Formula 1 Round 21 Saudia Arabia GP

Why do I need to explain it? What has that got to do with nobody having a good reason why Hamilton would want to drive into the back of Max?

Ya he was borderline a pitstop ahead of bottas but not enough to take it due to original 5 sec penalty which he would have had applied at the stop if he took it.

It's interesting. If max didn't have the initial 5 second penalty he may have taken a pitstop to get fastest lap. That would have created a 2 point swing to max over Hamilton at race end. However, it would have put him quite close to bottas and ocon on the track. If he then had the 10 second penalty applied after, it might well have put him back to 4th.

The drive for the extra point could have cost him dearly and handed the championship lead to Hamilton with a 4 point advantage going into last race.

Di resta stated that listening live, Hamilton got the message in advance of the impact.

The review package sent to tv companies made it appear that Hamilton got the message at point of impact.

If DiResta is correct, it's not a case of radio delays, its a case of distorting appearance of what actually happened.

I'm not saying the stewards are working off this footage but distorting the viewing public's perception of an event is pretty dodgy.

That's kind of the problem though, isn't it? There's no set rule that you cannot choose the where you give the place back(only that it's done relatively quickly). Others have tried giving it back in DRS areas before, and Max himself was too honest in Bahrain when he gave the place back to Hamilton immediately.

Absolutely, he didn't make it easy for Hamilton, but what's the problem with that? Mercedes were being smartasses too with Bottas slowing down to allow Lewis to pit and Lewis I think at one point wasnt following at speed to warm up his tires. The FIA by not doing anything in these instances almost invited Max to try his own gamesmanship, such is the type of race they were allowing.

Now you can argue that he didn't play the game well, and certainly the stewards thought so, so fine. He tried and it cost him(although not much). But if the FIA/stewards had a handle on the race and didn't take any of this crap from either team I doubt you would have seen it at that point.

It's not about the outcome it's about the infringement.

That's why Hamilton only got a slap on the wrist for putting Verstappen in a wall and ending his race while he could continue and eradicate the penalty.

Yep. As we saw in this race, he can just run wide and not collide with Hamilton, then slow down and hand Hamilton the place, and still get penalised. Imagine if he ever actually did something like what Hamilton did at Silverstone, instant DSQ from the championship.

Maybe because the main cause of the collision was Verstappen’s eratic hard braking rather than any lack of communication? The stewards explained this clearly in their penalty decision.

There was that time he took Hamilton out at Monza....yet he's still in the championship, or when he nearly did at Brasil and he's still in the championship or when he nearly did it this weekend, and is still in the championship, so...

I'm sure you'll say none of those incidents put Lewis in the wall/hospital. But that is because Lewis actually realised what Max was doing and bailed out before a big collision, unlike Max in Silverstone who could still have gone on to win had he bailed instead of continuing on regardless of outcome.

Max would greatly help himself if every so often he wasnt so aggressive and just gave up a corner and played the longer game in a race/season.

I actually still think Max could do it, and to be honest I would gladly see either driver lift the championship trophy. max is clearly a f**king class driver and is deserving of it and Lewis is a f**king class driver (and after seeing his drive at Silverstone in 2008 I will not hear otherwise).

The two of them are top of their game and leaveing everyone else in their wake, to the point of leaving a pit stop worth of time between their temates in the same machines. So come Sunday night whoever wins will be bloody good driver.

If Vertsappens front tags Hamiltons rear on a corner even though there is acres of space being left for him then people would 100% call Verstappen out on it.

From the penalties at the weekend it's clear Verstappen doesn't get away with stuff so I don't know where that notion comes from.

It was in reply to the "attempted murder" comment which is clearly the Silverstone accident.

If verstappens front tagged Hamiltons rear in Monza then yes it's clear he was no where near the corner. As it happened they were pretty much level at the apex, Hamilton continued to squeeze, Verstappen had no room, hit the sausage kerb and his rear tyre ran up Hamiltons rear tyre.

He also got a penalty for it, so the claim that rules don't apply to him is pure muck.

Great photo of Verstappen reclaiming the lead on the second restart as Hamilton runs into Ocon.

Really want Max to do it, but if Lewis does well fairplay 8 titles. Both great drivers, it's just I can't stand the virtue signalling from Lewis. Which clouds my judgment of his driving and I know it shouldn't.

Anyway let's hope its a hum dinger of a grand prix.

Same logic Verstappen says he used in SA in that running Hamilton off the road was deemed fine in Brazil so why was he not allowed do it in SA.

Almost like the FIA made an absolute mess of the punishments given to Max.

Roll on tomorrow. Here’s hoping for lots of crashes and madness. A crazy race like Saudi please!!!!! First race since the 90’s that was actually exciting start to finish.