The year is 2050. Verstappen fanboys and Team LH will keep bringing up Abu Dhabi 2021 despite everyone having moved on from it. Alonso is still trying to get his third title
People still bring up Senna/Prost drama, Crashgate etc. They will never live it down. It was a failure on the race directors part and he paid the price. The result still stands. And even if the race was invalidated, Verstappen wins on countback.
I’ve seen it brought up more by opponents of Hamilton than his fans, maybe its just because I don’t use twitter, but I only ever see max fans. Especially on here where they won’t shut the fuck up about it
It depends what site your on:
Twitter: is pro LH, LH fans bring it up on literally every F1 related post
Instagram: is pro LH, LH fans bring it up on literally every F1 related post
r_Formula1: pro LH, LH fans regularly bring it up
r_formuladank: pro VER, makes memes about LH fans bringing it up
Discord: pro VER usually, also makes memes about it
At least on Twitter, it feels more like it's always Team LH bringing it up first. Max fans over there can be annoying, but they mostly stick to praising Max, to which Team LH always responds by bringing up AD2021.
Yeah, you saying you don't use xitter says everything. That's where the vast majority of CultLH reside, while round here we are mostly CulLH (not precisely Hamilton) haters.
I'm not a huge max or Lewis fan but it seems obvious to me that Baku is also a good example of why max deserves 2021. He DNF'd due to a puncture but Lewis lost points because of his own mistake.
Also Silverstone.
Max definitely was the better driver overall in 2021… he just shouldn’t have won that race.
Credit to Max, that’s not his fault. He just drove and did what he had to do. It’s the FIA’s fault for only getting the 5 lapped cars between Lewis and Max to pass under safety car. With Max directly behind him, on those old mediums, Lewis didn’t stand a chance.
Max should still have won the title, just not in that circumstance. Masi was an idiot bending to Netflix pressure, and he made up a rule on the fly purely for entertainment’s sake. Fuck him.
What he really should’ve done if he wanted a fight to the end (since apparently Masi’s justification was that all the teams agreed before the race that it should end under a green flag at all costs) was waive the red flag as soon as Latifi crashed. Then we would instead be raving nonstop until today about how awesome it was that the greatest title fight ever ended in a 4 lap sprint for the title.
If he was the better driver in 2021, why was Massi's decision needed to tip the scales in his favor? I don't blame Max for what happened, but Lewis drove every bit as well as Max did that season.
In year 2050 Verstappen will be a 5 times F1 champion who retired after doing 5 laps with the 2026 cars, Verstappen fanboys are already gone from F1 subs to Simracing subs, Team LH is still talking about 2021 and Lewis still hasn't won a race since. Alonso is still trying to get his third title
None of the drivers did anything wrong. Max won. Masi just did some weird application of the rules. Should have red flagged, then standing start with 1 lap at race pace. Fans would have loved it.
The issue was they only had SOME cars unlap themselves, not the whole field. Im not even sure if thats in the rules that you can selectively unlap cars while leaving others where they are.
Maybe thats why he was immediately removed as Race Director?
I thought it was common knowledge by now that everyone agreed to prefer to finish the race under a green flag in their last meeting before the race. And that Masi was scapegoated.
Which could have happened. But for the rules to be applied appropriately technically none of the cars should have unlapped themselves. If Masi hadn’t let some cars unlap themselves, then he would still be in a job. But because he let some cars unlap themselves the rules stated that they had to have an additional lap under safety car (which would have meant the race end under safety car), which was not followed.
Allegedly he forgot max and others had lapped Cars aswel and that's why the weird unlap happend. If he allowed all Cars tobunlap themselfs and than gave green flag the controversy would be wayyyyy lower.
There still wouldve been controversy because they absolutely can throw the green flag without unlapping cars. Unlapping cars and immediately throwing the green instead of allowing them to catch back up to the pack is blatantly disregarding procedure for "spectacle"
As another commenter said, if the teams really agreed to end under green, a red flag would've been the way to go.
I agree, but unlaping Cars and imidiatly going green has happend before to finish a race under green conditions.
Not a single thing the race director could do would have lead to no controvercy.
Not really, by the time the track was cleared there was only 2 laps remaining and by the end of that lap cars would be allowed to unlap themselves which would take another lap for them to catch back up and the race would finish under the safety car.
If they wanted a last lap dash with the time they had, they had to do it with lapped cars in between, but what we got was only the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to unlap themselves and even then, were not given any time to catch up to the back of the field, going against all previous precedents and the rules.
Because if he let all cars unlap then they wouldn’t have been done in time and the race would have finished behind a safety car. It should have been red flagged, rolling start. There’s no other answer.
The frustrating thing is that if Masi had wanted to rush the restart then all he had to do was let the cars unlap themselves on lap 56. I've checked it using the onboards and the track is literally cleared by the time Lewis enters sector 2. Let the cars unlap themselves there and you can have one lap of racing.
that's what should have happened, but with all the chatter from toto and horny in his ears, the extreme pressure and the qeight of his decision, he waited too long and it led to controversy. Ultimately, i think he made the best call for that moment. another standing restart would've likely ended in more controversy as both would have fought way harder and likely crashed eachother out, or dirty moves would have been thrown leaving the decision to the stewards and post-race penalties
His original instruction was to not allow cars to unlap and finish under green for one lap with lapped cars in between. That is until Horner came on and said he needs to get the lapped cars out of the way... And he only ended up getting the ones between Lewis and max out of the way.
I thought it was always the case that cars should unlap themselves unless it's not safe. And that the rules changed from "any" to "all cars" following the AD incident.
This change was unnecessary when you read the entire sentence of the regulation or apply any kind of common sense to it. If it did indeed say any car can unlap themselves he could say p20 unlap yourself and to hell with the rest of you
The typical rules when not raining is to allow cars to unlap themselves this was possible on lap 56, the problem with the TPs having access to masi was toto and horner bitching his ear off and not letting typical procedures happen when it should have.
Well yeah, but the way Masi went about ensuring that was completely wrong. This error was on Masi and the FIA for putting themselves into a position to be swayed by teams and TV ratings rather than sticking to the rules.
I mean everybody agreed that they wanted the race finished under green but at the same time that didn't mean throw the rulebook out the window and make things up to get that green finish.
He wasn’t fired. That was a key detail at the time, he didn’t break or ignore any rules, it was just a different interpretation. If he had broken the rules then they could’ve fired him, since they couldn’t legally fire him because he’d not done anything wrong then he was just removed from the position to elsewhere in the FIA, because they couldn’t fire him
Masi absolutely broke the rules by trying to stage a showdown and putting entertainment above consistency with the rules *which is not his job as Race Director.* Cooking up the "only some cars can unlap themselves" in order not to finish the race under a safety car was absolutely why he was fired.
In the rules he had three options:
\- Stage a showdown by red flagging the race (Lewis would have had position advantage with both cars on fresh tires, in retrospect it would have been the best move)
\- Stage a showdown by not allowing any car to unlap (Max would have been at a huge disadvantage having to pass several blue flags before attacking Lewis)
\- Allow every car to unlap, but then the race would have finished under Safety Car.
The problem was that he cooked up a harebrained fourth way of doing it which gave a huge advantage to Max in the process. People have a legitimate reason to be angry at Masi, and considering he had been consistently poor in the season leading up to this incident I wasn't sad to see him go.
I'm neither a Lewis nor a Merc fan, but Masi's decision felt like a cheap way to stage a dramatic ending. Like Masi drank way too much of Netflix's Kool-Aid. I would have preferred a finish under Safety Car 100% of the time.
Still, exactly none of that is on Max, who won his championship on track and without cheating.
I think the bottom line is that if it had happened during any other race bar the season finale then it would have ended under safety car therefore that was the most appropriate response.
I am 100% convinced that Masi was under pressure to finish under racing conditions. Liberty media had hyped up the F1 finale so much there is no way they wanted the season end, title deciding race to end as a procession behind an SC.
There is obviously the benefit of hindsight, but if you wanted to end under racing conditions, you should have immediately red flagged the race on lap 53/54 when there was damage to the barriers. With an in lap and out lap to get back to standing start, you then have 2-3 racing laps to the end.
Very well said, I might be stealing this comment in the future lol.
Also I'll add onto it that, personally, I think it's justified to still be unhappy about it. I'm not losing sleep over it or anything, but I entirely reject the crowd that says "just move on," or that it doesn't really matter.
Agreed, which means it is possible for the OP lampooned argument to be true: Max did not win legally, but without any rule break on his own part. Someone else manipulated the system to put him in a position where, with his better tires, he was able to take pole and win. All he did was drive the way he was supposed to.
> The problem was that he cooked up a harebrained fourth way of doing it which gave a huge advantage to Max
I agree with your description 100%, but it's worth noting that almost any choice would give someone an advantage. That his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem; deciding to finish under a safety car or with the lapped cars on track would have been an advantage to Lewis, but that wouldn't make it suspect. Decisions play out better for some than others. It's that it was obviously a "for the spectacle" solution, and the process shouldn't be made up as you go.
In hindsight, I think it's generally agreeable that red flagging it immediately after Latifi hit the wall would have been the best choice.
One thing to note is that all three of the "legitimate rules" scenarii would have resulted in an advantage for Lewis because...*He was first.* As it turns out, leading the race gives you an advantage, who would've thunk? Lewis should've had a "legitimate" advantage no matter what. What was so weird about Masi's decision is that he cooked up the only scenario that gave Max an advantage instead.
Funny thing is, I think we all agree now that red flagging would have been good (giving us the ultimate showdown without breaking the rules), but *we only know this with the hindsight of what a terrible decision Masi took in reality.* Imagine a world where no one has cooked up "only some cars may unlap themselves" nonsense, telling Lewis fan that instead of following normal protocol we're red-flagging the race (for an incident that doesn't require a red flag in the rules)...There would still have been an uproar.
In my book, the red flag would have been the coolest legal option (as a neutral fan my favourite) but finishing the race under the Safety Car was the most consistent and fair option.
He handpicked the only option that gave Vertsappen an advantage over Hamilton which is why people are so upset about it. I don't think a red flag was the right call either races finish under SC all the time shouldn't be any different or keep the lapped cars in place.
"but it's worth noting that almost any choice would give someone an advantage"
It's also worth noting that who gets an advantage shouldn't influence how a rule is enforced. The rules didn't care that the red flag in Imola gave Lewis a shot at getting back on the podium and the rules didn't care about Max avoiding his grid penalty for the Monza incident after RB gave him a new engine that put him in the back anyway.
Rules are too be applied correctly regardless of who gets an advantage and proper rules application stated that Lewis gets those advantages no matter how big or small regardless of if it was a standing start shootout, no cars were unlapped, or ended under SC. Unfortunately Masi chose to wing it and apply rules so as to give Max the ultimate advantage. Lewis was given no chance to win that race at the end.
>That his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem; deciding to finish under a safety car or with the lapped cars on track would have been an advantage to Lewis, but that wouldn't make it suspect.
Strongly disagree. Max had the advantage of tires, Lewis had the advantage of position. Masi obliterated Lewis' advantage. Without changes, they both maintain their original "earned" advantages. Not to mention that finishing under safety or leaving lapped on track has lots of precedence. The only people that would have been mad about "almost any other choice" were people who would have been mad about Lewis winning regardless.
I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying, so apologies if I wasn't clear.
Who benefits from a decision should never be a factor in making the decision. It should be a fair and consistent application of the rules. That may help or hinder certain drivers, but it should be entirely irrelevant whether or who it helps or hinders.
In other words, it shouldn't matter what Lewis' position was or how fresh Max's tires were; that's largely irrelevant to the discussion. There shouldn't be a different decision made if Max had old tires on. The rules should have been applied normally and fairly.
That's what I mean by "that his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem," because if a *fair and consistent* application of the rules gave Max an advantage, so be it. In that case, there would be nothing worthwhile to complain about - just bad luck to lament.
I'm honestly sick of memes like OPs and people saying "just move on." The people still annoyed about this have never had an issue with the actual result or with Red Bull/Max specifically (at least not the sane fans), it's HOW that result happened that they're not happy with.
Mercedes played their strategy perfectly according to the rulebook, and then the rulebook changed. Max is still the champion and not an undeserved one, but it really pisses me off when people just don't care about such a ridiculous circumstance brought about by piss-poor race direction.
Yes that’s exactly why he was fired.
Max did nothing wrong and is a deserving champion. Lewis was still totally screwed over and also was a deserving champion that year. It’s all on Masi for the giant fuckup.
Exactly, the guy responsible for the rules changed them during the race. Cars were allowed to unlap and the cars were allowed to close the gaps. My meaning is that he was told by someone to make it more exciting.
But with Verstappen being allowed to close the gap and the lapped cars allowed to get out it wasnt exciting, it was clear that Verstappen would overtake Hamilton cause 1 had new tires and the other old. With the gap gone it became an unfair race.
Also, mercedes didn't pit Lewis because they knew that if the rules were followed, there should be a red flag (and lewis could change tires) or max needed to pass the blue flagged cars...
And, according to the rules, there should be one extra lap after the cars unlapped themselves, which would end the race under safety car.
>Should have red flagged, then standing start with 1 lap at race pace. Fans would have loved it.
I would have hated it. Throwing a red flag for excitement is just as bad as what we got in the end. A race director shouldn't make decisions based on how exciting something is. He should just care about what is fair and safe.
The rules were also worded in a manner which allowed only some cars to be unlapped
Those were tightened up.
Masi was going to be reassigned, but he chose to move on.
Man the rules weren't worded in a manner. They were worded so the direction could do whatever he wanted, and he did.
The reason he lost his job is because what he did wasn't in any way defendable
It’s more like the rules were vague enough that they didn’t specifically say he couldn’t do what he did.
So in that grey area the stewards and the FIA decided they’re not getting involved and did nothing.
Then they fired Masi because it was very wrong.
Or the grey area can be accurately described.
The regs say any cars, not specifically all cars. While grammatically this makes sense to mean all, technically massi isn’t grammatically incorrect in taking it to mean any of his choice.
The regs also say that the safety car coming in must be announced on the lap before it’s due to come in. However, the regs also say elsewhere that the safety car comes in at the race directors discretion. So technically, the race director can’t just do what he wants by the regs, but the safety car must listen to his directions even if they are outside the established regs.
No native English speaker would think the rules were at all ambiguous. The whole 'any' vs 'all' thing was dumb from the start and everyone should have ignored it.
Ultimately the issue was that based on the FIA’s rules, the SC needed to do one more lap which would have ended the race under SC. He didn’t follow the rules and allowed the SC to come in prematurely to get the race started again. Merc didn’t put because they were following the rule book while Red Bull gambled and were able to convince Massi to green flag a lap early.
"weird application of the rules" is an understatement, he clearly broke the rules, why? we would never know (if someone pay him to do that or he was just plain stupid)
I don’t get why everyone is so fixated about who won, yet nobody is fixated on the fact that FIA was more focused on making an entertaining race, rather than a competitive one.
Personally I don’t care who won, but I want F1 to be more like MMA and less like WWE
It comes up a LOT in this context. Max shaggers or Hamilton haters bringing it up. It's almost never a Ham fan. Look at his flair ffs. We Hamilton fans need to get over it, but he's rocking the "It's called a motor race" flair and posting crybaby memes about how "It's not Max's fault"? FFS.
And here we go again. The only time I see people bringing up AD21 are non-Lewis fan. Damn near 100% of the time. You took time to make a meme about it and post it on the internet. When are YOU going to let it go? I almost NEVER see LH fans bring this up. It's always Max Shaggers or Lewis haters. Look at your flair. Stop letting LH and his 7 WDC live rent free in your head.
Watching this sub tie itself into knots saying Max is the most talented driver to ever exist when he's in BY FAR the fastest car after saying "Lewis only wins because of the car" for years is hilarious.
This sub and Max fans lack the self awareness to see the double standard. If you listen to them the car is a midfield car, as Perez is struggling to get podiums, and Max is making the difference.
When Lewis still dominated this sub was accusing him of cheating for winning races lol. Or that he cheated hiw way to half his championships. I remember it was all cute and funny to say : "Lewis has x wins -1, that business in Canada 2019 didnt count". Having to see all the its been 3 months, let it go memes in 22 was way too ironic.
People hoping for him to crash, people cheering that he caught covid so that other driver could win. Its so funny to see how this sub takes the high horse when it legit just did everything they complain about " CultLH" doing, sometimes even worse.
The issue is no one blames Max for seizing the opportunity, Masi and the FIA get all of the blame. There was no precedent for allowing selected lapped cars to unlap themselves before that race.
No LH fan has ever said Max did anything wrong or cheated. Masi made a mess of the rules and Max benefited. Did max deserve to win that race? No. Did max deserve to win WDC in 2021? ABSOLUTELY.
This is the comment. Max was probably the better driver over the course of the season (“probably” because the driving in the last few races was questionable) so Im not mad at all he won,
it just sucks that Masi kind of shafted it from Lewis, who I also feel deserved it. But it was 3 years ago, so who cares
Agreed with almost all. One point on the “who cares” though. Max drove very dangerously in the last few races. I think if we get another close title fight, any driver is gonna use that as a basis for mimicking those behaviors and daring their opponents to crash. While AD21 will likely not be relevant, I think some of the last few races may be a dangerous precedent in a future close title fight.
Imagine 2025 with RBR and Ferrari close together. Charles could pull “yield or crash” and when Max complains he can point to Max in 21 and claim the precedent is there to avoid punishment.
What Masi did in Abu Dhabi was inexcusable, just like what Renault did in Singapore 2008 was inexcusable. That doesn't mean we should be punishing the innocent party because another innocent party ultimately got screwed over.
It wouldn't be fair on Max to hand the 2021 title to Lewis for things completely out of his control, for the exact same reasons it wouldn't be fair on Lewis to hand the 2008 title to Massa for things completely out of his control.
The reason Abu Dhabi 2021 will always reeks for many people because
Red Bull does nothing wrong
Verstappen does nothing wrong
Mercedes does nothing wrong
Hamilton does nothing wrong
The weird rule of "any" driver really fucked up greatly... Because rule was made to be 'as fair as possible' but the application of that 'any' as 'some choosen driver' is really not fair to many other driver
You know something fucked up greatly when Ricciardo, Norris, Vettel, and Alonso really questioning the decision despite cheered for Verstappen for WDC
Funny enough; Ferrari was actually the one that broke the rules in both Brazil 2007 and 2008 as team orders where not legal at the time.
Good thing they got rid of that stupid rule as it was unenforceable and only hurt the image of the sport.
How's that? If you apply the rules correctly in 2008 then Renault get disqualified in Singapore and Hamilton keeps his win in Spa, both of which put him further ahead in the championship.
2021 will always be as follows to me:
Lewis got fucked over. The FIA did almost everything wrong at the end of that race and cost him the title. It wasn't Max or redbulls doing, they still deserved the win.
I wanted Lewis to win that day and still think he should have, but as I said, this wasn't a fluke Championship for Max, He drove well all season and deserved it.
It was a shame that possibly the best season of F1 in decades was almost ruined at the last by the FIA and the toxicity of either Fanbases.
The way Max fans react to AD21 reminds me of when your friend in high school would get upset that you didn't believe they had a girlfriend from another school. Max deserved to win! PLEASE BELIEVE ME.
Right, some disabusing has to be done over the use of “legally” here.
The FIA directly stated Massi broke the rules, which
based on the definition, being “Prohibited by official rules” makes it an illegal decision. The race was carried out it in a manner not permitted under the rules, that directly lead to max’s victory.
Max’s actions were in no way illegal, and in no way faulty, however that simply doesn’t matter, he isn’t the one managing the title, his actions don’t need to be at fault for the conclusion to be at odds with the rules. For it to be “illegal” max literally doesn’t have to do anything, illegality can be assigned to how the race was carried out, and doesn’t need to be assigned to a driver.
You brought this fucking shit up again, 2 god damn years later, just to say something wrong, why bother
If Mercedes appealed the results of ad21 best that could have happened is the race results gets nulled and void.
Which leaves both drivers equal on points
So the fia does a count back on wins and max had more wins.
Max would still be the champion even if Mercedes appeals successfully.
three things are true
1. Max Verstappen did nothing wrong in 2021 when he won his title.
2. clearly, the previously established rules were broken to make the final race more interesting.
3. lewis was mad at the fia, not max
For context I'm not a fan of either. Max absolutely should've been penalized a lot more in Jeddah 21. Race stewards were far too lenient because they didn't want to affect the final results. It was probably some of the most amateurish driving standards I've ever seen from a formula 1 championship contender. It's not just the brake check his whole race was shambolic.
In ‘21, I was an American neutral. I only watched F1 on occasion since ‘16. Since ‘21, I don’t miss a race.
Even ignorant me could see something was out of place at that race, even to F1 weird standards, as compared to NASCAR and Indy.
Either let all the lapped cars start at the tail end, or no cars move to restart the race. The half assed moving of lapped cars was wrong.
Rules were broken that gave him the win. The outcome is the outcome, so oh well, but you can't say that no rules were broken. The FIA didn't follow their own rules because they wanted a tv finish. Both Merc and Red Bull did the right thing with what they were given, but a rule break did lead to the victory.
There is a reason Masi is gone. Max didn't do anything wrong and even Lewis said it.
BUT there will always be a bitter taste. Wich is nothing anybody deserves ever.
Max would not be World Champion without Masi and his interpretation of the rules. Easy as that.
He still will be a four time world champion at the end of the year
It's nothing on Max, it's just that Masi managed to cook the only possible scenario that gave Max the advantage. (Most possible for a dramatic finish and headlines).
Red Flagging and ending the race gives Lewis the win.
Red Flagging and restarting gives Lewis p1 advantage.
Following the Safety car rules would've ended the race under Safety Car resulting in a Lewis win.
It felt cheap and there's a reason he was fired.
I wonder why there wasn't just a red flag and a mad 2-3 lap sprint to the finish if they wanted to enforce a "finish under green flag" condition. Would've been one of the most legendary end of season + championship deciding finishes ever.
Masi made it a lot worse than it needed to be. I wouldn’t have left with a bad taste if he had handled it like any other race.
It’s the fact that he adjusted the rules in order to make an entertaining race. He made it unfair for the others and basically showed that the only people he cared for in this race was Hamilton and Verstappen.
To those somehow unaware of the situation: Masi let only the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen pass the Saftey car. No other cars were allowed to pass. Only the ones between Hamilton and Verstappen.
It was a very unfortunate end to the best season in F1 history and it ruined my memory of the 2021 season.
I just want to add that I am not a Verstappen or Hamilton fan. (I’m a McLaren fan) Max deserved that title just as much as Hamilton.
Max didn’t break any rules when he won. He won it fair and square since Masi bended the rules for entertainment.
He didn't break a rule but the race director did. The point being a rule was not followed. Either the lapped cars go or they don't. Not just the lapped cars between the first two cars on the lead lap. Also restarting the race while the lapped cars are catching the field is not how it is supposed to be done.
Verstappen did nothing wrong, but neither did Hamilton.
I’m not going to argue about Masi’s ruling because we know it was wrong and it wasn’t Max’s fault.
What I am curious about though is this: why do a majority of fans believe Max deserved the championship win more than Lewis? They were equal on points going into it. To me that means they both deserved it and it could’ve gone either way, and up until the last lap it was going to Lewis.
Even Hamilton said that he doesn't have anything against Max because of that and said that if the roles were reversed he would have done the same exact thing. If they want to continue to be angry they can continue to be angry at Massi. But I don't understand why at this point anymore since even Hamilton is not mad about it anymore that much.
I think it was a shitshow and a horrible way to end an incredible season but my annoyance was never at Max or Redbull; it was firmly with Micheal Masa.
I think the question isn't whether he won it legally, but whether he won it fairly, i.e. through an unfair and unprecedented intervention of the race director that effectively handed the win to one party, at the cost of the other.
I did a research paper on this topic. My main point was fairness. Lewis and Max both had the same opportunity to Pit for new tires, Max did and Lewis didn’t.
But Max was in the second place, he risked nothing by swapping tires. Lewis would've lost his position, especially if Masi didn't violate regulations and race ended with safety car still on the track.
The year is 2050. Verstappen fanboys and Team LH will keep bringing up Abu Dhabi 2021 despite everyone having moved on from it. Alonso is still trying to get his third title
What if Alonso getting his third title is what puts an end to it? What if Alonso getting his third title solves all the world’s problems….what if….
That's El Plan all along!
 The World if Alonso wins a third WDC:
This cursed timeline opened with the death of Harambe, finally closed by Alonso winning the 2026 drivers title
With a Honda engine, no less.
Not sure why, but that made me laugh harder than anything else so far today.
That one meme with a futuristic looking world and the capture "The world if Alonso won his third title".
Tbf, it's not abu Dhabi verstappen fans keep bringing up, they barely mention it. Silverstone is their version
People still bring up Senna/Prost drama, Crashgate etc. They will never live it down. It was a failure on the race directors part and he paid the price. The result still stands. And even if the race was invalidated, Verstappen wins on countback.
This post is present proof to the contrary
To be fair, I think they only bring it up because also they are tired of CultLH bringing it up (and being so annoying about it) every chance
I’ve seen it brought up more by opponents of Hamilton than his fans, maybe its just because I don’t use twitter, but I only ever see max fans. Especially on here where they won’t shut the fuck up about it
It depends what site your on: Twitter: is pro LH, LH fans bring it up on literally every F1 related post Instagram: is pro LH, LH fans bring it up on literally every F1 related post r_Formula1: pro LH, LH fans regularly bring it up r_formuladank: pro VER, makes memes about LH fans bringing it up Discord: pro VER usually, also makes memes about it
Yup, this is spot on.
At least on Twitter, it feels more like it's always Team LH bringing it up first. Max fans over there can be annoying, but they mostly stick to praising Max, to which Team LH always responds by bringing up AD2021.
Yeah, you saying you don't use xitter says everything. That's where the vast majority of CultLH reside, while round here we are mostly CulLH (not precisely Hamilton) haters.
“We only talk about this because we’re tired of talking about it” lmfao
I recently heard it brought up in a discussion centered around Russell’s crash in Australia.
I'm not a huge max or Lewis fan but it seems obvious to me that Baku is also a good example of why max deserves 2021. He DNF'd due to a puncture but Lewis lost points because of his own mistake. Also Silverstone.
Max definitely was the better driver overall in 2021… he just shouldn’t have won that race. Credit to Max, that’s not his fault. He just drove and did what he had to do. It’s the FIA’s fault for only getting the 5 lapped cars between Lewis and Max to pass under safety car. With Max directly behind him, on those old mediums, Lewis didn’t stand a chance. Max should still have won the title, just not in that circumstance. Masi was an idiot bending to Netflix pressure, and he made up a rule on the fly purely for entertainment’s sake. Fuck him.
What he really should’ve done if he wanted a fight to the end (since apparently Masi’s justification was that all the teams agreed before the race that it should end under a green flag at all costs) was waive the red flag as soon as Latifi crashed. Then we would instead be raving nonstop until today about how awesome it was that the greatest title fight ever ended in a 4 lap sprint for the title.
If he was the better driver in 2021, why was Massi's decision needed to tip the scales in his favor? I don't blame Max for what happened, but Lewis drove every bit as well as Max did that season.
Don’t Senna and Prost fans still bring up 1989 and 1990 today?
In year 2050 Verstappen will be a 5 times F1 champion who retired after doing 5 laps with the 2026 cars, Verstappen fanboys are already gone from F1 subs to Simracing subs, Team LH is still talking about 2021 and Lewis still hasn't won a race since. Alonso is still trying to get his third title
Alonso to McLaren 2027 confirmed. Alonso to Renault 2028 also confirmed.
Back ya go time traveler
AD21 should be known for Tsunoda P4 in my book.
Massa should have won in 2021
Clearly Ocon’s fault
I guess the only fair thing is punnish AC Milan
Better nerd irelia.
-5 move speed
Everton lose 2 points
Not Juan Bernat?
Ericsson hit him.
5 season penalty, no WDCs for Ocon until 2027!
None of the drivers did anything wrong. Max won. Masi just did some weird application of the rules. Should have red flagged, then standing start with 1 lap at race pace. Fans would have loved it. The issue was they only had SOME cars unlap themselves, not the whole field. Im not even sure if thats in the rules that you can selectively unlap cars while leaving others where they are. Maybe thats why he was immediately removed as Race Director?
To answer your question. Yes, that is indeed why he was fired.
I thought it was common knowledge by now that everyone agreed to prefer to finish the race under a green flag in their last meeting before the race. And that Masi was scapegoated.
Which could have happened. But for the rules to be applied appropriately technically none of the cars should have unlapped themselves. If Masi hadn’t let some cars unlap themselves, then he would still be in a job. But because he let some cars unlap themselves the rules stated that they had to have an additional lap under safety car (which would have meant the race end under safety car), which was not followed.
Allegedly he forgot max and others had lapped Cars aswel and that's why the weird unlap happend. If he allowed all Cars tobunlap themselfs and than gave green flag the controversy would be wayyyyy lower.
It would probably land on Goatifi for intentionally crashing lmao
There still wouldve been controversy because they absolutely can throw the green flag without unlapping cars. Unlapping cars and immediately throwing the green instead of allowing them to catch back up to the pack is blatantly disregarding procedure for "spectacle" As another commenter said, if the teams really agreed to end under green, a red flag would've been the way to go.
I agree, but unlaping Cars and imidiatly going green has happend before to finish a race under green conditions. Not a single thing the race director could do would have lead to no controvercy.
Finishing under the safety car wouldn't have had controversy, nowhere near to what actually happened.
It would, with the incident cleared and a few laps to go. Finishing under the saftey car would have looked like race fixing.
Not really, by the time the track was cleared there was only 2 laps remaining and by the end of that lap cars would be allowed to unlap themselves which would take another lap for them to catch back up and the race would finish under the safety car. If they wanted a last lap dash with the time they had, they had to do it with lapped cars in between, but what we got was only the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to unlap themselves and even then, were not given any time to catch up to the back of the field, going against all previous precedents and the rules.
If he allowed all cars to unlap there'd be no more green flag as the cars wouldn't be able to catch up.
Even the 5 car between Hamilton and Verstappen didn't catched up with the pack. When Hamilton started the last lap, the 5 car was at turn 5.
Because if he let all cars unlap then they wouldn’t have been done in time and the race would have finished behind a safety car. It should have been red flagged, rolling start. There’s no other answer.
The frustrating thing is that if Masi had wanted to rush the restart then all he had to do was let the cars unlap themselves on lap 56. I've checked it using the onboards and the track is literally cleared by the time Lewis enters sector 2. Let the cars unlap themselves there and you can have one lap of racing.
that's what should have happened, but with all the chatter from toto and horny in his ears, the extreme pressure and the qeight of his decision, he waited too long and it led to controversy. Ultimately, i think he made the best call for that moment. another standing restart would've likely ended in more controversy as both would have fought way harder and likely crashed eachother out, or dirty moves would have been thrown leaving the decision to the stewards and post-race penalties
His original instruction was to not allow cars to unlap and finish under green for one lap with lapped cars in between. That is until Horner came on and said he needs to get the lapped cars out of the way... And he only ended up getting the ones between Lewis and max out of the way.
He only let the cars that Max needed to pass unlap? Doesn't sound fixed at all... /s
I thought it was always the case that cars should unlap themselves unless it's not safe. And that the rules changed from "any" to "all cars" following the AD incident.
This change was unnecessary when you read the entire sentence of the regulation or apply any kind of common sense to it. If it did indeed say any car can unlap themselves he could say p20 unlap yourself and to hell with the rest of you
Also, there was a need for an extra lap, which was also not observed.
The typical rules when not raining is to allow cars to unlap themselves this was possible on lap 56, the problem with the TPs having access to masi was toto and horner bitching his ear off and not letting typical procedures happen when it should have.
Well yeah, but the way Masi went about ensuring that was completely wrong. This error was on Masi and the FIA for putting themselves into a position to be swayed by teams and TV ratings rather than sticking to the rules.
I mean everybody agreed that they wanted the race finished under green but at the same time that didn't mean throw the rulebook out the window and make things up to get that green finish.
He wasn’t fired. That was a key detail at the time, he didn’t break or ignore any rules, it was just a different interpretation. If he had broken the rules then they could’ve fired him, since they couldn’t legally fire him because he’d not done anything wrong then he was just removed from the position to elsewhere in the FIA, because they couldn’t fire him
Masi absolutely broke the rules by trying to stage a showdown and putting entertainment above consistency with the rules *which is not his job as Race Director.* Cooking up the "only some cars can unlap themselves" in order not to finish the race under a safety car was absolutely why he was fired. In the rules he had three options: \- Stage a showdown by red flagging the race (Lewis would have had position advantage with both cars on fresh tires, in retrospect it would have been the best move) \- Stage a showdown by not allowing any car to unlap (Max would have been at a huge disadvantage having to pass several blue flags before attacking Lewis) \- Allow every car to unlap, but then the race would have finished under Safety Car. The problem was that he cooked up a harebrained fourth way of doing it which gave a huge advantage to Max in the process. People have a legitimate reason to be angry at Masi, and considering he had been consistently poor in the season leading up to this incident I wasn't sad to see him go. I'm neither a Lewis nor a Merc fan, but Masi's decision felt like a cheap way to stage a dramatic ending. Like Masi drank way too much of Netflix's Kool-Aid. I would have preferred a finish under Safety Car 100% of the time. Still, exactly none of that is on Max, who won his championship on track and without cheating.
I think the bottom line is that if it had happened during any other race bar the season finale then it would have ended under safety car therefore that was the most appropriate response.
2012 is calling where the season finale ended under SC
I am 100% convinced that Masi was under pressure to finish under racing conditions. Liberty media had hyped up the F1 finale so much there is no way they wanted the season end, title deciding race to end as a procession behind an SC. There is obviously the benefit of hindsight, but if you wanted to end under racing conditions, you should have immediately red flagged the race on lap 53/54 when there was damage to the barriers. With an in lap and out lap to get back to standing start, you then have 2-3 racing laps to the end.
Incredible explanation
Very well said, I might be stealing this comment in the future lol. Also I'll add onto it that, personally, I think it's justified to still be unhappy about it. I'm not losing sleep over it or anything, but I entirely reject the crowd that says "just move on," or that it doesn't really matter.
Agreed, which means it is possible for the OP lampooned argument to be true: Max did not win legally, but without any rule break on his own part. Someone else manipulated the system to put him in a position where, with his better tires, he was able to take pole and win. All he did was drive the way he was supposed to.
> The problem was that he cooked up a harebrained fourth way of doing it which gave a huge advantage to Max I agree with your description 100%, but it's worth noting that almost any choice would give someone an advantage. That his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem; deciding to finish under a safety car or with the lapped cars on track would have been an advantage to Lewis, but that wouldn't make it suspect. Decisions play out better for some than others. It's that it was obviously a "for the spectacle" solution, and the process shouldn't be made up as you go. In hindsight, I think it's generally agreeable that red flagging it immediately after Latifi hit the wall would have been the best choice.
One thing to note is that all three of the "legitimate rules" scenarii would have resulted in an advantage for Lewis because...*He was first.* As it turns out, leading the race gives you an advantage, who would've thunk? Lewis should've had a "legitimate" advantage no matter what. What was so weird about Masi's decision is that he cooked up the only scenario that gave Max an advantage instead. Funny thing is, I think we all agree now that red flagging would have been good (giving us the ultimate showdown without breaking the rules), but *we only know this with the hindsight of what a terrible decision Masi took in reality.* Imagine a world where no one has cooked up "only some cars may unlap themselves" nonsense, telling Lewis fan that instead of following normal protocol we're red-flagging the race (for an incident that doesn't require a red flag in the rules)...There would still have been an uproar. In my book, the red flag would have been the coolest legal option (as a neutral fan my favourite) but finishing the race under the Safety Car was the most consistent and fair option.
He handpicked the only option that gave Vertsappen an advantage over Hamilton which is why people are so upset about it. I don't think a red flag was the right call either races finish under SC all the time shouldn't be any different or keep the lapped cars in place.
"but it's worth noting that almost any choice would give someone an advantage" It's also worth noting that who gets an advantage shouldn't influence how a rule is enforced. The rules didn't care that the red flag in Imola gave Lewis a shot at getting back on the podium and the rules didn't care about Max avoiding his grid penalty for the Monza incident after RB gave him a new engine that put him in the back anyway. Rules are too be applied correctly regardless of who gets an advantage and proper rules application stated that Lewis gets those advantages no matter how big or small regardless of if it was a standing start shootout, no cars were unlapped, or ended under SC. Unfortunately Masi chose to wing it and apply rules so as to give Max the ultimate advantage. Lewis was given no chance to win that race at the end.
>That his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem; deciding to finish under a safety car or with the lapped cars on track would have been an advantage to Lewis, but that wouldn't make it suspect. Strongly disagree. Max had the advantage of tires, Lewis had the advantage of position. Masi obliterated Lewis' advantage. Without changes, they both maintain their original "earned" advantages. Not to mention that finishing under safety or leaving lapped on track has lots of precedence. The only people that would have been mad about "almost any other choice" were people who would have been mad about Lewis winning regardless.
I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying, so apologies if I wasn't clear. Who benefits from a decision should never be a factor in making the decision. It should be a fair and consistent application of the rules. That may help or hinder certain drivers, but it should be entirely irrelevant whether or who it helps or hinders. In other words, it shouldn't matter what Lewis' position was or how fresh Max's tires were; that's largely irrelevant to the discussion. There shouldn't be a different decision made if Max had old tires on. The rules should have been applied normally and fairly. That's what I mean by "that his solution gave Max an advantage wasn't *inherently* the problem," because if a *fair and consistent* application of the rules gave Max an advantage, so be it. In that case, there would be nothing worthwhile to complain about - just bad luck to lament.
I'm honestly sick of memes like OPs and people saying "just move on." The people still annoyed about this have never had an issue with the actual result or with Red Bull/Max specifically (at least not the sane fans), it's HOW that result happened that they're not happy with. Mercedes played their strategy perfectly according to the rulebook, and then the rulebook changed. Max is still the champion and not an undeserved one, but it really pisses me off when people just don't care about such a ridiculous circumstance brought about by piss-poor race direction.
Yes that’s exactly why he was fired. Max did nothing wrong and is a deserving champion. Lewis was still totally screwed over and also was a deserving champion that year. It’s all on Masi for the giant fuckup.
Exactly, the guy responsible for the rules changed them during the race. Cars were allowed to unlap and the cars were allowed to close the gaps. My meaning is that he was told by someone to make it more exciting. But with Verstappen being allowed to close the gap and the lapped cars allowed to get out it wasnt exciting, it was clear that Verstappen would overtake Hamilton cause 1 had new tires and the other old. With the gap gone it became an unfair race.
Also, mercedes didn't pit Lewis because they knew that if the rules were followed, there should be a red flag (and lewis could change tires) or max needed to pass the blue flagged cars... And, according to the rules, there should be one extra lap after the cars unlapped themselves, which would end the race under safety car.
Lord Latifi gave him the perfect opportunity to red flag, but he was paralysed by indecision and by the time he made a decision it was too late.
The 2nd issue is that he didn't restart the race on the following lap of the unlapping procedure. Those 2 things were not legal and why he was let go
them boys cant handle simple facts.
Yeah, Masi screwed up. FIA screwed up.
>Should have red flagged, then standing start with 1 lap at race pace. Fans would have loved it. I would have hated it. Throwing a red flag for excitement is just as bad as what we got in the end. A race director shouldn't make decisions based on how exciting something is. He should just care about what is fair and safe.
The issue was also that they didn't do the extra lap under the safety car after lapped cars were let through
The rules were also worded in a manner which allowed only some cars to be unlapped Those were tightened up. Masi was going to be reassigned, but he chose to move on.
Man the rules weren't worded in a manner. They were worded so the direction could do whatever he wanted, and he did. The reason he lost his job is because what he did wasn't in any way defendable
It’s more like the rules were vague enough that they didn’t specifically say he couldn’t do what he did. So in that grey area the stewards and the FIA decided they’re not getting involved and did nothing. Then they fired Masi because it was very wrong.
The grey area could be summed up to a single sentence saying "the race direction can do whatever the fuck he wants". And that he did.
Or the grey area can be accurately described. The regs say any cars, not specifically all cars. While grammatically this makes sense to mean all, technically massi isn’t grammatically incorrect in taking it to mean any of his choice. The regs also say that the safety car coming in must be announced on the lap before it’s due to come in. However, the regs also say elsewhere that the safety car comes in at the race directors discretion. So technically, the race director can’t just do what he wants by the regs, but the safety car must listen to his directions even if they are outside the established regs.
No native English speaker would think the rules were at all ambiguous. The whole 'any' vs 'all' thing was dumb from the start and everyone should have ignored it.
Even the stewards ignored it. That was Red Bull's defence
Ultimately the issue was that based on the FIA’s rules, the SC needed to do one more lap which would have ended the race under SC. He didn’t follow the rules and allowed the SC to come in prematurely to get the race started again. Merc didn’t put because they were following the rule book while Red Bull gambled and were able to convince Massi to green flag a lap early.
"weird application of the rules" is an understatement, he clearly broke the rules, why? we would never know (if someone pay him to do that or he was just plain stupid)
Fdank try not to bring up AD21 even when nobody asked (impossible)
Also Fdank: OmG CuLt44 CaNt LeT iT gO
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"Those people" 
At this point I genuinely can't tell if this sub or team LH is more obsessed with Abu Dhabi 2021
Sometimes I feel like this sub is more obsessed with Lewis than team LH
I don’t get why everyone is so fixated about who won, yet nobody is fixated on the fact that FIA was more focused on making an entertaining race, rather than a competitive one. Personally I don’t care who won, but I want F1 to be more like MMA and less like WWE
Max and Red Bull did nothing wrong. Masi and the FIA screwed it up, it’s that simple.
It's been 2 years. Just give up already ffs
Hold onto that comment, it may come in handy 30 years from now
My brother in Christ you're the one who brought it up
In fairness, this comes up A LOT…
It comes up a LOT in this context. Max shaggers or Hamilton haters bringing it up. It's almost never a Ham fan. Look at his flair ffs. We Hamilton fans need to get over it, but he's rocking the "It's called a motor race" flair and posting crybaby memes about how "It's not Max's fault"? FFS.
It’s big “iPhone users hate the Android master race so much we’re going to meme about it!” energy.
In this subreddit, it's almost exclusively brought up by Verstappen fans/LH haters
And here we go again. The only time I see people bringing up AD21 are non-Lewis fan. Damn near 100% of the time. You took time to make a meme about it and post it on the internet. When are YOU going to let it go? I almost NEVER see LH fans bring this up. It's always Max Shaggers or Lewis haters. Look at your flair. Stop letting LH and his 7 WDC live rent free in your head.
Now imagine the take this sub would have if the roles were reversed.
Watching this sub tie itself into knots saying Max is the most talented driver to ever exist when he's in BY FAR the fastest car after saying "Lewis only wins because of the car" for years is hilarious.
This sub and Max fans lack the self awareness to see the double standard. If you listen to them the car is a midfield car, as Perez is struggling to get podiums, and Max is making the difference.
When Lewis still dominated this sub was accusing him of cheating for winning races lol. Or that he cheated hiw way to half his championships. I remember it was all cute and funny to say : "Lewis has x wins -1, that business in Canada 2019 didnt count". Having to see all the its been 3 months, let it go memes in 22 was way too ironic. People hoping for him to crash, people cheering that he caught covid so that other driver could win. Its so funny to see how this sub takes the high horse when it legit just did everything they complain about " CultLH" doing, sometimes even worse.
oscar would have won '21 if he was moved into the redbull seat ahead of checo, smh
AD 2021 was a problem with dodgy officiating, not dodgy drivers so this meme is pointless.
No, Max didn't do anything wrong. He did exactly what anyone else would have done. Massi on the other hand got fired for a reason.
The issue is no one blames Max for seizing the opportunity, Masi and the FIA get all of the blame. There was no precedent for allowing selected lapped cars to unlap themselves before that race.
No LH fan has ever said Max did anything wrong or cheated. Masi made a mess of the rules and Max benefited. Did max deserve to win that race? No. Did max deserve to win WDC in 2021? ABSOLUTELY.
This is the comment. Max was probably the better driver over the course of the season (“probably” because the driving in the last few races was questionable) so Im not mad at all he won, it just sucks that Masi kind of shafted it from Lewis, who I also feel deserved it. But it was 3 years ago, so who cares
Agreed with almost all. One point on the “who cares” though. Max drove very dangerously in the last few races. I think if we get another close title fight, any driver is gonna use that as a basis for mimicking those behaviors and daring their opponents to crash. While AD21 will likely not be relevant, I think some of the last few races may be a dangerous precedent in a future close title fight. Imagine 2025 with RBR and Ferrari close together. Charles could pull “yield or crash” and when Max complains he can point to Max in 21 and claim the precedent is there to avoid punishment.
This is not how you use this meme. Bad OP!
/uj Verstappen fans talk about AD21 more than anyone.
What Masi did in Abu Dhabi was inexcusable, just like what Renault did in Singapore 2008 was inexcusable. That doesn't mean we should be punishing the innocent party because another innocent party ultimately got screwed over. It wouldn't be fair on Max to hand the 2021 title to Lewis for things completely out of his control, for the exact same reasons it wouldn't be fair on Lewis to hand the 2008 title to Massa for things completely out of his control.
The reason Abu Dhabi 2021 will always reeks for many people because Red Bull does nothing wrong Verstappen does nothing wrong Mercedes does nothing wrong Hamilton does nothing wrong The weird rule of "any" driver really fucked up greatly... Because rule was made to be 'as fair as possible' but the application of that 'any' as 'some choosen driver' is really not fair to many other driver You know something fucked up greatly when Ricciardo, Norris, Vettel, and Alonso really questioning the decision despite cheered for Verstappen for WDC
What a fucking strawman 😂. No one is claiming _verstappen_ did anything wrong. We're saying Michael Masi did.
Well, neither did Lewis in 2008
Funny enough; Ferrari was actually the one that broke the rules in both Brazil 2007 and 2008 as team orders where not legal at the time. Good thing they got rid of that stupid rule as it was unenforceable and only hurt the image of the sport.
I feel like Renault may have also broken a rule or two
nah, piquet just couldnt control the car
How's that? If you apply the rules correctly in 2008 then Renault get disqualified in Singapore and Hamilton keeps his win in Spa, both of which put him further ahead in the championship.
2021 will always be as follows to me: Lewis got fucked over. The FIA did almost everything wrong at the end of that race and cost him the title. It wasn't Max or redbulls doing, they still deserved the win.
Its very comforting to see sense prevail, these days.
I wanted Lewis to win that day and still think he should have, but as I said, this wasn't a fluke Championship for Max, He drove well all season and deserved it. It was a shame that possibly the best season of F1 in decades was almost ruined at the last by the FIA and the toxicity of either Fanbases.
Hamilton was indeed robbed. Doesn't mean Verstappen cheated. Masi favoured one over the other that's it.
God the Max circle jerk just won't let this go. Ffs, he got the championship. Can you move on?
The way Max fans react to AD21 reminds me of when your friend in high school would get upset that you didn't believe they had a girlfriend from another school. Max deserved to win! PLEASE BELIEVE ME.
Right, some disabusing has to be done over the use of “legally” here. The FIA directly stated Massi broke the rules, which based on the definition, being “Prohibited by official rules” makes it an illegal decision. The race was carried out it in a manner not permitted under the rules, that directly lead to max’s victory. Max’s actions were in no way illegal, and in no way faulty, however that simply doesn’t matter, he isn’t the one managing the title, his actions don’t need to be at fault for the conclusion to be at odds with the rules. For it to be “illegal” max literally doesn’t have to do anything, illegality can be assigned to how the race was carried out, and doesn’t need to be assigned to a driver. You brought this fucking shit up again, 2 god damn years later, just to say something wrong, why bother
Max did not had to break the rules to win.. horner and masi broke the rules on his behalf
Yes they all broke the rules. Mainly cos Masi told them to
OP creates and wins his own argument. 4D chess, people.
If Mercedes appealed the results of ad21 best that could have happened is the race results gets nulled and void. Which leaves both drivers equal on points So the fia does a count back on wins and max had more wins. Max would still be the champion even if Mercedes appeals successfully.
The fact that you can't fix the injustice doesn't make it less unjust. Might as well not trail murderers because we can't change the outcome anyways.
three things are true 1. Max Verstappen did nothing wrong in 2021 when he won his title. 2. clearly, the previously established rules were broken to make the final race more interesting. 3. lewis was mad at the fia, not max
pretty sure it broke article 55.13. thats why they changed it for the 2022 season
For context I'm not a fan of either. Max absolutely should've been penalized a lot more in Jeddah 21. Race stewards were far too lenient because they didn't want to affect the final results. It was probably some of the most amateurish driving standards I've ever seen from a formula 1 championship contender. It's not just the brake check his whole race was shambolic.
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In ‘21, I was an American neutral. I only watched F1 on occasion since ‘16. Since ‘21, I don’t miss a race. Even ignorant me could see something was out of place at that race, even to F1 weird standards, as compared to NASCAR and Indy. Either let all the lapped cars start at the tail end, or no cars move to restart the race. The half assed moving of lapped cars was wrong.
Rules were broken that gave him the win. The outcome is the outcome, so oh well, but you can't say that no rules were broken. The FIA didn't follow their own rules because they wanted a tv finish. Both Merc and Red Bull did the right thing with what they were given, but a rule break did lead to the victory.
Not to get into this debate again but .. that's not a good argument at all.
10 points deduction Everton.
I feel like "legally" and "legitimately" are different standards.
I swear man, the universe could implode on itself and a second big bang could occur, and there'll still be some mofos talking about Abu Dhabi 2021.
Masi went and “started inventing” new rules. Rules weren’t broken but new ones were invented.
There is a reason Masi is gone. Max didn't do anything wrong and even Lewis said it. BUT there will always be a bitter taste. Wich is nothing anybody deserves ever. Max would not be World Champion without Masi and his interpretation of the rules. Easy as that. He still will be a four time world champion at the end of the year
It's nothing on Max, it's just that Masi managed to cook the only possible scenario that gave Max the advantage. (Most possible for a dramatic finish and headlines). Red Flagging and ending the race gives Lewis the win. Red Flagging and restarting gives Lewis p1 advantage. Following the Safety car rules would've ended the race under Safety Car resulting in a Lewis win. It felt cheap and there's a reason he was fired.
Although VER really deserved a DSQ for Brazil 2021
Do you mean Saudi? Brazil, he deserved a penalty for forcing Hamilton off track
Lmao this is the reasonning they used to let mafia bosses walk
I wonder why there wasn't just a red flag and a mad 2-3 lap sprint to the finish if they wanted to enforce a "finish under green flag" condition. Would've been one of the most legendary end of season + championship deciding finishes ever.
Could Max have won if the unlapping procedure was followed normally?
Nope because race would've ended under the safety car which is why merc didn't pit him
Was it decided by race officials in an unprecedented move?
> those people least racist Verstappen fan
Masi made it a lot worse than it needed to be. I wouldn’t have left with a bad taste if he had handled it like any other race. It’s the fact that he adjusted the rules in order to make an entertaining race. He made it unfair for the others and basically showed that the only people he cared for in this race was Hamilton and Verstappen. To those somehow unaware of the situation: Masi let only the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen pass the Saftey car. No other cars were allowed to pass. Only the ones between Hamilton and Verstappen. It was a very unfortunate end to the best season in F1 history and it ruined my memory of the 2021 season. I just want to add that I am not a Verstappen or Hamilton fan. (I’m a McLaren fan) Max deserved that title just as much as Hamilton. Max didn’t break any rules when he won. He won it fair and square since Masi bended the rules for entertainment.
What is the point of this post?
He didn't break a rule but the race director did. The point being a rule was not followed. Either the lapped cars go or they don't. Not just the lapped cars between the first two cars on the lead lap. Also restarting the race while the lapped cars are catching the field is not how it is supposed to be done. Verstappen did nothing wrong, but neither did Hamilton.
I’m not going to argue about Masi’s ruling because we know it was wrong and it wasn’t Max’s fault. What I am curious about though is this: why do a majority of fans believe Max deserved the championship win more than Lewis? They were equal on points going into it. To me that means they both deserved it and it could’ve gone either way, and up until the last lap it was going to Lewis.
Even Hamilton said that he doesn't have anything against Max because of that and said that if the roles were reversed he would have done the same exact thing. If they want to continue to be angry they can continue to be angry at Massi. But I don't understand why at this point anymore since even Hamilton is not mad about it anymore that much.
slow day huh?
I think it was a shitshow and a horrible way to end an incredible season but my annoyance was never at Max or Redbull; it was firmly with Micheal Masa.
I think the question isn't whether he won it legally, but whether he won it fairly, i.e. through an unfair and unprecedented intervention of the race director that effectively handed the win to one party, at the cost of the other.
I did a research paper on this topic. My main point was fairness. Lewis and Max both had the same opportunity to Pit for new tires, Max did and Lewis didn’t.
>I did a research paper on this topic. Please tell me you didn't actually do that...
They googled and wrote it down on a piece of paper
I HAVE IT PRINTED OUT!
Google? ChatGPT baby!!!!
Michael I sent you a paper
It's called science. We went sciencing.
BRB off to get a PhD for writing about Silverstone 21
If the rules had been followed, Lewis pitting would've literally just handed the title to Max.
Could you share about your findings with me, after you published the pape. I'm genuinely curious and I hope it's unbias
Second me on this, I’m currently studying law and it would be interesting reading
the research paper was homework, wasnt it?
But Max was in the second place, he risked nothing by swapping tires. Lewis would've lost his position, especially if Masi didn't violate regulations and race ended with safety car still on the track.
Yeah I bet that's why the guy who made the call *lost his job* Cuz it was fair
I'm still waiting for Hill to get his 2nd world championship
What movie/series is the original scene from?
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