The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP was one of the craziest championship deciders in F1 history, but you already know that. Whether it ranks higher or lower that the legendary 2008 Brazilian GP purely depends on what fanbase you belong to! Such incredible drama that raises the heart rates of millions across the globe simultaneously is the perfect storm for the fans, broadcasters and the sport alike. There are few things in life that can send people in such an emotional whirlwind so quickly!
The key missing element from the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP
That said, in terms of pure competition, the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP has to rank very close to the bottom along with the infamous Suzuka duo of 1989 and 1990. Before beginning though, I must make it clear that the problem from yesterday, in my opinion, wasn’t ‘who’ won, but rather ‘how’ they won.
In a way, Max Verstappen winning his first World Championship has to be better for the sport than Lewis Hamilton bagging a record breaking eight. It is a tremendous advertisement for F1 to see a rising young gun beating a bonafide legend in a one lap shootout and ushering the start of a brand new era for the sport.
2005 –
A 24-yo driver (ALO) wins his first title defeating a seven-time champion aged 36 who was born in January (MSC).
2021?
A 24-yo driver (VER) wins his first title defeating a seven-time champion aged 36 who was born in January (HAM).#F1 #AbuDhabiGP
— F1 StatsGuru (@f1statsguru) December 12, 2021
In theory, a moment like this can be a great catalyst for the growth of any sport. Races like the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, where we witness the dawn of a new era, are what young kids remember and carry on for the rest of their lives, guaranteeing the league a lifelong fan. This truly is the stuff of dreams.
A season far too controversial than it needed to be?
The reason why it ends up as a bit of a bad advertisement for the sport, however, is the execution.
Yet again, the root of a great deal of issues from the 2021 F1 Season remains to be the inconsistent and often confusing enforcement of the rules from the governing body. While it is still baffling to see the core principle of the sport, racing, be policed by rules that are very grey in nature, it was far more shocking to see clear, pre-defined rules on lapped cars be conveniently moulded in the final stages of the race.
2021 Abu Dhabi GP Controversy FIA
Firstly, one mildly infuriating fallout from the Abu Dhabi GP was seeing the wave of fans blaming Michael Masi for the safety car and blatantly chopping the legs underneath Lewis Hamilton’s race. We must stay calm and remember that this is part and parcel of Formula One. Indeed, Max Verstappen was lucky to get a Safety Car slashing Lewis’ gap, but this luck was merely a cherry atop a cake built by some ridiculous consistency this year. Calling him an undeserving champion would be an overreaction, considering how he has never finished a race outside the Top 2 this year.
However, according to the sporting regulations, ‘any lapped cars must be allowed past the safety car before restarting the race’. The confusing and conflicting messaging from the FIA, firstly to announce that lapped cars would not be allowed to pass the Safety Car and then to change the call, but only for those lapped cars in the way of Hamilton and Verstappen, was bizarre and incredibly frustrating.
Ricciardo: They said cars can’t pass. Then they said that some of them could. I couldn’t. Then there was a restart. It was interesting, I was wondering why am I here.#F1 #AbuDhabiGP
— Kunal Shah (@kunalashah) December 12, 2021
Ideally, the Racing Director should have let all the lapped cars go past, which would have meant that we would be finishing with a cosmetic SC like Brazil 2012, or at least, red flag the race and have a fair sprint to the end like Baku 2021. If the intention was to make the product more ‘TV friendly’ which is what Lando Norris claims the decision was aimed at, surely the latter would have had just as much drama. F1 did indeed have TV time on their hands.
Truly crybabies?
In the wake of this, Mercedes’ initial protest has been rejected by the stewards, who have provided a justification, but not the reasoning behind it. Mercedes have announced their intention to appeal this decision in the FIA, and that does not make them crybabies, unlike what the internet may call them out for being. The prestige and prize money involved with the Drivers’ World Championship makes this a hard decision to swallow in these circumstances.
This is a brilliant #F1 watch ….. #totowolff in the #Mercedes garage for the final lap shoot out! pic.twitter.com/vtovKQ6KGn
— BenS (@SilkyLegend) December 12, 2021
Moreover, reverse the roles and Red Bull Racing would very much do the same, if not more. One only has to cast their mind back to them booking out Silverstone to replicate Hamilton and Verstappen’s crash with Alex Albon and an older gen F1 car in a bid to gather new evidence on the crash.
The point is, nobody wants to see this settled in court. Nobody wants the main attraction of F1, the racing to be in a murky mess.
Michae Masi’s ‘we’re going motor racing’ call from the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP may seem like a Hollywood hero’s ultimate punchline before destroying the villains and something that may live on as meme content for years. That said, if this continues, we’re not going motor racing, we actually are going down the ‘gully cricket’ route of the rules being as shady as Ferrari’s 2019 settlement. Now that doesn’t feel like a sport, does it?
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