Any F1 fans

[Chrishazle]

We all know that LH was robbed of his deserved WDC, but that it's not going to be changed. We also know that MV's "first WDC championship" will be forever tainted with the fact that it is undeserved so false, but that cannot be changed, so lets hope that 2022 will end with LH reclaiming his crown and becoming the only drive in F1 history to claim 8 WDC's - as he should have done after his masterful drive in AbDab 2021.

 

[Mark A]

Is he an ex racer?
There is a mountain of difference between being a team principle and a race director.
I'd agree if he joined the backroom FIA staff and worked his way into the position.

It was tongue in cheek, he’s hilarious on drive to survive. Takes absolutely no nonsense from his drivers.

 

[JBell]

9am tomorrow for the big reveal.
Will it be black...or back to silver?
I wonder who will be first to post up a photo of the car.

Going on their Race Suits it will be ??????

 

[JBell]

Bringing Lewis in wasn't an option.
If Lewis had pitted Max wouldn't. Safety car strategy for the first two cars generally says the second car does the opposite of the first car.
If Lewis pitted and Max didn't and the race finished under SC Max would have won. If it didn't finish under SC Lewis would have had a massive task to try and pass Max without Max trying to take him off the track.
If the race had restarted according to the rules (all cars unlapped or no cars unlapped - even Masi had said in 2020 that all cars had to unlap) and the safety car had come in at the correct time the race would likely have finished under SC but as Masi was so determined it would finish under green he used the plan given to him by Jonathan Wheatley resulting in this mess.
The argument against finishing under safety car is also somewhat hollow as they were happy to start Spa under safety car and finish two laps later still under safety car. If it was acceptable to finish Spa under safety it should have been acceptable to finish AD under safety if that what the situation demanded.

Masi had options:
1. Red flag and restart. Totally within the rules and under the rules fair to all drivers.
2. Allow no cars to pass and restart. Permitted under the rules and fair to all drivers and would have given 1 or 2 laps racing.
3. Allow all lapped cars to pass and get out the way. This would likely have meant finishing under safety. This would have been within the rules and fair though for TV undesirable.

In the end the decisions taken were neither fair nor within the rules.

At the post race appeal the FIA and stewards had the opportunity to put it right but failed as I would guess the stewards were scared to upset the FIA race director. Red Bulls argument that any does not mean all was laughable at best 3specially given the sporting regulations also refer to "the last lapped car" passing the safety car, something that cannot happen unless all lapped cars pass the safety car.
You have to wonder why RBR were even permitted to be in that part of the appeal as that part of the appeal wasn't against them but against the decisions of the stewards.

Should have let lapped cars pass earlier, most of NL's car was cleared, lapped cars have to proceed at a safe pace round, let's see how they change the rules

Spa was farcical, the rules for that have now been changed, shouldn't even have started but that was a financial decision

 

[JBell]

Mercedes

 

[Ron240]

Going on their Race Suits it will be ??????

I noticed you edited that.

Black and silver....best of both...I like it.

 

[JBell]

I noticed you edited that.

Black and silver....best of both...I like it.

I saw them in black suits but heard the car would go back to Silver so was hedging my bets

 

[brandwooddixon]

Is it now a regulation that the lowest section of the car i.e. the ground skirting etc. should be black? I guess that the teams are keen to hide as much detail from the cameras as possible.

I do prefer the look of this years cars, much cleaner, with nice swooping lines.

 

[Ron240]

I bet the young George couldn't have imagined this even in his wildest dreams!

 

[JBell]

FIA tweaks Safety Car Rules:

Ahead of the new season beginning in Bahrain next month, the FIA’s updated F1 sporting regulations include a revision of the wording of one of the articles surrounding safety car restarts.

It focuses on what triggers the call for the safety car to return to the pits at the end of the following lap, potentially speeding up the process to get racing back underway.

Under last year’s sporting regulations, this would happen “once the last lapped car has passed the leader” after the call had been given for them to overtake.

But as per the revised rules, this will now occur "once the message ‘LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE’ has been sent to all competitors using the official messaging system”. The track must have already been declared safe by the clerk of the course for this message to be given.

While the change does not directly address the articles that Masi failed to implement, it could help to speed up safety car restarts in the 2022 season, saving the time it would take for the last lapped car to pass the leader on-track before the call is given for the safety car to come in.

Although the safety car will still return to the pits “at the end of the following lap”, the time saved by not waiting for the train of cars to pass the leader will either lead to a quicker restart or give teams more notice of the race resuming.

 

[JBell]

Design differences between the Ferrari and Mercedes

 

[LostKiwi]

I'm really curious to see how the Ferrari aero works - it's very different to the others.
Look at the area above the drivers head for example. Significantly less intake on the Ferrari.
The area at the rear of the side pods are another radical departure with a deep sculpted channel running around the engine. The side pod air intakes are another significant departure from the rest of the field.

 

[JBell]

I'm really curious to see how the Ferrari aero works - it's very different to the others.
Look at the area above the drivers head for example. Significantly less intake on the Ferrari.
The area at the rear of the side pods are another radical departure with a deep sculpted channel running around the engine. The side pod air intakes are another significant departure from the rest of the field.

The front wing was the first thing that hit me, the MB is so sculpted in comparison

 

[JBell]

I'm really curious to see how the Ferrari aero works - it's very different to the others.

Could this explain it

Front wings

Mercedes Aero

 

[JBell]

Drivers in Q3 will no longer have to use the tyres they set their fastest lap in Q2 on to start the race. Everyone gets free choice

 

[Rotorhead500]

The front wing was the first thing that hit me, the MB is so sculpted in comparison

It would be... unless they reversed in to you!

Anyway JB, what were you doing on track???

 

[JBell]

It would be... unless they reversed in to you!

Anyway JB, what were you doing on track???

All a bit Secret Squirrel Whirlybird

 

[Marty Y]

The new car looks and sounds great, it's good to see Lewis back behind the wheel.

 

[bob 6600]

Bringing Lewis in wasn't an option.
If Lewis had pitted Max wouldn't. Safety car strategy for the first two cars generally says the second car does the opposite of the first car.
If Lewis pitted and Max didn't and the race finished under SC Max would have won. If it didn't finish under SC Lewis would have had a massive task to try and pass Max without Max trying to take him off the track.
If the race had restarted according to the rules (all cars unlapped or no cars unlapped - even Masi had said in 2020 that all cars had to unlap) and the safety car had come in at the correct time the race would likely have finished under SC but as Masi was so determined it would finish under green he used the plan given to him by Jonathan Wheatley resulting in this mess.
The argument against finishing under safety car is also somewhat hollow as they were happy to start Spa under safety car and finish two laps later still under safety car. If it was acceptable to finish Spa under safety it should have been acceptable to finish AD under safety if that what the situation demanded.

Masi had options:
1. Red flag and restart. Totally within the rules and under the rules fair to all drivers.
2. Allow no cars to pass and restart. Permitted under the rules and fair to all drivers and would have given 1 or 2 laps racing.
3. Allow all lapped cars to pass and get out the way. This would likely have meant finishing under safety. This would have been within the rules and fair though for TV undesirable.

In the end the decisions taken were neither fair nor within the rules.

At the post race appeal the FIA and stewards had the opportunity to put it right but failed as I would guess the stewards were scared to upset the FIA race director. Red Bulls argument that any does not mean all was laughable at best 3specially given the sporting regulations also refer to "the last lapped car" passing the safety car, something that cannot happen unless all lapped cars pass the safety car.
You have to wonder why RBR were even permitted to be in that part of the appeal as that part of the appeal wasn't against them but against the decisions of the stewards.

I agree with everything you have said LK and have been saying the same, especially the point about the safety car in on the following lap and your last sentence. Red Bull were only an 'interested party' because they gained from it. They should not have been there to add their 2p worth, which eventually the stewards used as a get out of jail free card. The result had nothing to do with Red Bull or Max and so they shouldn't have been allowed in the room. My other gripe was what happened to the other teams? Ferrari had a strong case of being disadvantaged and some others too. Where were their voices? If they added their voices maybe the stewards would have made the right call.

Then there's the 'overtaking' during safety car period. Max went ahead of Lewis, whether it was 1cm or 1m, it doesn't matter. It also doesn't matter that Lewis slowed down, he's entitled to do so. No car should be alongside whilst there is a safety car period. Apart from the safety aspect, cars also tend to weave to gain heat in their tyres. If Lewis was disqualified in Brazil Qualy for a 0.2mm infringement (or whatever it was) then Max should have been given a penalty for overtaking during a safety car period.

 

[rf065]

My other gripe was what happened to the other teams? Ferrari had a strong case of being disadvantaged and some others too. Where were their voices? If they added their voices maybe the stewards would have made the right call.

In my opinion, those at the top of running F1 and most of the other teams were all sick of Mercedes and Hamiltons dominance. I truly believe that a lot of decisions throughout the entire season were biased against Hamilton where they thought they could get away with it which led to the ultimate disregard for the rules to allow another car to win in the last race of the season.
Only in the cold light of day have other drivers and teams looked at what went on and now admit it was unacceptable (apart from red Bull), I suspect the F1 bosses also know this but now have to cover themselves against any claims of unfairness.
If the other teams had protested decisions earlier in the season, it might never have been allowed to descend into the actual farce that it was in the end.

Verstappen claims his title is not tainted, but he's deluding himself.