2021 Formula 1 Thread

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by abm89

I'll take a McLaren 1-2! They said "We're back!" and kicked the f-ing door down! Zak lookin' like the proudest dad is wholesome AF. I'm 100% for it!

I can see why Max got the penalty. As explained in the stewards report, he was never fully alongside Lewis at any point into the corner. The grid penalty is simply because of the DNF, otherwise I bet the stewards would issue the 10s penalty.

I think the move itself wasn't egregious, but ill-advised. Lewis was already on a defensive line coming out of the pits, so lining him up for the next chicane would have been an easier attempt IMO. Even cutting straight across (like Perez) would have netted him a chance to finish the race. I'm sure some of you will reference "hindsight" but I felt this was a crash just by the positioning of both their cars around pit exit. As far as Lewis's part in this, I'm not surprised he shut the door. Max has done this same thing to him in Imola, Spain, and even Lap 1 at Monza. I'm sure Lewis has decided enough is enough, so expect more incidents like this. He may get more penalties because of this, but I'm sure he's done caring. As long as neither of them try some Senna or Schumacher tactics, I'm for the shenanigans.

The accident itself was made worse by the orange kerb. They need to get rid of those. A launched car not good for anyone.

Lewis should have shut the door on Turn 1 and forced Max to take the escape road, not waited until turn-in for Turn 2. Easy to say in hind sight, but showing Max a gap and then making it disappear when he started to see Max's wing behind his left wheel, when the Red Bull had no where to go, was pretty dirty. I don't think it was calculated, but it made the collision inevitable.

Max could not have hoped to make Turn 2 on the line he was taking, without collecting Lewis or pushing him off the track.

But Lewis could have put his elbows out earlier and owned the chicane, or avoided the accident by opening up at Turn 2, and Toto would have argued with the stewards to give the place back later in the race. He is not at fault, but he wore his bad decisions.

Thankfully, Max had the diff set to open for the chicane, so the right rear wheel didn't rotate. I'm thinking they would have been otherwise collecting Lewis' helmet, and its contents, off the track! Shudder to think of what that accident would have looked like pre-halo!