FIA Thread

[Jolle]

So the sprint is no longer part of qualifying and a race on it's own. I wonder if they hammered out the penalties already?

[AeroDynamic]

Theres rumour reports going around that Stefano Domenicali would like to see Masi go but Mohammad Ben Sulayem doesn't necessarily agree with this course of action.

I'm guessing Stefano is thinking about the reputation and value of the sport and brand on behalf of the shareholders with this if true. And, of course, he may genuinely think Masi is unfit as well.

[KeiKo403]

His last 6 words….”we can only improve the future”

Why would Masi be at that meeting though? Especially if we’re to believe that the FIA are yet to conclude their investigation. Surely Abu Dhabi was more of a discussion point than the single small paragraph issued by the FIA after the meeting leads us to believe.

[NathanOlder]

If you are honestly suggesting that the result wasn’t obvious the second he allowed only 5 cars to pass due to the tyre situation on the lead 2 cars then you’ve not been paying any attention.

I can only assume you and he are being obtuse.

Why should Masi be bothered about the tyre situation of any car? Just because Mercedes didn't choose to pit, should give some kind of soft corner in Race Director's heart?

The choice not to pit was driven by the understanding of the written rules and what Masi had previously said was absolutely essential - that all of the cars must be fully unlapped if unlapping occurs before the SC is called in.

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis. Either way pitting would have meant losing track position and thus giving up the race. Staying out meant keeping track position and either finishing behind the SC (win race and title) or restarting for a lap or two but with a lot of cars in between Lewis and Max which would mean a good chance of winning the race and title.

It was the F1 equivalent of Pascal's Wager. Only this time, Masi came along and proved that God doesn't exist thus buggering up Pascal's choice...

Exactly this, but it seems some want to play it as a tactical masterstroke by RedBull, and/or a screw up by Mercedes.

[AeroDynamic]

Why should Masi be bothered about the tyre situation of any car? Just because Mercedes didn't choose to pit, should give some kind of soft corner in Race Director's heart?

The choice not to pit was driven by the understanding of the written rules and what Masi had previously said was absolutely essential - that all of the cars must be fully unlapped if unlapping occurs before the SC is called in.

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis. Either way pitting would have meant losing track position and thus giving up the race. Staying out meant keeping track position and either finishing behind the SC (win race and title) or restarting for a lap or two but with a lot of cars in between Lewis and Max which would mean a good chance of winning the race and title.

It was the F1 equivalent of Pascal's Wager. Only this time, Masi came along and proved that God doesn't exist thus buggering up Pascal's choice...

Exactly this, but it seems some want to play it as a tactical masterstroke by RedBull, and/or a screw up by Mercedes.

probably because its ones way of attempting to legitimise the result if they want to argue that the result is in no way a product of illegitimate race authoring by the RD.

[Wouter]

So the sprint is no longer part of qualifying and a race on it's own. I wonder if they hammered out the penalties already?

.
The sprintrace is the qualification for the GP on Sunday and not a race on his own.

[Wouter]

Qualifying sets the grid for the Sprint. The result of the Sprint sets the grid for the race. Pole position for record purposes is whoever sets the fastest lap in qualifying.

So you set the fastest time in qualifying, you have pole position. You start the sprint from P1 on the grid thanks to that fast time in qualifying. Ending the sprint in P3, you then start Sunday's race from P3 on the grid even though you are, officially, the pole sitter for the weekend.

Simple, eh?

The FIA statement says Friday qualifying sets the grid for the Grand Prix - which is Sunday though.

Sprint

Following a review of the three Sprint events that took place in 2021 and a recognition by all that the format created positive benefits for the sport, three Sprint events were proposed for 2022, acknowledging this as a sensible number in light of the pressures already on the teams for this season with the introduction of major changes to the regulations. The Commission unanimously approved the three Sprint events for the coming season, incorporating a number of updates to the format based on the feedback of fans, media and teams. The Sprint events will be:

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Austrian Grand Prix
Brazilian Grand Prix
The format changes will include:

Change of official session name from Sprint Qualifying to Sprint
Awarding World Championship points for the top eight as follows:
1st – 8 points
2nd – 7 points
3rd – 6 points
4th – 5 points
5th – 4 points
6th – 3 points
7th – 2 points
8th – 1 point
Awarding Pole Position for the Grand Prix to the fastest driver in Qualifying on Friday
Cost Cap Adjustments for Sprint events will remain unchanged from 2021.

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-commission- ... -statement

.
It is about the Pirelli Award for the GP weekend. This Award will be given to the driver who is fastest on Friday,
but that is not the qualifying for the race on Sunday, but for the sprintrace. I think that's how you have to interpret it.

"Change of official session name from Sprint Qualifying to Sprint."
Huh?? Oh, I don't know it anymore now!

Edit: I found it:

It was striking that the FIA’s statement announcing the new sprint race rules noted only that the format changes would include “awarding pole position to the fastest driver in qualifying on Friday”. That seemed encouraging. But F1’s explanation of its new rules confirmed the only change is a cosmetic one.

“The driver who tops Friday qualifying on a sprint weekend will be awarded pole position for statistical purposes,” it noted (emphasis added). “Sunday’s grand prix grid will still be determined by the results of the Saturday sprint.”

[nzjrs]

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis.

You forgot a *maybe* or *likely*... but it's not a certainty.

I said this in a previous post. They missed the SC coming in a lap earlier by about 35 seconds due to a small marshaling delay. But for this small amount of time the lapped cars would have been released and Masi would have started before they got to the back of the train because everyone wanted a green flag finish.

People would have still bitched about rules not being followed, but in that case the race would be remembered as nothing more than another SC gamble paying off for one team and not paying off for another (and MB not being in a safer position because of Perez's work).

[Baulz]

This is just patently false. All the race director did was let some lapped cars unlap. The overtake for the race win and the associated championship points happened on the circuit, as a typical car race as the Race Director himself noted.

Masi is a great race director who deserves full support.
[/quote]

The problem I have with the scenario is that Masi posted on screen for the world to see no lapped cars will overtake, then changed his mind a couple laps later. Once the original call was made teams planned based on that, it was unfair to reverse the decision in that way.

[SmallSoldier]

Many people, including current and former drivers and TV pundits share the same opinion with regards to the decision making and willing to see Masi continue. It remains to be seen if FIA would get bullied or not by Toto (I doubt if the Daimler supports it so can't say Mercedes).

It’s a polarizing situation and one that of course have people emotionally invested in the different sides of the situation… As you say, many people may agree with Masi (it’s interesting though, because making a count would be pretty hard and always debatable since who’s opinion matter more) and many people (based on what I’ve read, more than the ones that agree), disagree with how Masi handled the situation.

It’s a shame though, that we are already trying to establish a narrative that if the FIA does agree with those that think that Masi’s actions were wrong, it is because of Mercedes / Toto “bullying them”, I disagree with such a statement since it’s a cope out… If the FIA does take action against Masi is because they agree that the actions from him at the last race weren’t correct (I’m not arguing intention, simply based on what the rules are as written today)… This same argument goes for those afraid that the FIA will actually validate Masi’s actions, in which case the other camp will say that the FIA intervened to make Max a Champion.

At the end, I’m afraid that regardless of the decision there is going to be people that are leaving logic in their trash cans and are ready to assume one thing or the other based on the decision.

Given the fact that the FIA actually went to the lengths of performing an investigation (something that is sui generis for this type of situations), I will side which whatever outcome from it… If it is in favor of Masi, great! We can put it to rest and hopefully they simply put rules in place to avoid a repeat… If it’s against Masi’s call, then great! We can put it to rest and hope that rules are put in place so that we can avoid all the polemic behind it and it’s clear to all involve how this situations should be handled in the future.

If it's in favour of masi, then surely he was correct and rules don't need to change ? Rules won't need to be put in place to avoid a repeat ?

If it’s in favor of Masi (meaning that his interpretation of the rules and the way he executed them is correct), clarification will be needed (and potentially some tweaking) to avoid it the confusion we have right now in the future.

[SmallSoldier]

Many people, including current and former drivers and TV pundits share the same opinion with regards to the decision making and willing to see Masi continue. It remains to be seen if FIA would get bullied or not by Toto (I doubt if the Daimler supports it so can't say Mercedes).

It’s a polarizing situation and one that of course have people emotionally invested in the different sides of the situation… As you say, many people may agree with Masi (it’s interesting though, because making a count would be pretty hard and always debatable since who’s opinion matter more) and many people (based on what I’ve read, more than the ones that agree), disagree with how Masi handled the situation.

It’s a shame though, that we are already trying to establish a narrative that if the FIA does agree with those that think that Masi’s actions were wrong, it is because of Mercedes / Toto “bullying them”, I disagree with such a statement since it’s a cope out… If the FIA does take action against Masi is because they agree that the actions from him at the last race weren’t correct (I’m not arguing intention, simply based on what the rules are as written today)… This same argument goes for those afraid that the FIA will actually validate Masi’s actions, in which case the other camp will say that the FIA intervened to make Max a Champion.

At the end, I’m afraid that regardless of the decision there is going to be people that are leaving logic in their trash cans and are ready to assume one thing or the other based on the decision.

Given the fact that the FIA actually went to the lengths of performing an investigation (something that is sui generis for this type of situations), I will side which whatever outcome from it… If it is in favor of Masi, great! We can put it to rest and hopefully they simply put rules in place to avoid a repeat… If it’s against Masi’s call, then great! We can put it to rest and hope that rules are put in place so that we can avoid all the polemic behind it and it’s clear to all involve how this situations should be handled in the future.

Thank you. That's about as real as you can be about all of this.

Massive Respect.

Thanks

[Big Tea]

I am glad it seems to be going beyond which team benefits from this that or the other event, crucify Masi and get back to how it was, towards considering making sure 'things' change going forward. Do we want a scapegoat or a remedy. I'm for a remedy even, ot I should say especially, if no one suffers.

[Ryar]

If you are honestly suggesting that the result wasn’t obvious the second he allowed only 5 cars to pass due to the tyre situation on the lead 2 cars then you’ve not been paying any attention.

I can only assume you and he are being obtuse.

Why should Masi be bothered about the tyre situation of any car? Just because Mercedes didn't choose to pit, should give some kind of soft corner in Race Director's heart?

The choice not to pit was driven by the understanding of the written rules and what Masi had previously said was absolutely essential - that all of the cars must be fully unlapped if unlapping occurs before the SC is called in.

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis. Either way pitting would have meant losing track position and thus giving up the race. Staying out meant keeping track position and either finishing behind the SC (win race and title) or restarting for a lap or two but with a lot of cars in between Lewis and Max which would mean a good chance of winning the race and title.

It was the F1 equivalent of Pascal's Wager. Only this time, Masi came along and proved that God doesn't exist thus buggering up Pascal's choice...

I rewatched the last 10 laps all over again. At the point when SC occurred and immediately Max was pitted, Lewis was moaning on the radio that they have missed an opportunity and he was persistently asking what can be done and at that point Bono's only answer was, "we would have lost the position". Despite that, the pit crew came out, but only to realize it was way too late. None of what Masi was going to do later, was a reason in not pitting. They were outsmarted by Red Bull with the advantage of position. Everything else is an after thought to hide that error of not pitting. At the end of lap 55, the stricken Williams was removed and there was a clear opportunity to let the lapped cars go, but Masi waited another lap and half with confusion to make that call. Had he made that call to let the lapped cars go at the end of lap 55 when the car was removed, there could have been atleast 2 laps of racing. I wonder what Mercedes would be complaining about.

[Hoffman900]

Why should Masi be bothered about the tyre situation of any car? Just because Mercedes didn't choose to pit, should give some kind of soft corner in Race Director's heart?

The choice not to pit was driven by the understanding of the written rules and what Masi had previously said was absolutely essential - that all of the cars must be fully unlapped if unlapping occurs before the SC is called in.

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis. Either way pitting would have meant losing track position and thus giving up the race. Staying out meant keeping track position and either finishing behind the SC (win race and title) or restarting for a lap or two but with a lot of cars in between Lewis and Max which would mean a good chance of winning the race and title.

It was the F1 equivalent of Pascal's Wager. Only this time, Masi came along and proved that God doesn't exist thus buggering up Pascal's choice...

I rewatched the last 10 laps all over again. At the point when SC occurred and immediately Max was pitted, Lewis was moaning on the radio that they have missed an opportunity and he was persistently asking what can be done and at that point Bono's only answer was, "we would have lost the position". Despite that, the pit crew came out, but only to realize it was way too late. None of what Masi was going to do later, was a reason in not pitting. They were outsmarted by Red Bull with the advantage of position. Everything else is an after thought to hide that error of not pitting.

I don’t know how many times this has to be explained to you, but you are wrong. What you are experiencing is confirmation bias or your just trolling, which has gotten you in timeout before.

The only people I know who are happy with the result are die hard Max / Honda / RBR fans. Actual fans of motorsports and racing are deeply bothered by how this went down

Hell, I like Honda but this was a sham. And so was awarding points at Spa.

[Ryar]

The choice not to pit was driven by the understanding of the written rules and what Masi had previously said was absolutely essential - that all of the cars must be fully unlapped if unlapping occurs before the SC is called in.

At the point the SC was put out, had the rules been followed as written and as demanded by Masi previously, they would either run out of laps or there would be a train of cars between Max and Lewis. Either way pitting would have meant losing track position and thus giving up the race. Staying out meant keeping track position and either finishing behind the SC (win race and title) or restarting for a lap or two but with a lot of cars in between Lewis and Max which would mean a good chance of winning the race and title.

It was the F1 equivalent of Pascal's Wager. Only this time, Masi came along and proved that God doesn't exist thus buggering up Pascal's choice...

I rewatched the last 10 laps all over again. At the point when SC occurred and immediately Max was pitted, Lewis was moaning on the radio that they have missed an opportunity and he was persistently asking what can be done and at that point Bono's only answer was, "we would have lost the position". Despite that, the pit crew came out, but only to realize it was way too late. None of what Masi was going to do later, was a reason in not pitting. They were outsmarted by Red Bull with the advantage of position. Everything else is an after thought to hide that error of not pitting.

I don’t know how many times this has to be explained to you, but you are wrong.

The only people I know who are happy with the result are die hard Max / Honda / RBR fans. Actual fans of motorsports and racing are deeply bothered by how this went down

Hell, I like Honda but this was a sham. And so was awarding points at Spa.

Someone repeating it over and over again, doesn't make it truth. I made my points to debate and if there is nothing to debate, you can ignore please.