F1

[Kashinda]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8vQ92hp/

He's taking it well

[Currahee!]

The timing of the safety car is key to this. Mercedes couldn't risk bringing in Hamilton. If they had then Verstappen would've stayed out gaining track position. They couldn't risk it as if they did and the safety car stayed out then Verstappen would be champion. The driver behind has nothing to lose by pitting. It worked this time. Other times it won't.

[Billy Butcher]

Surely if they knew Masi was going to apply the rule in the way he did then that would have changed the calculation?

If they had pitted Hamilton and Verstappen had stayed out, then Masi went 'fuck the rule, I want a shootout' he would have put Lewis behind Verstappen to get his Drive to Survive ending. One team had to risk it, and made the right call in the end, another team was making calls based on the rules being applied fully and properly and obviously ended up fucked.

Maybe not seeing it right TBF.

[Kashinda]

I think I get it now tbf, if they pitted Lewis they would be banking on a safety car that might never have come. The fact it did was just insane luck for RB

[Currahee!]

I think I get it now tbf, if they pitted Lewis they would be banking on a safety car that might never have come. The fact it did was just insane luck for RB

I think its more the fact they reckoned they'd finish the race behind the safety car.

[Billy Butcher]

Either that or Max would have had to go through the five cars in between and then overtake Lewis in the final lap.

One thing is really clear - they didn't think the race director would let RB pit, get fresh softs on and then clear the road to put Verstappen right behind Hamilton.

If they knew that would happen, they'd have pitted him, IMO.

[Charlie Kelly]

A lot of team radio coming out from that last lap from other drivers saying how they think it was unfair it would seem. 

Shame they're not being more vocal about it but the more drivers making these comments the worse it is for Masi and the FIA

[Hank Scorpio]

I think it's less about Masi being corrupt than him being way out of his depth.

[Del-icious]

How long has Masi held that position?

[Sarkozabal]

A lot of team radio coming out from that last lap from other drivers saying how they think it was unfair it would seem. 

Shame they're not being more vocal about it but the more drivers making these comments the worse it is for Masi and the FIA

I saw the line a lot of Hamilton fans are going with now is they cleared the lapped cars between Lewis and Max, but left two lapped cars between Max and Sainz which robbed him of the opportunity to attack Max at the first corner.

Carlos seemed buzzing at sneaking onto the podium like so can't imagine he'll be getting involved in the protest but I guess Merc can just about argue that the lap might have gone differently if Sainz was in the mix at Turn 1 as well? It obv wouldn't have actually changed anything but might not be a bad extra point to add into the protest.

[Roger H. Sterling]

How long has Masi held that position?

This was his 3rd season. Thrown into the hot seat when the long serving Charlie Whiting died suddenly before the first race in 2019. Then had the covid year last year, then this one.

[CritchSmile]

I think it's less about Masi being corrupt than him being way out of his depth.

The randoms suggestion corruption, racism and whatever else are fucking imbeciles.

Masi needs help as he's proven many times in the last two years that he's not up to it alone. I wouldn't mind so much if he was incompetent from inexperience, but the way he lets team principals influence him pushes it over the edge. I'm not sure if he has the personality to command respect and build conducive relationships within the paddock.

Masi and both teams had a meeting where they all empahtically agreed that they want every opprortunity for the championship to be decided on track. Both teams agreed that it would suck for a neutralised race to 'decide' the championship. Too many little agreements being made instead of just following the rules as they are laid out.

It's a dangerous sport and rules are there primarily for safety. Lets show the rules a bit more respect.

[Billy Butcher]

You can tell he is out of his depth as he just randomly loses it. Wolff/Horner on the radio to him trying to work the referee so at the end when Wolff is complaining he makes a wee snippy comment like 'we went motor racing'.

Sarkozy - it ended up with Tsunoda nearly catching Sainz as Sainz didn't know what was going on. You can't have people driving round a race track at 200mph with them all thinking different things.

Masi isn't corrupt he is just useless and gets swayed by the media (Netflix) and team principals/drivers. Too weak. If that is Charlie Whiting he says 'we follow the procedure we always do' and when RB complain he says 'that's the rule, get over it.' None of this meeting teams before the weekend to agree that they will finish the race with teams racing or saying that if a car crashes at a certain part of the track something will definitely happen/not happen.

Just an absolute shambles because he is useless.

[CritchSmile]

Can we just clarify something, because I feel like people are getting wires crossed here.  

Masi isn't "swayed" by the media/Netflix.

F1 was bought by Liberty Media, a US company who have brought F1 back into the mainstream by effectively platforming lots of online content, pushing e-sports, bringing in a cost cap, working with Ross Brawn to create new regulations and trying to expand the reach of F1 in North America (we will have two US tracks soon).
A small part of this was allowing Netlfix in to create a documentary - DTS. They were really effective in producing a dramatic framing to the action and this helped to attract younger viewers which in turn is great for advertisers and the finances of the sport. The success of this resulted in more seasons of the documentary being made. The novelty has worn off a little and you've had guys like Max Verstappen pull out of this seasons documentary as they felt it was becoming a bit "fake". The DTS is thing is just a funny meme where people say "I wonder what DTS will make of this!".

Returning to the main issue of Liberty Media - while they have done a tonne of things to grow the sport, after Charlie Whiting's death and the appointment of Masi, there has been growing discontent within the fanbase and paddock that Liberty have more influence over the race director - both in terms of sacrificing safety and fairness/integrity of the sport. Personally, this came to a head for me in Jeddah whereby many experienced F1 folk harboured concerns that the track was not ready, unsafe and unfit for F1. We raced anyway on it, resulting in multiple red flags/safety cars and at this penalty-hit track - for the first time it appeared that penalties were being applied not in line with the sporting code but to manufacture a close or ideally a joint points finish. I should also say that the "no investigation necessary" on Max pushing Lewis off the track at Interlagos was completely baffling for any F1 fan also. These contrivances have so far been effectively hidden under the cloak of "we are just trying to let them race". What happened at Abu Dhabi was the last straw that seemed to evidence real contrivance and proved it is not just "let them race" but more about creating a spectacle and people are linking this back to Liberty's influence on Masi along with his own incompetence. The scenes that unfolded have harmed the sports reputation and I expect them to fix this and make serious changes for next year as there is a brand risk that the whole sport will be labelled as sports entertainment and lose its legitmacy. F1 has always been a business - which is why the sporting integrity is so crucial.

Anyway, the point is - it doesn't mean Masi is being pressured by Netlfix to change races. it's fuck all to do with Netflix or the documentary  

The people saying - "they just want to make it exciting for Drive to Survive!" don't get the meme that it is DTS that dramatises F1, the meme isn't that F1 is dramatising things for DTS.

[Hank Scorpio]

You can tell he is out of his depth as he just randomly loses it. Wolff/Horner on the radio to him trying to work the referee so at the end when Wolff is complaining he makes a wee snippy comment like 'we went motor racing'.

When Horner was having a go about the lapped cars at the start of the SC period, he sounded stressed out of his nut. That snippy answer to Wolff has probably been building up for ages.

[Billy Butcher]

SJ you obviously have more faith in Masi than I do

He is a weak wee man who will be thinking this is good for the cameras The media/wee bit of Netflix reaction will have been playing in his head. I'm not saying the CEO of Netflix is in his ear telling him what to do - I thought that would be obvious. He makes decisions and 'drama' factors into those decisions - be that pressure from Liberty Media/Netflix/his 'style' of race direction.

The bit where Horner was having a go Masi literally said 'give me a bit of time' or words to that affect and a minute later came back with his wee plan of how he was going to get the dramatic finish.

Still not over it (Max is the deserved world champion).

[CritchSmile]

I actually doubt many people involved in F1 (drivers, race director etc...) even watch DTS, tbh.

I really don't think he was thinking what the Netflix reaction will be, while trying to organise the final laps of the race under safety car, ensuring marshalls are clearing the track/marshall safety and having war and peace discussions with Toto and Horner.  

[Roger H. Sterling]

SJ you obviously have more faith in Masi than I do

He is a weak wee man who will be thinking this is good for the cameras The media/wee bit of Netflix reaction will have been playing in his head. I'm not saying the CEO of Netflix is in his ear telling him what to do - I thought that would be obvious. He makes decisions and 'drama' factors into those decisions - be that pressure from Liberty Media/Netflix/his 'style' of race direction.

The bit where Horner was having a go Masi literally said 'give me a bit of time' or words to that affect and a minute later came back with his wee plan of how he was going to get the dramatic finish.

Still not over it (Max is the deserved world champion).

What's Masi got to gain from that though? Why does he care how dramatic the race is. He's the referee. He's there to apply the rules and nothing more. I think he needed time probably to consult with other people as he has zero confidence in his own decisions.

[Billy Butcher]

What's Masi got to gain from that though? Why does he care how dramatic the race is. He's the referee. He's there to apply the rules and nothing more. I think he needed time probably to consult with other people as he has zero confidence in his own decisions.

That's why I think he is totally unsuitable for the job. His decisions don't follow logic, consistency or the rules and after looking at his decisions in the last two rounds especially he was clearly influenced by making it dramatic.

If he was the referee and there to just apply the rules then one of three things happen on Sunday:

1. Red flag, bring all cars in and have a standing start.
2. All lapped cars unlap themselves and the safety car comes in the following lap (as per the actual rules) so the race ends under the SC
3. Cars don't unlap themselves and Verstappen has to batter through 4 cars to get to Hamilton.

It takes 30 seconds to read the rule and tell both Wolff and Horner to shut up. Masi himself recited the rule verbatim in an interview after the Eifel GP last year so he knows the rules fine well.

Masi tarred and feathered outside the Mercedes headquarters on Thursday or we riot

[Del-icious]

The line now is that the rules don't say “all lapped cars” but it says “any lapped cars” so people are arguing not every lapped car needs to go through and just the ones the director decides.

You'd think they'd go by precedent though and I'm guessing in the past it's been all lapped cars through.