craig1410
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| posted on 14/12/21 at 11:59 PM |
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Some random thoughts:
1. It's been a long season and both drivers have been head and shoulders above the rest. Either driver would have been a worthy champion.
2. Overall, prior to Abu Dhabi, Max had received more bad luck than Lewis (my opinion but shared by many)
3. Both team bosses have been pressuring Masi but to my mind Toto (who I actually really like) has been way over the limit with his condescending
"Mikey, No!...." broadcasts. Red Bull have been much more professional when lobbying the Race Director. That said, I don't think ANY
team should be routinely lobbying the Race Director. It should be a case of "don't speak unless spoken to" with the only exception
being for safety related issues.
4. There is zero doubt in my mind that the first lap incident should have resulted in Lewis yielding to Max. Pretty much every commentator agreed that
it was a slam-dunk yield. Lewis left the door open and Max drove through it. Ironically, I think that if Lewis had been asked to yield, his much
better race pace would have resulted in him overtaking Max within a few laps anyway. Yes, Max might have crashed rather than yield but that was no
guarantee of a win for Max given the FIA spotlight that was on the race. Worst case for Lewis is that he would have benefited from the SC instead of
Max.
5. The SC itself, as is often the case, took way too long to clear. I don't understand why they can't just hook up a winch and yank the
car off the track pronto! Nobody wants to see a race/championship finish in SC conditions so I understand the pressure to get the race underway again.
Michael Masi had only seconds to make decisions that will be second guessed for years. I think he took a pragmatic decision under immense pressure and
I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done any better so won't criticise. Yes, I'm sure we all wish Charlie Whiting had still been
around to make that call but there is no guarantee that the result would have been any different. (Sidenote: I loved the way Masi told Toto Wolff that
"...it's called a motor race" - Toto deserved that without doubt! 
Bottom line - Max is a worthy winner and Schumacher's record is safe for another year. Lewis is a fine driver but has been blessed by driving an
unbeatable car for so long. I think it's only fair that he will have to wait a bit longer to have the chance to beat Michael's record.
Final thoughts - I'm not a Hamilton fan (massive Alonso fan  ) but I was very pleasantly surprised at the candour of Lewis and Anthony
Hamilton when congratulating Max and Jos. Massive respect to them for that gesture. Unfortunately Toto threw his toys out of the pram and let loose
his QC which he just happened to have right there at the race. 
If this result is overturned then I am done with F1 forever. Even Lewis didn't support the protests and he is the one with most to gain.
Can't wait for 2022 - Alonso FTW!
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James
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| posted on 17/12/21 at 02:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon
Like tax law, F1 has way too many rules.
Glad Max won, no idea what he's like as a person but ever since Hamilton emigrated "to escape the fans" to a tax haven I
couldn't give a feck what happens to him.
And, I really don't care about F1 either. Drivers are turning into a bunch of primadonnas (like football)
Max, along with most of the other drivers, also lives in Monaco (since 2015) so to that would seem a strange reasons to support him over Hamilton.
You might also wish to investigate the specific taxation rules for international sportspeople which mean that not only does Hamilton's
British-registered company (which actually receives his income from Merc and sponsors) and pays UK corporation tax but under international law, his
tax is split between all the countries he competes in (so everywhere that holds a race). It's only his personal tax which would be free of
income tax and that would be minimised wherever he lived.
HMG themselves agree that Hamilton is in the top 5000 tax payers in the UK.
Cheers!
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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James
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| posted on 17/12/21 at 02:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon
Like tax law, F1 has way too many rules.
Glad Max won, no idea what he's like as a person but ever since Hamilton emigrated "to escape the fans" to a tax haven I
couldn't give a feck what happens to him.
And, I really don't care about F1 either. Drivers are turning into a bunch of primadonnas (like football)
Max, along with most of the other drivers, also lives in Monaco (since 2015) so to that would seem a strange reasons to support him over Hamilton.
You might also wish to investigate the specific taxation rules for international sportspeople which mean that not only does Hamilton's
British-registered company (which actually receives his income from Merc and sponsors) pays UK corporation tax but under international law, his tax is
split between all the countries he competes in (so everywhere that holds a race). This is the same for tennis players and other
'travelling' sportspeople. It's only his personal tax which would be free of income tax and that would be minimised wherever he
lived.
HMG themselves agree that Hamilton is in the top 5000 tax payers in the UK.
Cheers!
James
[Edited on 17/12/21 by James]
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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James
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| posted on 23/12/21 at 12:53 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Frankly, I couldn't care less.
I haven't had any interest in F1 for many years - I would rather British Touring Cars, or any sort of professional bike racing. In other words,
any form of racing where the winner isn't so predictable.
Bear in mind we didn't know who was likely to win all season, the WDC lead changed 5/6(?) times, and the WCC difference was down to 1(?) point
at one point, and the leaders were equal on points going into the last race, it seems difficult to argue that the result was predictable?
If anything, the farce at Abu Dhabi showed that someone other than the predicted winner can win a race!
I get that it was dull a few years ago but things have been great for quite a few seasons now.
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 23/12/21 at 12:57 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by James
I get that it was dull a few years ago but things have been great for quite a few seasons now.
James
I still can't be bothered to watch it!
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