This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
Max was a --- disgrace today. Tried a conglomeration of every dirty driver in history's tactics in one race. --- joke. Masi tried to give him the championship as well.
What did Max say in the interview, the feed here in the States was completely muted on ESPN!
nothing in particular, he said he tried to give the place back and that there was contact, I think they know they didn't have what it would take to win here, gave it everything and lost, that is what I gathered from the messages over the radio and Maxes interview
'Verstappen over the limit for sure'
Lewis Hamilton tells Sky Sports: "For me I had to keep my cool out there which was difficult to do. I've been racing for 28 years and come across a lot of different characters. There are a few of them that are over the limit, rules do not apply or they don't think of the rules.
"I was just trying to do my talking on the track. There were so many crazy curveballs then he [Verstappen] brake tested me to get the DRS and overtake me again into Turn One.
"He is over the limit for sure. I've avoided collisions on so many occasions with this guy and I don't mind doing that as you live to survive another day.
"I didn't get the information [that Verstappen was letting him through] so it was very confusing and was he trying to play some crazy tactic? Then he hit the brakes so hard and I nearly went up the back of him.
"For him, it does not matter if we both don't finish but for me we both need to finish. I'm personally chilled. I feel like I'm in the boxing ring and I'm ready to go."
'Spectacular, but not good racing'
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff tells Sky Sports: "I don't think this is done yet. Lewis deserved it, he could've been out a few times with a broken wing. That was spectacular, but not good racing.
"The telemetry shows he [Verstappen] is slowing down, then accelerated, then slowing down again. Lewis did not know [if he was being allowed to move ahead], it's the wrong sequence of messages.
"We need to look at the stewards and they look at the telemetry and come to a judgement.
"It was a degree of frustration and I need to reserve judgement until I've seen the race again tomorrow.
"The driving needs to be assessed and looked at. It is hard, very hard, maybe over the line. We just want to have a clean championship and the best man wins.
"If it is Max, I'm at peace with that but we need it to be a fair race. Max has more wins so it's still an advantage. It's important to have a great, great race at the end of the season, with two fantastic drivers racing each other. It's going down to the wire and that's how it should be."
Just looked at Karen's lap on yt. Abu dhabi seems like it's a merc fest. Rbr should br stronger in s3 but not by much as the corners were widened to allow higher apex speed.
How do we see the Abu Dhabi track seems like almost all corners have been removed mostly.
with pretty much all the slow speed bumpy kerb chicanes taken out, this can only be good for Mercedes.
Please lets just have a simple boring Mercedes 1-2 With Lewis letting Valtteri through on the final corner.
Max is a incredible driver and made this years championship 1 of the most exciting in a long time but today multiple incidence's were just too much.
Hamilton was clearly ahead and on the racing line and Max just brakes so late with no intention of making the corner with a crash or die situation that if Lewis does not back off, most likely both cars will be taken out, Max maintains he's lead in the points standings. It was very clear Max had to give that position back.
So on lap 37 after being instructed on the radio to do so Max supposedly tries to give the position back but on a long sweeping curve to the left (not on a straight) and Max seemingly wiggling in the middle of the track while braking excessively hard. If Max wanted to make it obvious he would have pulled over to the right to make it very obvious he was waving Lewis through which he did not. Or let him through in a safer more obvious spot like a straight with not such a high risk of crashing.
Now every race we see so many blue flags. I have seen 1000s of blue flags over the decades where the car slows down to the let the lead car ahead. Obviously Max did not have a blue flag but being instructed on the radio to let the car behind overtake was as close to a blue flag as you can get. And we saw something we have never seen before. And Lewis has made 1000's of similar blue flag overtakes in races so he is 1 of the most experienced on the grid in passing cars that are letting him through. Unless i missed an incident this is possibly the first time ever Lewis in his entire F1 career has hit the car ahead that was supposedly waving him through? So clearly you cannot blame Lewis.
So what exactly did Max do?
1. Overly Excessive braking (which i'm sure telemetry can compare the average blue flag braking, let somebody go by, and how much max slowed down in comparison) on a curve while wiggling slightly in the middle of that narrow left hand curve.
2. Some have suggested Max wanted Lewis slightly ahead at the DRS line so Max can re overtake. If this is the case and we seen Alonso, Ham so do this in Canada you slow down just a fraction so you are a fraction behind to then use the DRS to regain the position back. Yo do not slam the brakes so you end up so farrr behind if Lewis did dive through on left inside and cannot fight back. Max from his onboard i counted 5 downshifts. I have never in my life seen a driver downshift 5 times to let a driver through in F1 ever.
3. Then after Lewis hits Max, he changes his mind about the (give Lewis the position back team order) and continues to defy the order and drive 5 more laps fighting Lewis from lap 37 to 42 till he finally slows down to let Lewis by again 5 laps later.
So if max claims he was trying to let Lewis by why did he continue to fight him for 5 further laps? This is the nail in the coffin really IMHO
So IMHO that was a clear black flag incident.
Yes I, and i'm sure many fans want to see the race go down to the wire as it is very exciting but this is just too much and it seems the FIA is only letting this behavior go on as the championship battle is so close and exciting and great for ratings.
Last edited by Mclarensenna on 06 Dec 2021, 03:43, edited 1 time in total.
Ayrton Senna: Pure driving, pure racing, that´s what makes me happy.
2. Then after Lewis hits Max, he changes his mind about the (give Lewis the position back team order) and continues to defy the order and drive 5 more laps fighting Lewis from lap 37 to 42 till he finally slows down to let Lewis by again 5 laps later.
At lap 42 he just let Lewis through just before the final corner and then repassed him immediately going into the final turn and used drs to pull away again. That was really bs thing to do, with the rules set since 2008 spa.
Also if you look on the replays, max closes lewis down on the left when lewis was going to go left and then he stops the brakes when he sees that closing gap in his mirrors.
But Max also has a lack of understanding of the rules. I guess its down to age, but even when he gives back the place the cars would have to drive through two corners because he can overtake again correct?
So all of his dirty efforts to try have some DRS advantage would have been for naught even if he did not bump Lewis.
Secondly I am sure Lewis knows the above and did not feel threatened in anyway if the team said to him to pass max here before the DRS.
