Our verdict on F1's controversial Italian GP finish

Formula 1 dragged up the ghosts of its controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finish at Monza on Sunday, when the Italian Grand Prix finished behind the safety car.
As Mercedes was quick to point out, the underwhelming outcome was a result of the correct procedures being followed this time, unlike what we saw at the end of last year.
But are those procedures good enough? Should F1 have more robust protocols in place to make sure we get a racing finish after an incident late in a Grand Prix?
Glenn Freeman is joined by Ben Anderson and Scott Mitchell-Malm to work that out.

#F1 #ItalianGP #SafetyCar

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[crouton]

I don't get why people seem to think that yellow or red flags should serve any purpose beyond safety. This situation was handled as it should, even though it's not the most exciting way to finish.

Any interference whether it be by red flag or safety car or whatever always shifts advantages around. For the sake of fair competition I think it's better that we let luck make that call rather than race control.

[Hydaaar]

The only thing I think was controversial is that it took so incredibly long before the SC was deployed. And with that I mean the yellow, cars were still driving around under green at full speed for longer than a minute.

[darthconquerus]

There’s no controversy. The incident called for a safety car, not a red flag. Unless you want to introduce gimmicky rules akin to having reverse grids then it’s just tough shit if a safety car happens to fall at the end of a race. People benefit from safety cars and lose out regardless of the timing in the race and it happened to favour max, but he was gonna win anyway

[drk]

I am with you Ben 100%. There is no need to create artificial gimmicks. The current rules also creates a strategic spectacle as teams have to get the strategy correct to ensure that they aren't pitting and losing track position with the race under a safety flag. This is all part of racing.

[THEPECKONATOR]

I think the reason Andreas Seidl said it wasn’t as straight forward as it sounds (but didn’t wish to elaborate), to red flag a race and then restart, is because you’d have teams flying into barriers or having “technical issues” for the sake of bunching up the grid on a restart and it playing into their advantage for their other driver remaining.

I agree with the guy in the middle, sometime we just have to accept the way things are. I have nothing against putting a sort of red flag and then a rolling start (not a standing start) but here the problem is the constant pressure for entertainment that frustrates me. I would have understood if Leclerc was withing 2 seconds of Vzrstappen but the race was pretty much over, the only remaining suspens was between Gasly and De Vries... the race was over. And sometime you just have to accept it instead of trying to constantly reshuffle everything.

[MichelRoelfsema]

The FIA changed it because of the controversy in AD.

By now they couldn’t let them go back to race, because of the rule change.

Just stop and for once stop crying about everything a race doesn’t go as some are hoping.

[glenrobinson]

Abu Dhabi 2021 -- controversy because the rules weren't followed.
Monza 2022 -- controversy because the rules were followed.

Ultimately, it seems that the outrage is due to the outcome & not the process.

[dcm]

Why is it so difficult to understand that sometimes a safety car comes too late? They couldn't move DR's car quickly enough and that was it. Adding laps on and throwing a red flag is the same sort of DTS thinking that got us to Abu Dhabi last year. Of course it is disappointing to finish under SC, but that's life.

[BoogityBogityBoogity]

I get strong NASCAR management vibes from this discussion, and look where the series is at now. Every outside fan would argue it's purely an entertainment focused show, full of silly gimmicks, with occasional hints of racing. And one could argue it all started in the mid 2000s when they introduced the "Chase", and more importantly to this argument, Green-White-Checkered finishes. All it has done is create a standard amongst fans, that every single finish has to be this once in a lifetime blockbuster dash to the line, with explosions in the background. When really now none of the actually good races stand out any longer, because fans of the series are no longer race fans, but just entertainment hungry.

Don't let F1 go down the same path in the pursuit of some cheap headlines.

[nomarspaulding]

I laughed at the thing about letting them take extra fuel, then he points out that a lot of the teams would just NOT take it anyway to be ligher, and then would get screwed over on fuel in this situation and DNF... cause that would totally be less controversial than *checks notes* properly following the rules in a manner that is completely sensible.

This whole discussion is nothing but a bunch of people with a solution to a problem that doesn't need solving. It's nothing but BS for pundits to fill empty air time with.

[rongiefaustino]

The FIA is in no way required to satisfy the entertainment needs of Formula 1 viewers. The rules that should’ve been followed in Abu Dhabi and that were followed today should be the same rules that need to be applied going forward. Consistency is key.

[HekateMGO]

As someone that's been rooting for Charles and Ferrari this year [pain] I don't see any issue with how the SC was used, the rules were followed properly. If they don't want any races to finish under SC maybe they could follow the normal SC procedure and then have an extra lap of racing after the normal SC procedure has been completed.

[magnustan]

Ben was absolutely spot on, I like the content Scott puts out, but I have to disagree. F1 is growing and lots of new fans are joining, me included, but if they decide to switch off and leave the community because the officials "don't prioritise entertainment", then they have to learn and change their thought process, especially if safety is compromised for entertainment. Daniel's car took longer than expected to clear, which left marshalls and equipment on the track longer than usual, they were probably still on the track somewhere when we heard that radio message to Charles, just that the TV audience and Charles probably didn't see them. I understand the frustrations with a race finish like this, but as Ben said, shit happens, move on.

[ragerancher]

The safety car is there to improve safety, the clue is in the name. If that safety is required in the final laps and so the race ends under those conditions, tough shit. I imagine a driver with a huge lead also feels annoyed when a safety car comes out and they lose it all, or a team pits and then a safety car comes out and everyone else gets a cheaper pit stop. Are people going to whinge about it? No, it's fully accepted that comes with the role the safety car fulfils, which is more important than ensuring some drivers don't lose out. But when it comes to the end of the race, suddenly everyone wants the safety car to be a simple gimmick or for red flags to be used to allow a restart. If you want a 5 lap showdown, why not advocate for a sprint format where it is just 5 laps to determine the race? No? Then why the hell are you happy seeing an entire race and strategy reduced to a 1 or 2 lap sprint!?

If a race finishes under a safety car because that is what is needed then tough shit, that's what must happen. It's not some gimmick to make the end of a race more exciting and I'm getting pretty pissed off at "fans" who want to see F1 reduced to a bunch of gimmicky rules and mucking about with the laws in the final laps of a race. If it's not a red flag situation, don't wave red flags. If the safety car needs to stay out then it stays out. If it must finish behind the car then so be it. We already accept shit happens as a result of the safety car in other ways so just accept this is also part of it.

F1 already suffered major damage to its image due to the inconsistency in which rules were applied and fans whinge about that but then also whinge when they ARE applied!? Make your fucking minds up.

[BobK]

I wasn't outraged. They followed the rules.

[zachdoran]

follow the rules = bad, don’t follow the rules = bad. people don’t know what they want, they just want to complain

[rubendevries]

I do not take The Race seriously anymore. After the seatbelt gate video. This video as wel is not wat The Race was, it is slowly becoming a YouTube channel which is souly focust on views. It is not the passion to explain f1 and be a source where people could learn new things about it. I am sorry to say this and know everyone is putting in the work. I hope it changes.

[Mohammed.Wissam]

I totally agree with Ben it’s just a thing that don’t happen a lot and it’s unfair if the leader is faster and has pulled a big gap to be then compromised by a safety car for a one lap shootout it happened to Hamilton a it costed him a championship and in the case of Monza we don’t have to enforce a Ferrari win max was just faster just like Hamilton was faster

[stefanreichenbacher]

Even with a „less than 5 percent distance left“ rule, this would not have led to a red flag today. 5% of 53 laps would be 2, 6 laps, Ricciardo broke down in lap 45 or so… even with 10%, that would not be a SC. Let’s stay consistent, bring out red flags, SCs, VSCs only when necessary, even when that sometimes just gives a bit of an anti-climax