Opinion on Brundle is one thing but there is a massive difference between following a sport and participating in it. Hey, while you’re about it, why don’t you go and replace Mr. Klopp?
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2021 Formula 1 Season Thread
- Thread starter pachyderm
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Just checking in to see if anyone has sent emails to the FIA, F1, and Liberty expressing there dissatisfaction with this seasons meltdown?
No change will happen by debating the same points over, and over,, and over in MR.
I sent mine off this week. Top 3 areas:
1) Reduce the influence of Liberty Media over Race Day Operations (Unrealistic but I sent it as #1 anyway.)
2) Replace Massey. He is too contaminated. No chance of rehabilitation.
3) No more radio communication between the Race Director and teams during the duration of the race.
Send your emails. There is power in numbers. There is power in writing to sponsors and informing them you are boycotting their product until reform is undertaken.
Nothing of value is ever easy. ?
No change will happen by debating the same points over, and over,, and over in MR.
I sent mine off this week. Top 3 areas:
1) Reduce the influence of Liberty Media over Race Day Operations (Unrealistic but I sent it as #1 anyway.)
2) Replace Massey. He is too contaminated. No chance of rehabilitation.
3) No more radio communication between the Race Director and teams during the duration of the race.
Send your emails. There is power in numbers. There is power in writing to sponsors and informing them you are boycotting their product until reform is undertaken.
Nothing of value is ever easy. ?
@The-Real-Deal82 - You are one of my faves on here. I greatly value your opinion. But he had plenty of room. All he had to do was back off a bit. He had a choice and he chose to keep going full speed. He could have let that corner go and fought for the next one. I remember it differently and as far as I could tell, and all of the announcers for that matter, he never gave a second of the time back. I could have sworn they asked him to give all the time back. I also feel like they would have made any other driver give the position back. They treat him and MB with kid gloves IMHO.
Spot on about Brundle. He's the worst.
I’ve stated my opinion to you twice and have nothing more to add. Going off topic about football is not something I am going to entertain here either.
I disagree with you about the corner. It rapidly became irrelevant though as the race went on as the pace Lewis had was quickly apparent as he was faster than Max on older tyres in the middle part of the race to build up such a lead. Lewis won the race until the last lap debacle and I am sure the outcome has pleased many fans including yourself but many are disillusioned by it. There is a lot of trust to be earned back and the FIA are already in damage limitation mode.
Hiya,
That,s a great idea.
Also, are there petitions going on that have any weight to them?
Cheers
Martin
This is what I find disgusting about the Reb Bull team and it's principle
uk.yahoo.com
Basically Horner is blaming Mercedes for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres when the safety car was called out and as he was not on fresh tyres it is Mercedes fault why Verstappen caught and passed Hamilton to win the race. What Horner fails to and refuses to understand is why would Mercedes pit Hamilton? Hamilton had pitted earlier and thus his tyres would have been ok to see him through to the rest of the race. How was Mercedes to know that the race director would change the rules? If Mercedes new such a thing was going to happen I have no doubt that they would have pitted Hamilton to get fresh tyres.
As we saw in the race, Red Bull kept Verstappen out long enough to see what Mercedes was going to do when the safety car was out. Remember, Hamilton had pitted earlier, Verstappen had not so naturally it was a good time for Verstappen to come in for fresh tyres, especially if he was going to have a hard fight to get past Hamilton, he would need fresh tyres that would last due to the amount of heavy wear they would take in trying to get past the back markers and Hamilton.
The problem I have with Horner and his remarks about Mercedes being at fault for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres so both drivers were on fresh tyres is that he is using the rules changes as justification for it being Mercedes fault. If the rules had not been changed he knows full well Hamilton would have won and Verstappen come second. Horner is a disgrace in my opinion.
Christian Horner exclusive interview: 'It's a shame how Mercedes took defeat - they made the tactical error with Hamilton'
Still exhilarated by the most incendiary finale in Formula One history, Christian Horner has little time for the idea that Lewis Hamilton was denied an eighth world title by some act of grand larceny. Never mind being “robbed” in Abu Dhabi, as Toto Wolff’s wife Susie has alleged, Red Bull’s team...
uk.yahoo.com
Basically Horner is blaming Mercedes for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres when the safety car was called out and as he was not on fresh tyres it is Mercedes fault why Verstappen caught and passed Hamilton to win the race. What Horner fails to and refuses to understand is why would Mercedes pit Hamilton? Hamilton had pitted earlier and thus his tyres would have been ok to see him through to the rest of the race. How was Mercedes to know that the race director would change the rules? If Mercedes new such a thing was going to happen I have no doubt that they would have pitted Hamilton to get fresh tyres.
As we saw in the race, Red Bull kept Verstappen out long enough to see what Mercedes was going to do when the safety car was out. Remember, Hamilton had pitted earlier, Verstappen had not so naturally it was a good time for Verstappen to come in for fresh tyres, especially if he was going to have a hard fight to get past Hamilton, he would need fresh tyres that would last due to the amount of heavy wear they would take in trying to get past the back markers and Hamilton.
The problem I have with Horner and his remarks about Mercedes being at fault for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres so both drivers were on fresh tyres is that he is using the rules changes as justification for it being Mercedes fault. If the rules had not been changed he knows full well Hamilton would have won and Verstappen come second. Horner is a disgrace in my opinion.
This is basically how I feel, as well. Lewis could have slowed slightly to remove the small advantage he gained in cutting across the chicane, and then he would simply have pulled away again. As you say, he won the race until the very final lap, it was not in any doubt.
It seems to me that Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have long ago left behind any ability to act with respect or civility towards their opposing team. It goes beyond what I would expect in a competitive sport and reflects the broader lack of civility in our society as a whole, something that is concerning and disheartening.
Lewis and his father both showed great class when the race had concluded. The team principals, not so much.
This is what I find disgusting about the Reb Bull team and it's principle
Christian Horner exclusive interview: 'It's a shame how Mercedes took defeat - they made the tactical error with Hamilton'
Still exhilarated by the most incendiary finale in Formula One history, Christian Horner has little time for the idea that Lewis Hamilton was denied an eighth world title by some act of grand larceny. Never mind being “robbed” in Abu Dhabi, as Toto Wolff’s wife Susie has alleged, Red Bull’s team...
Basically Horner is blaming Mercedes for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres when the safety car was called out and as he was not on fresh tyres it is Mercedes fault why Verstappen caught and passed Hamilton to win the race. What Horner fails to and refuses to understand is why would Mercedes pit Hamilton? Hamilton had pitted earlier and thus his tyres would have been ok to see him through to the rest of the race. How was Mercedes to know that the race director would change the rules? If Mercedes new such a thing was going to happen I have no doubt that they would have pitted Hamilton to get fresh tyres.
As we saw in the race, Red Bull kept Verstappen out long enough to see what Mercedes was going to do when the safety car was out. Remember, Hamilton had pitted earlier, Verstappen had not so naturally it was a good time for Verstappen to come in for fresh tyres, especially if he was going to have a hard fight to get past Hamilton, he would need fresh tyres that would last due to the amount of heavy wear they would take in trying to get past the back markers and Hamilton.
The problem I have with Horner and his remarks about Mercedes being at fault for not pitting Hamilton to get fresh tyres so both drivers were on fresh tyres is that he is using the rules changes as justification for it being Mercedes fault. If the rules had not been changed he knows full well Hamilton would have won and Verstappen come second. Horner is a disgrace in my opinion.
Are you forgetting that Max has already stopped for tyres under the VSC several laps earlier, and certainly didn't need to stop for more soft tyres? I'm sure the newer hard tyres would have made it very difficult for Lewis to defend on the last lap. Lewis clearly had the faster car, so had Mercedes pitted Lewis under the VSC or SC, he would have overtaken Max on track, although hindsight is a wonderful thing, and Red Bull clearly had nothing to lose so throwing the dice was a much earlier decision for them.
I hope we get some clearer rules to go with the new cars in 2022, but it's time to put 2021 to bed. I think over the course of the season, Max probably deserved the championship. I'm still gutted for Lewis and would have liked to see him cement his position as the GOAT. I hope he still had the fight to go again in 2022 and we get another season with just as much excitement but decided on the track and not by inconsistent application of the regulations.
But you are forgetting a very important thing, at the time of the crash and the safety car being rolled out, there was 6 laps remaining. Red Bull knew there would be back markers for Verstappen to deal with and then try his best to get past Hamilton who would naturally try his best to stop Verstappen passing him. Now for that kind of push and driving to happen it would put a huge demand on the tyres and considering that Verstappen had pitted way earlier than Hamilton Red Bull could not take the chance that the tyres Verstappen was currently on would hold out knowing what was going to be required of their driver so of course, the logical thing to do was call in Verstappen to pit to get fresh tyres. As I stated before, Hamilton had already pitted for fresh tyres thus his tyres would have been ok to last him to the rest of the race, 6 laps remaining remember.
Up to the point of Verstappen pitting for fresh tyres, all the tactical decision making was based on what each team knew of the rules of the safety car being deployed. We have seen such tactical decisions made like that time and time again BUT what nobody, and I mean NOBODY could have predicted what the race director would do, something that has not been done during the season.
Anyone who has been watching F1 for sometime knows how team tactics play out when the safety car is used and how these tactics come into play when it comes close to the end of the race, so with 6 laps left and Hamilton having pitted earlier would know instantly that given what the current conditions of the race was with 6 laps to go Hamilton's current tyres would have been enough to see him through to the end of the race. The ONLY people who are saying it is Mercedes fault is the team who benefited from the race directors changing of the rules. NO ONE else is saying it's Mercedes fault and more importantly, NO ONE else is defending Red Bull.
Well they are managing teams with nine-figure annual spends that they have to justify to a corporate Marketing Department who then have to justify that to a CEO and a Board of Directors.
And yes, while they are spending that money first and foremost to win a Constructor's Championship, winning the World Driving Championship ranks not much farther behind.
Under traditional means, the race would have ended two ways: under the safety car or with 1-2 laps left of the race after the cleanup. It's up to the strategists of each team to weigh that risk. There have been multiple reports (I'm not invested enough to recall if any were officially from a team or the FIA themselves) that they would do everything they could to make sure the race didn't end with a safety car. Now what the FIA did was unprecedented for sure and sets a really bad precedent. The rules should be changes and there should be internal changes to prevent this from happening again.
In my opinion, if Latifi spun 1 lap earlier, I don't think Mercedes would have done it differently. Everyone would have been properly unlapped, and the result would have been the same. I don't think how the FIA handled the return of the race was right, but I think Red Bull took all the risks (with less to lose) and Mercedes wanted race position over anything. Their strategy has been to hold race position as the indisputably faster car, and it didn't pay off. As for a race incident closing a gap between rivals? That's racing, that's F1. Just like Imola
Thoughts on Lewis retiring? Looking more likely. FIA issuing a reprimand for him not attending the F1 Gala in protest, rubbing salt into his fresh wound. 3rd of the year resulting in a 10 place grid penalty right off the bat in 2022. No question the FIA wants him out now. Getting ugly.
I say he hangs it up, uses his $256 million USD net worth to create a Philanthropic Organization and Bottas returns to the W11 in 2022 for 1 year.
I say he hangs it up, uses his $256 million USD net worth to create a Philanthropic Organization and Bottas returns to the W11 in 2022 for 1 year.
In my opinion he will retire if he believes there is no real chance of him getting a record 8th drivers championship in the next 1 or 2 years. He could have 1-2 years left in him because he's 36 now and only a select few have won the championship having been older than 36.
The last oldest driver to win the championship before Hamilton is Alain Prost who was 38 when he won it in 1993. Note that Damon Hill was 36 when he won the championship in 1996.
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That's just the FIA being the FIA. They don't take well to being "disrespected". It's one of the reasons why I think Mercedes did not push their protest to the FIA Appeals Court because the AC has a track-record of not just denying the protest, but then tacking on penalties to the protesting team for having the audacity to actually appeal an FIA decision.
As for Lewis, if he retires, IMO, it will be because he thinks he can't win another title and I don't see him thinking that - especially after having it within his grasp. Even if he thinks RBR will have a better 2022 package or that George Russell will be a real competitor within the team I think he has the belief he can do it.
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I wonder when contracts have to be signed for the new season because I was thinking when Mercedes do their testing of the car for the new season, it would indicate if the car is going to be competitive or not and if the team struggle to make the car competitive, would Hamilton think he is not going to win with the car and thus not attempt trying and announce his retirement?
Well Lewis is under contract right now, having signed a $143 million extension in July 2021 that runs through the end of 2023. I presume that contract has an option for him to retire and forgo part of that payment.
Just look one year earlier than Prost and in 1992 you have Mansell who was 39. I don’t think the cars are as physically demanding on the drivers as they were 30 years ago and think Lewis is plenty fit enough if he still has the thirst for success in the next 5 years.
I do not believe I have read anything about Lewis doing Official Practice time in the W11. George spent quite a long time in his W11 the day after Abu Dhabi.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree. I think these cars are just as demanding if not more. Especially on the upper body, back, and neck especially. They G Loads are immense.
I would also add todays cars are far safer given the crashes we see drivers walk away from. The cars of old were not designed to dissipate the kinetic energy away from the driver by disintegrating like today.
I would agree as well that Lewis is in outstanding physical condition. I just have this feeling this season was all he needed to move on from F1. There are a lot of very positive things he can do for society outside of F1, and I think he is really in a hard place right now as to decide which direction he goes at the Fork in The Road in front of him.
Back in 1992 the upper body from the shoulders upwards was exposed out of the car and there was no HANS device keeping the drivers neck straight. Even Lewis has commented how tough Senna’s 1988 McLaren was to drive. I haven’t driven an F1 car myself so can’t prove anything. I know the cars in the early 90’s had very little aerodynamic grip and relied mostly on mechanical. Senna used to get out of the car looking exhausted and we all know how fit he was.
I remember watching F1 drivers on televison mainly Senna, Prost and Mansell and back then, when the race had finished and you saw the drivers take off their helmet and the fireproof covering you could see just hot, very sweaty and exhaused those drivers were. Now when I watch today's F1 and see today's drivers do the same at race end, take of their helment and fireproof covering, it looks like they have just done a leisurely drive down the motorway.
I also think back then in the days of Senna, Prost and Mansell the cars were far more demanding on the body than they are today, meaning they would have needed to be far far fitter than today's drivers. So for Mansell to carry on and win the championship at 39 is a testament to the man's physical abilities.
Absolutely they are! Your still going round a corner at 150mph! That's the whole thing about F1, it's not the straight line speed and acceleration but it's the aerodynamics and how fast they go round a track that makes them special, because they go round corners so fast.
I remember rules were changed allowing the drivers to build more muscle and they were incredibly grateful for it due to the stresses they get.
Under breaking alone an F1 car pulls 5G, your raid car pulls about 0.5g. So that's about 33kg of force on your neck muscles. And you can't go too slowly for too long either as the car will turn off because the hydraulics are drive off the engine, so if you go too slowly you lose pressure and can't change gears etc.
I've seen drivers step pit of the cars even this year dripping on sweat. Make no bones about it driving an F1 car is as difficult today as it was before.
I also don't think Lewis will retire, that's just the media kicking up a fuss, Lewis hasn't mentioned it. He'll be back next year.
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