to it.

For example, Massey has created history, which allowed the existence of the Belgian Grand Prix for one lap only, also is not competitive because of the heavy rains that fell on the track. Massey surrendered in this case, apparently, the pressures stemming from commercial motives; When it was announced that the race was held, at least for one lap, television networks and other organizations would not be able to complain that the race was canceled and demand refunds (race organizers viewers back the money for the tickets).

Perhaps that time, Abu Dhabi, was Massey attentive to the needs of the commercial interests commercial rights to the series, wanted to see it finished in show-down one full orbit of the two stars, instead of dying to an end, behind the safety car, as dictated by the regulation, even though the outcome of the show-down was known in advance. On the hard tires and Hamilton had not worn any chance to keep and Rstafn behind.

When the race resumed, in the 58th and final lap, Verstappen was on Hamilton's tail.

In a late dive he overtook him in the face 5, but Hamilton returned one more attack, in the last line, when Mercedes took advantage of the slipstars from Verstappen's car, which zigzagged on the track to prevent Hamilton from getting the sleepstreams.

The Mercedes still reached a level of equality against the Red Bull, however Lorstafen had the inside line for the next turn.

The race and championship were decided.

Who gave the instruction?

Massey and his considerations (Photo: GettyImages, Clive Rose)

Not in a triangle.

Horner with Verstappen (Photo: GettyImages, ANP Sport)

World Championship in the last round

Situation, the decision of the championship last lap in the last race was not a stranger to Hamilton. The first world championship, which won in 2008, McLaren-Mercedes, he promised only half the final lap in the last race, the Brazilian Grand Prix after Felipe Massa's family began to celebrate the winning of used Ferrari's Brazilian world championship. But then the fight was not about winning the race.

Hamilton then managed fifth place, and Timo Glock topped the car Toyota, less than half of coffee from the end of the race, under heavy rain, to rise to fifth place and stay ahead of Massa by one point and win the championship.

Hamilton came relatively late Formula 1 (22), having done the usual route all the feeder series. In his second year he won a round of the world championship, an unprecedented achievement. In 2007, the debut season, he missed winning the world championship, when the entrance Pitts Chinese Grand Prix, he fell off the track, unable to extricate McLaren sandbox.

Verstappen, who skipped several stages on the way to Formula 1, is currently listed as the youngest driver in the history of the round (aged 17 years and 166 days) and the youngest winner (18 years and 228 days). However, in winning the first world championship he is ranked only in fourth place (24 years and 68 days) and in his seventh season in Formula 1, a statistic on the face of it may not be flattering, but neither is it significant.

Verstappen's meteoric leap to Formula 1, in the 2015 season, when he still did not hold a car driving license in his pocket, automatically placed him as a potential world champion. And he did not disappoint. Verstappen was one of the young talents Survivor Bull cultivated, with the cultivation in charge of Marco Helmut, an Austrian, a tough racing driver in the past who lost one of his eyes at the 1971 French Grand Prix when a stone thrown from a wheel of one of the cars displaced her.

Helmut rarely appear in the media, this work is leaving Lhornr, but its impact on Rstafn great.

In a recent interview with Joss Verstappen, the father, he mentioned the triangle Max Verstappen, Raymond Vermolen (the director) and Marco Helmut as a triangle that operates in a "click" and manages Verstappen's career.

Throughout the interview, Horner's name was not mentioned at all.

The moment that everyone was waiting, but it's not over yet.

Finish line (Photo: Reuters)

The problematic laws

After Latipi's accident, in the 53rd lap, and after Schwarzenegger switched to soft tires, the tension increased - whether the race would be renewed or not.

Five Hamilton cars were separated from Hamilton and Lurstafen.

In the first stage Massey instructed the rear markers not to overtake Hamilton, as is customary;

In the 57th lap the instruction was changed and Massi ordered the five back markers to overtake Hamilton and clear the track for a showdown in the last lap.

The order was given on lap 57.

Regulation stipulates that the race can be resumed only after completed a full lap after the markers back overtook the lead car.

If Massi had applied the regulation verbatim, the race would not have resumed, but would have ended in the 58th lap behind the safety car and Hamilton would have been crowned world champion.

Massi, however, had other considerations.

Connection, Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, who complained about the decision, he said it was a "Sports".

Wolf, after the race did not come, as usual, before the media rushed to the appeal, rejected lightly.

Mercedes is expected to appeal this rejection.

The 2021 season is not over yet.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments