Certainly, the first world coronation of Max Verstappen is causing a lot of ink to flow. More than the sporting feat of an incredible race, it is especially the final, highly controversial, which occupies the news, Monday, December 13.
After the last 58 laps of 2021, it was probably the best of the season that won against Lewis Hamilton, but not the fastest of the day in Abu Dhabi. And it was a decision by the race director that made the difference.
It all started with a pass of arms in the first lap which Hamilton took advantage of to escape in the lead by cutting a turn, which made Red Bull cringe without the maneuver justifying an investigation in the eyes of the stewards. sportsmen. In the lead, the Englishman then made use of his speed to widen a gap that his rival seemed unable to fill.
The victory seemed promised to him, until the boss of Red Bull Christian Horner described as an intervention “gods of the race” in the last ten laps, after the crash of the Canadian Nicholas Latifi (Williams).
LAP 54/58
Huge drama as Nicholas Latifi goes into the barriers – he reports that he is ok
But the Safety Car comes out and Max Verstappen immediately goes into the pits for some fresh tires
We * could * have a final lap shootout here … WOW#AbuDhabiGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/j9uUZxGPaW
– Formula 1 (@ F1) December 12, 2021
The intervention of the safety car was necessary the time to free his car. Verstappen stopped for soft tires, Hamilton did not. Two outcomes became possible: if the race resumed, the Dutchman would have the advantage on restarting, if it ended behind the safety car, without the possibility of overtaking, it was good for the Englishman.
Each team defended their interests in radio communications (which until recently had not been broadcast on television) with race director Michael Masi, who was in charge of the decision.
Freedoms with the rules
The 42-year-old Australian decided in extremis: the GP would start again for the last lap only, allowing the first coronation of Verstappen at 24 years old. “We call it a race”, dryly justified Masi to the boss of Hamilton, Toto Wolff, who contested his choice.
But the clerk of the course took liberties with the rule that the safety car should have stayed on track one more lap until the end of the race, which would have given Hamilton a slow-motion victory.
That extraordinary final lap of the 2021 title race in full #AbuDhabiGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/kknTMDfpAF
– Formula 1 (@ F1) December 12, 2021
Mercedes lodged a complaint, rejected by the commissioners. The German manufacturer has notified its intention to appeal, which must be formalized or abandoned within 96 hours, i.e. by Thursday evening … at the same time as the presentation of the trophies by the International Automobile Federation (FIA ).
At the end of a season full of incidents between his two strong men, the management and the race marshals (accused of being too or not lenient enough) were not at their first controversy. But this one is on a whole different scale.
“Looking back, could the commissioners have done a better job? Yes. Did something controversial happen? Yes”, remarked the former Scottish pilot David Coulthard Sunday at the microphone of the British channel Channel 4. “The refereeing was very difficult for the teams to understand”, added Australian Mark Webber.
“I fully understand Mercedes’ claim”, said the Frenchman Alain Prost on Canal +. “We protest on the way to manage the safety car (…) It becomes an additional controversy, we did not need that because the fault was committed by the sporting power.”
Briton Damon Hill went in the same direction on Twitter: “It’s a new way of running the sport where the clerk of the course can make these ad hoc decisions. It leans a bit too much towards ‘guess what I’m going to do now'”.
Among the former pilots who had become consultants, there were still a few who called for leniency.
“Michael Masi wants them to race, he doesn’t want to decide the outcome of the world championship. It’s really tricky but we saw a race.”, recalled the Briton Jenson Button. “You have to have a little compassion, also pleaded Nico Rosberg. The whole world is watching him and he has to decide in 15 seconds. It’s the last lap of the last race of the championship, the situation with the most pressure, and his decision gave us a wonderful moment of racing and an incredible final. “
For the German, one of the points to review is the possibility for the team bosses to communicate with the clerk of the course to try to influence his decisions. “It is not done in football”, he concludes.