It is ‘insane’ that Max Verstappen has managed to break the hegemony of Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1, but the way the race management has interfered in this and previous races is ‘bad for the sport’. BNR’s F1 expert Annick van der Leeuw thinks so.
“I’ve looked at something in the past two races, where it wasn’t about the people on the track, but about the race management,” says Van der Leeuw. “I would have given it to Lewis, but I would have given it more to Max. Change of power and also by a Dutchman, insane! But that the race management has interfered in that way, in a completely intolerable way, that is just not good for the sport.’
Race director Michael Masi has to leave the field following the decisions that were made under his leadership, if it is up to Van der Leeuw. “Michael Masi should just be fired. He has shorted Hamilton and Verstappen and gave them both an advantage. You can certainly intervene, but then you have to do it consistently. What happened today and yesterday is completely inconsistent and incomprehensible. And that was also the case last weekend.’
Two important moments
With her criticism, Van der Leeuw refers to two important moments during the decisive race in Abu Dhabi. The first moment took place early in the race: Hamilton ended up outside the track after an attempt to overtake by Verstappen. The Brit then cut off there and remained in the lead. Race management ruled that Hamilton had been forced out of the lines and did not penalize him.
The second dubious moment followed in the decisive phase of the race. A very unusual procedure was followed regarding the safety car. As a result, Verstappen was again right behind Hamilton. With one lap to go, the safety car went in. Verstappen then managed to pass Hamilton and took the title, much to the anger of Mercedes.
Hamilton’s team filed two protests, but the stewards rejected them. The result of the race therefore stands, although Mercedes can still appeal the decision.
