São Paulo Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) | November 12-14, 2021

mellowtiger83 said:https://www.crash.net/f1/news/992372...tfacing-camera

The stewards decided not to issue a penalty since there wasn't a camera angle showing exactly what Max was doing with the steering wheel. It makes me wonder why that specific footage didn't make its way to them. I suspect they'll revisit this later. I wouldn't be surprised if the "no penalty" ruling changes once the right video surfaces. Once that footage is available, it will likely prove his actions were intentional.

Look, Masi is just the race director, not some damn judge. The stewards make the calls—he just hops on the radio to Red Bull or Mercedes and mumbles some useless nonsense just to get them off his back.

Gregory Brown94 said:The situation with Lewis Hamilton is crystal clear to me. Having a car with an illegal rear wing that pulls pole in qualifying? That’s a straightforward disqualification, plain and simple. At best, they'll just swap out the wing and let him start from the pit lane for Sunday's race. Given how things are looking, if Lewis Hamilton can find enough pace in today's sprint, he might actually be able to muscle past Max Verstappen—maybe even force him wide. Even with the penalty, it doesn't really matter because he's starting from the pits anyway, whereas Max would be stuck at the back of the pack.

Max Verstappen’s situation is much more complicated. Based on what we know, it looks like he was intentionally messing with the rear wing, which goes against the spirit of the sporting regulations. It's hard to call this one because it all comes down to steward discretion, and honestly, relying on that feels like being out on a boat in choppy waters. We can sit here and vent about "stupidity" all we want, but ultimately, it's up to the officials and how they choose to view the situation.

If it's a DSQ, he starts from the pits today (or maybe last). If they just change the wing because of damage, it's allowed under parc fermé with the FIA delegate's okay—you just have to use parts that match the exact same specs.

Jack Kelly5 said:Actually, it wasn't Bottas hitting 27 km/h, it was Lewis. So it isn't just about the car; it’s definitely something with the driver.
😬

I can practically feel the stench of irony wafting off this situation.
How on earth can a driver be faster than the car itself? I mean, think about the physics of it—how can an individual's pace actually outstrip the technical capabilities of the machine they're piloting on a straightaway? It defies logic! 🐔
It would be absolutely absurd if he were forced to run with minimum downforce; the entire setup would be completely nonsensical.
It’s quite obvious, isn't it? Lewis certainly has the more modern engine under the hood this time around.
And I hear he even has brand-new underwear. Bottas has a wife, for crying out loud—he certainly has a washing machine! 😢

To wrap up this beautiful day, I’ll leave you with one more thought from my own archives:

Jason Campbell70 said:Hamilton's performance today is on par with Schumacher back in 2006 at this very same track.
There’s motivation here, pure skill, and deep experience.
Let's just enjoy the ride.

Jason Campbell70 over and out.

Well, my fingers were moving faster than my brain.

It really makes you wonder, though—was that rear wing actually damaged? And if it wasn't, would other cars running the exact same spec be dealing with the same issue? In Mexico, the air resistance isn't nearly as intense because of the high altitude, so who knows when that specific wing design was actually rolled out. Then again, Valtteri Bottas didn't seem to have any trouble, but you never know what kind of parts a No2 driver actually ends up with.

Taj Hamza needs to shave his balls dry because he was dragging his feet way too long getting to the starting grid yesterday.
And Max too, since everyone says he’s just messing around behind Hamza's rear wing.
So basically, a collective ball shaving session for both of them.

It’s honestly pretty unsettling to see how he just strolled from a 25-place penalty straight back into contention during the first half of the race—not that I’m questioning his talent, obviously—but it really makes you wonder what kind of absolute monster of a machine they’ve been hiding under the hood for the end of the season.
I imagine there are going to be a lot of very long, very sleepless nights over at Honda in the coming weeks.

James Harris34 said:Over the last eight years, Mercedes drivers have suffered three engine failures. That works out to about a 1.85% chance that Lewis Hamilton’s engine will give out during the final five races—a risk definitely not worth losing 50 points over in a tight championship battle...
Even the folks over at Honda seem totally blindsided by this, just like the rest of us. But hey, you wouldn't know anything about that, right? You're clearly the smartest person in the room, you absolute Worst F1 driver...
Honda is left scratching their heads over why things aren't clicking, and honestly, you can't blame them. After everything they’ve put into this, seeing the results fall short is a tough pill to swallow. You have to wonder if there's a fundamental disconnect somewhere in the strategy or the technical execution...

Whatever the reason, the Mercedes leadership and the pit wall are making so many uncharacteristic mistakes this year that it honestly feels like they’re actively trying to throw this championship away...

What does what happened 5, 6, 8, or 45 years ago have to do with this season? 🙂
It’s your own fault if you don't actually understand the rules of the sport you claim to follow...

Let's take it step by step...
Changing an engine after hitting the seasonal limit is a grid penalty, whether it's due to a DNF during a race or a preventive gearbox swap...

Second, Mercedes doesn't have the luxury of using "party mode" anymore, where they crank the engine to the max for Q3 and then the start, only for Valtteri Bottas to block the whole pack like a brick while the greatest ever whines on the radio about dead tires and drives in "survival mode."🙂
That strategy hasn't worked since they restricted it to just one engine map for both qualifying and the race...
And oh look, what a shocker—ever since that change, Mercedes has been struggling with engines. Makes you wonder why. 🙂

ruggedmaker99 said:I can practically feel the stench of irony wafting off this situation.
How on earth can a driver be faster than the car itself? I mean, think about the physics of it—how can an individual's pace actually outstrip the technical capabilities of the machine they're piloting on a straightaway? It defies logic! 🐔
It would be absolutely absurd if he were forced to run with minimum downforce; the entire setup would be completely nonsensical.
It’s quite obvious, isn't it? Lewis certainly has the more modern engine under the hood this time around.
And I hear he even has brand-new underwear. Bottas has a wife, for crying out loud—he certainly has a washing machine! 😢

Our colleague is being ironic, of course; however, there truly are those who aren't joking when they suggest that one must drive quite differently when paired with such an incredibly fast car on the straights...

And here we go again. Just another video of someone constantly messing with the cars.

coastalwolf6 said:Performing like the glory days with that Q avatar. 🤣

They have those things called gloves. VER has fingernails that can double as tools. 🤣

The FIA gave them every opportunity to extract that liter from the car—even suggesting they flip the car upside down or on its side if necessary—yet they still failed. Was it even possible?

Nope...
You can't just tear the car apart or swap out a pump. They have to drain the fuel exactly as it sits, no part swaps, no dismantling, and absolutely no flipping the thing over.

"We'll be keeping a close eye on them," they say over at Red Bull 🤣

graniteharbor502 said:Our colleague is being ironic, of course; however, there truly are those who aren't joking when they suggest that one must drive quite differently when paired with such an incredibly fast car on the straights...

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you mean by "mastering" it like that.

mellowtiger83 said:I don't recall Hamilton saying he *is* Senna, just that Senna was his inspiration. Even his helmet design early on was a nod to him. Americans love him, and that's that. Everything else is just a product of your obsession with hating Hamilton, which is frankly unhealthy. It creates unnecessary tension and isn't particularly kind, goodness knows.

I know how it goes. I used to be exactly like you.🤦

Before we even get into how much this product sucks...
Turns out there was a penalty. Typical. Honestly, I’m not even surprised at this point—just exhausted by it. Just another day in the life of being a fan, I guess. Expecting things to actually go smoothly is my first mistake. Always am.

Look, Lou is just Lou. He’s exactly who he’s always been. Half the time he talks, he sounds like a total fraud or a complete hypocrite. It's what he does.
That’s just how he is. Plus, it’s probably part of Toto’s PR playbook that he's contractually obligated to follow.
Honestly, the way the British press operates is occasionally just plain sleazy. I’d say that’s exactly why people can't stand them.

The FIA spent this entire season looking the other way. They were basically pulling the strings on every Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car, and red flag just to make sure the money kept flowing.
And then comes the whining about how he’s being discriminated against, blah, blah, blah...

The world is out to get us. Honestly, I think that’s exactly how Lewis has felt his whole career, and now we’re all feeling it together as a squad. But guess what? We aren't just going to sit there and take it. We're going to fight back. We refuse to be victims.

That’s exactly how the vibe feels in the garage right now. Total chaos.

Give me a break. The FIA basically handed them a free pass on that DRS issue. In any other scenario, you’re looking at a disqualification or a pit lane start, not just getting bumped to 20th on the grid. Total joke.
Don't act surprised when you get roasted like a cheap burger for breaking the technical rules. And that's not even mentioning how the judges love to spin their own little narratives about who's good and who's garbage.
If I were running the FIA, Toto would’ve been banned from the next race for this stunt.

Honestly, when I actually stop to think about it, most of that absolute nonsense was either straight from Wolff himself or just some British tabloid completely butchering the facts. It’s not like we actually sat there and heard Lewis taking a leak or anything.
If you’re actually going to sit here and hate on someone, you should probably be aiming that energy at Wolff instead of Hamilton. Just saying.☕

Then there’s this:
Hamilton might have dodged a bullet on that one. There’s a lot of noise about whether he actually broke the rules during the race, but honestly, it feels like they're reaching. It's just more drama for the sake of drama. Typical.

Word on the street is the stewards might actually throw a penalty flag because the British driver has questionable fashion sense, prefers dogs over cats, and is an Arsenal fan. Total nonsense, obviously... but hey, in this league, I wouldn't put anything past them.

What the hell?
So, we’ve got some random forum chatter here, but someone actually calling themselves an F1 media expert or a journalist? Yeah, that sounds about right. Typical. 🤔
Give me a break. It was a standard fine for a minor infraction—one that honestly could’ve been way worse. But hey, what are you gonna do?
Did he break the rules? Yeah, he did. He got fined, and that’s the end of it...

But now the media's gonna turn it into some massive scandal, and suddenly Lou is the one acting crazy and causing all the drama...

Elizabeth Morales49 said:Are you aiming for sarcasm here? Michael Schumacher got slapped with a ban for the rest of the season because he intentionally rammed a rival... why on earth would you think Lewis Hamilton would get anything less if he pulls the exact same stunt now?

I mean, Lewis Hamilton is an Englishman. So, I guess that means the rules just don't really apply to him, right?

ruggedmaker99 said:"We'll be keeping a close eye on them," they say over at Red Bull 🤣

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you mean by "mastering" it like that.

That little smiley face here: 🙏 (which you get on the forum by typing a colon followed by a lowercase "s"). In a figurative sense, it implies giving someone special praise.

Man, you guys are really dragging out this whole bloody mess from Sunday, aren't you?
Next stop, Las Vegas!!!
👋

ruggedhawk20 said:Yeah, right. They might as well just let them choose which position they want to finish in at the end of the race.

If only you had mentioned that earlier... 🙂

stormybadger8 said:There’s zero chance Luxury was on the grid within 30 seconds of the leader, no 🤣
.
It took him a solid 10 seconds just to get to his spot after even Nikita Mazepin had already parked.
Looking at the main feed, he took about 20 seconds from the moment everyone else up to Stroll were lined up...

I'm looking right at it now—assuming the feeds on F1 TV Pro are synced, which they should be...
Then we're barely talking about him making it to the grid within 60 seconds...
Max hits his mark at 09:19, while Lewis doesn't show up until 10:11...

Are you actually sure about that 30-second claim?
Honestly, I'm surprised Red Bull didn't lodge a protest and the FIA didn't hand out a penalty.
Because that was some seriously blatant stalling.
Looks like the start barely squeezed in under 60 seconds from when Max pulled up, but it was down to milliseconds whether they broke the limit or not...

Is that 30-second window actually a rule?
If it is, then sure, he should be penalized if he was stalling on purpose, but who do you actually penalize in other scenarios?
The last guy isn't always the one at fault. You have 18 other drivers between the first and the last; how is the final driver supposed to make it in within 30 seconds if the guys ahead of him are dragging their feet? I think this rule is incredibly hard to enforce fairly. If we apply it strictly, the last driver will constantly end up being blamed and penalized for things they didn't do, simply because the people in front were slow.

This situation with Hamza is clear-cut, though. If it's in the regulations, then yes, he should have been penalized because it's obvious he was stalling.

graniteharbor502 said:Identifying a loophole in the regulations🤣
And so it goes, as Verstappen has once again brought it to everyone's attention...

Actually, no—Verstappen straight up broke a clear rule. Try again.

Jeremy Reyes4 said:I mean, Lewis Hamilton is an Englishman. So, I guess that means the rules just don't really apply to him, right?

Man, just imagine it. Another collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton where Hami somehow comes out on top again. The internet would absolutely melt down. 🤣