[gopi_rm]

What a race with lot of drama! But seeing the Max‘s medium tyre wear at the end and Hamilton‘s pace with hard tyres, it’s obvious that Hamilton would have passed Max for sure without any of those incidents.

I did not understand why Max has to give up place two times and still also got 5 sec penalty.

Any it’s a tie now and interesting race ahead!

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by Mat095

The result pretty much every F1 enthusiast wanted going into the final race. Not gonna talk about who raced dirtier but man, they can make Schumacher look like a saint!

Yeah, so true man!
Both drivers playing dirty (one is a seasoned dirty player while one's new to the game).
I don't understand why people only blame Max for it . Hamilton is not a saint either.

Also, with that rocket of an engine, it’s clear advantage Hamilton in the next race, nothing as a “skill advantage”. Both seem to be equally skilled.

Either ways, however dirty those drivers are at much higher caliber as drivers.

This track was interesting as well as scary , and they speeds these drivers head into the blind corners is simply astonishing.

[AZT]

I used to like Max and used to think he is sometimes erratic but today showed the guys an idiot who would rather crash out with his competitor than yield.

FIA better send a message, going off track should be a one off thing not a repeat offense whenever someone overtakes. Netflix Drive to Survive is the only winner today, solid content for their series

[thecarguy]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Also, with that rocket of an engine, it's clear advantage Hamilton in the next race, nothing as a "skill advantage". Both seem to be equally skilled.

There's no "Rocket" advantage. Mercedes lose more Hp than Honda as the engine mileage racks up. The performance gap between Redbull and Merc in Mexico and Brazil was equal(0.25% slower than the lead car in the race). Mexico was better for Redbull and Brazil for Mercedes. The cars are pretty similar depending on strengths and weaknesses plus setup direction. The Redbull is negligibly ahead over the whole season, where race pace is comparable (0.03% faster).

Redbull simply setup for Quali and Merc setup for the race. Tons of independent analysis reached the same conclusion before.

It's a cracker of a season and will probably be decided by luck(inconsistent stewarding) and the ability to handle pressure better. So let's not muck it by saying X has a faster car than y or vice-versa.

Links: https://f1bythenumbers.com/2021-mexi...-gp-race-pace/
https://f1bythenumbers.com/2021-sao-paulo-gp-race-pace/

[TN20CQ5187]

Amidst all the Merc Vs RBR, Verstappen Vs Hamilton, Ferrari Vs Mclaren. Most of us forgot about Esteban Ocon who lost his podium to Bottas in the final nick of time.

And about Verstappen and Hamilton, its basically still rookie's behavior vs a seasoned racer. The precision at which Hamilton rolls on track is just impeccable millimeters away from the walls.

[aim120]

Max has been handed additional 10 second penalty on top of the earlier 5 second penalty. Stewards investigated the data from each car and heard from the drivers. They determined that max was driving erratically and then braked suddenly causing a 2.4g deceleration, that cause lewis to crash.

Since Max was ahead with 16sec to bottas, he still retains his second place.

So there you have it folks. Max is a lucky boy to not get a race ban for this.

To those Max fans saying Lewis has a rocket ship. Lewis in DRS in qualifying was only 1km/hr faster on the straight, compared to Max.

Redbull this year as always been on rails. Mercedes 2021 car has to driven with lot of steering input, like last years redbull.

[smartindboy]

Is Lewis in a single lane country road behind Max to complain about brake check?
When Max was slowing down, Lewis should have overtaken him instead of tailgating him.
The final result would still be the same without all these drama.

As someone already pointed out, both Lewis and Max are at fault. Mercedes (along with Bottas) have been unsporting, more than once.

[BikeDevil44]

Looking at last night’s race. I can only imagine the antics that Max can pull off at Abu Dhabi. Since both are equal on points and if it were to stay that way Max would win the championship as he’s got more wins than LH. If something like that were to happen I’ll loose all the respect I’ve for Max. Lets see what the next weekend holds in store for us.

[JwanthGT]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

Must say the new track looks amazing
Attachment 2240770

I hope this race doesn't make either Max or Lewis the champion, I want to watch them fight for the title in the last race!

After watching yesterday's race. I think in Abu-Dhabi Max and lewis might collide, taking each other out of the race if that is the case then Max will be crowned the World Drivers Champion as he has 9 wins compared to Lewis' 9 and The World Constructors Championship will be awarded to Mercedes-Benz.
I hope they have a clean race and let the best driver win.
Personally, I would want Max to win, as it would be nice to finally have a non-Mercedes driver win in the turbo-hybrid era

[ninjatalli]

Leaving aside all the politics and dirty antics of the top two teams, I do hope F1 leadership takes a note how dangerous this racetrack is, and pushes for more safety measures for next year.

On a side note, it's a pity Checo was unfortunate enough to get hit by the Ferrari. I felt he was doing decently well and might have done a good race for himself.

[ramsudhir]

I too am a big fan of Max but in all fairness, the way he suddenly braked and decelerated to give back the lead to Hamilton seemed dangerous. I get it he wanted to give it back before the DRS zone to try and take it back again using DRS but on a high speed track like this, it is dangerous for him and as well as his contender to do such things.

As much as I want Max to win this WDC, I want him to win fair and square. I still feel he has it in him to win the title, given his performance last year in Abu Dhabi although it seems to have changed this year going by the statements of the commentators. All he needs is a good race strategy I feel (I still didn't understand why he changed to Medium tires during the second race stop when there were more than 30 laps left). He will do the rest and take it to the chequered flag.

Let's hope the final race doesn't have any such incidents and give us pure fun and excitement. May the best man win!!

[kar_thikr]

Both cars have an equal role in the Turn 26 incident, as both of them didn't want to take the lead prior to the DRS detection line for the main straight. I'm not a max fanboy, but I think that whole incident or the chain of incidents that followed could have been avoided if Lewis wanted it, If he had taken the lead from Max then, surely he could have won the race as Max's tyres went off the cliff at the later stages. Just like in Qatar for Perez, RB is asking a lot from their drivers, instead of helping them to easy points and podiums.

Anyhow the season finale at Abu Dhabi is going to be Epic and judging by the looks of things there will be some sparks between Max and Lewis, and Masi and his stewarding team are just going to fuel that fire as well.

[KungFuPanda]

Bottom line is that both Lewis and Max fight equally hard. Its just that in the past no one has had it to give it back to Lewis. That's pretty much the reason why Rosberg got out of F1 after having more than one incident with Lewis which left a bad taste in the mouth.

Neither wanted to be the one missing the DRS opportunity. Lewis could have easily moved aside, but didn't since he just didn't want to let go of DRS. In all this, Massi and team don't seem to be consistent across races, and that doesn't help in this edge of the seat competition.

Can't wait for Jolyon's analysis though. It should put a rest to all the Qs in my head at least.

[jpcoolguy]

Originally Posted by KungFuPanda

Bottom line is that both Lewis and Max fight equally hard. Its just that in the past no one has had it to give it back to Lewis. That's pretty much the reason why Rosberg got out of F1 after having more than one incident with Lewis which left a bad taste in the mouth.

I seriously hope Red Bull have some pace advantage over Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, then we could see the saint Hamilton from 2016 in Abu Dhabi

[tazmaan]

It was an entertaining race but a very dangerous track. The side barrier walls are well cushioned to keep the drivers safe if they hit the barriers but at such speeds the track is too narrow.

Hamilton had a brilliant drive, got a good start, team made the right call to pit him during the safety car which back fired with the red flag. Again got a good start on the second standing start but lost places during the 3rd standing start with Max being on mediums.

Max has been racing well but since last couple of races he has been making mistakes. The title could have easily been his with a cooler head. If he keeps calm in the Final race on a track where Redbull is stronger he can still easily win the title. Only thing he needs to do is concentrate on the race and not on Lewis.

The call to put max on medium was more to do with the standing start I feel and Redbull was hoping for another Red flag allowing Max to gain the track position with a good start on mediums.

The brake check (2.5g) on a part of the track where cars are accelerating was dangerous. Max knew his tires will not last till the end and only way to stay ahead in points was to take out Hamilton. Hamilton was gearing up for the Slip stream from the straight and all racing cars will be right behind the car in front to take maximum advantage of the slip stream. Max got off lightly there with only 2 points on his license and 10 second penalty. Leaving the podium clearly shows that Max is rattled.

Bottas did well to get the final Podium and an absolute heart break for Ocon. With Perez retiring the Mercedes has one hand on the constructors trophy.

Cannot wait for the Final duel. Credit to Max who has ensured that this season is entertaining for the viewers. And in sports every thing is fair till you are caught and both the teams have stretched the rules.