F1 Thread

Not necessarily. Nothing stopped Mercedes pitting after Verstappen for fresh tyres. Hamiltons pace was significantly better and could have easily closed it up

 

Then you'd have to change the timings for all drivers and the positions would end up *, and potentially payouts.

So how exactly is that fair?

 

Merc would have had to have gone in for tyres before MV (as he would have passed the pit lane entrance first). Had he done that, then MV would have stayed out (RBR would have had no other tactical option). This would have given MV track position.

At that point the whole world was under the impression that the only way the race was going to end was either under the Safety Car, or the second placed car was going to have pass a number of back-markers to get to the leading car... and then pass it. In a single lap! NO tactician on the planet was ever going to go for that second option... because it simply wasn't an option.

 

Mercedes couldn't bring Hamilton in. If they brought him in he would have ended up behind Verstappen as he wouldn't have stopped.

If the race didn't restart he'd have finished behind Verstappen. Mercedes were in a no-win situation where they couldn't afford to stop.

 

They could have pitted him after Verstappen went in for his second new set of Hard tyres, and he likely would have been back first before the SC

 

They could have brought him in after Verstappen had his second set of hards stuck on.

Race pace wise he woulda caught him with no issues

 

Which is what the race director done?

Did they not allow Verstappen to skip the 4/5 cars which passed him during the pit after the safety car?

You guys clearly follow F1 and I completely understand that i seem to be arguing for a sport i don't follow, but this whole situation has blown my mind.

 

Hamilton was in complete control of the race. He was crusing home to a comfortable win. There wasn't a need to make an additional stop and having the risk to catch and pass Verstappen again.

 

We'll never know, his tyres might have nosedived in the last few laps if there was any actual racing.

No one would have been complaining if Mercedes had pitted him and both of them had fresh tyres on to fight it out.

 

I don't think you understand the complexities (TBH, it's not that complex) of how all this unfolded... or you're just trolling. To get on 'the appropriate' tyres, Merc would have had to cede track position to RBR (as RBR would have been strategically obliged to do the opposite of whatever Merc did). As I said before, had the Safety Car rule book been followed properly, then the race should either have ended behind the SC, or under SC conditions whilst we waited for the lapped cars to unlap themselves. That means that whoever had track position cruises to a victory.

Merc made the correct strategic call - they were * by Masi's bizarre decision.

 

MV started on Softs, so the second set of his harder compound tyres was put on under the final Safety Car. As I've said a few times before, why on earth would Merc have brought LH in to change his tyres? He had track position! Had the rules (as we've always known them) been followed, then the car that had track position was destined to finish 1st either behind the SC, or under Safety Car rules as the rest of the field untapped themselves.

It would have made NO SENSE for Merc to bring LH in... and there's no way they could have guessed that Masi was going to bastardise the rules to give us the mess that unfolded!

 

Mate Verstappen finished the race on Softs. He pitted early for hard tyres, then pitted again for another set of Hards during the VSC. He went to Softs during the SC.

Hamilton was miles clear of him the second time he got Hards, there was no reason not to pit him, and he even asked himself why he wasn't pitted during the VSC, and stated that he couldn't see those tyres lasting till the end.

No one could have predicted how it would end yesterday during the SC, but there is still some partial blame to Mercedes for his strategy calls

 

It doesn't matter what tyres he was on prior to the accident occuring Paul. The important thing at that point was that he was maintaining the 11 second (or so) gap back to MV... and he was - easily! The projection was that he was going to saunter to the win (despite MV being on fresher tyres). This alone gives us an indication on the difference in race pace between the 2 teams / drivers . LH / Merc were FAR superior.

What you're pondering is a classic 'what if'. Nota. 'what actually happened, and why it happened'. Let's go it that for a mo though. Had Lewis come in under the virtual SC and changed his tyres, then he'd have had to cede position to MV. Yes, I believe he would have closed the gap, but would Merc REALLY want LH having to pass MV on track for a second time? Max had already shown his hand at the first lap - he was going to barrel into EVERY corner. A DNF for both suited him. But lets keep going with it... had LH successfully passed MV for a second time, then he'd have likely drifted away into a commanding lead again... only for the gap to be closed by the introduction of the physical SC. He'd have stayed out... Max would have come in for fresh... and HAD THE RULES BEEN FOLLOWED, then Lewis wins under a SC ending (either behind the SC, or under SC conditions whilst the field uncaps itself).

But for the sake of argument, lets run your scenario to the nth degree... Merc have a fortune teller who foresaw Masi's 'decision' coming. Lewis' tyres would STILL have been significantly older than Max's box fresh set, and instead of being a dead duck, he'd just have been a mortally wounded duck. The likelihood is that Max would still have taken him on the last lap shoot out .

 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with what Max attempted to do during the first lap, and the fact Hamilton wasn't told to give the position back was an absolute farce

 

Sorry - when I said 'final' Safety Car, I meant 'Virtual'. The rest of the point remains the same - he would have lost track position (confirmed by his engineer). And the call was good - Lewis continued to breeze the race on his 'compromised' tyres. Max wasn't getting anywhere near doing anything on his 'better' tyres. The *-show at the end was a complete nonsense - no one could have anticipated it happening, so the rest becomes a moot point.

 

Teams and drivers are good at judging tyres. Hamilton had that race won. His tyres were fine for 5 laps with the gap he had.

Hamilton couldn't pit under the safety car. If he pitted then Verstappen would not have. If the race didn't restart, which was predicted, then Verstappen wins. If it did restart Hamilton would still have had to get past.

Hamilton did ask why he wasn't pitted during the safety car and it was explained by the team.

 

The more I read about it and the more I hear about it, it seems more and more farcical.

The impression I get is everyone knows it was out of order but they like Verstappen so it's fine.

 

Norris already got a puncture during the race on older tyres.