[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

'2022 is the return of the Mercedes 'Silver Arrows

=> https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/news-...f1-2022-season

Some more late night Toto rap remix

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Some more late night Toto rap remix

[Artemis]

Announcement in a Belgian newspaper before the race (in reality there were 58 laps instead of 55 | all races except for Monaco: race distance ranging between 305 and 310 km):

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

''No Nelson no Kelly no Max that is so not right,take my picture down'

[Killed by Death]

"For the first time in over a decade, the Formula 1 grid will not include Kimi Raikkonen next season – and it will be a lesser place without him."

https://www.planetf1.com/features/re...imi-raikkonen/

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Killed by Death

"For the first time in over a decade, the Formula 1 grid will not include Kimi Raikkonen next season – and it will be a lesser place without him."

https://www.planetf1.com/features/re...imi-raikkonen/

According the new 2022 FIA fuel regulations . The Ferrari HP figures showed outstanding test results with the new 2022 E-10 fuel .
The new Ferrari E-10 fuel is developed with the latest Shell fuel lab technology .

In other words : Ferrari has closed the HP gap with HONDA and Mercedes.

[///M Power-Belgium]

#NeverForget

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

#NeverForget

yes yes Mikey that was so right 1

[///M Power-Belgium]

*For everyone* !

[Artemis]

In an interview Blick pitched a 'trick' to Ecclestone and he liked it.

Original: https://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/e...d17094902.html

"Blick: Aber Mercedes hätte die WM [Weltmeisterschaft] ja nicht verlieren müssen…
Ecclestone: Wie kann ich das verstehen?
Blick: Nun, hätte Mercedes auf den Schachzug von Red Bull richtig reagiert, wäre es gar nie mehr zur letzten Runde gekommen, wo Max alles gewann und Lewis alles verlor.
Ecclestone: Was meinen Sie?
Blick: Red Bull holte drei Runden vor Schluss Pérez an die Boxen, weil er offenbar ein Öldruckproblem hatte und man unbedingt eine weitere Safety-Car-Phase verhindern wollte. Und da hat Mercedes einen Funkspruch zu wenig gemacht…
Ecclestone: Welchen?
Blick: Ganz einfach, man hätte Bottas funken sollen, er solle das Auto ausrollen lassen, weil man den Motor schonen möchte…
Ecclestone: Ganz schön clever. Habe auch daran gedacht, und es hätte einige ideale Orte gegeben, damit das Safety Car hätte draussen bleiben müssen. Viele hätten sich aufgeregt, aber niemand hätte ja ohne Wiederaufnahme des Rennens das aktuelle Finale im Hinterkopf gehabt."

Reported: https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2021/12/...9338b4576.html

"Bernie Ecclestone reveals trick that could have won Hamilton the 2021 title
Says he might have played dirty if he were Mercedes
Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone believes Mercedes missed a trick that could have ensured Lewis Hamilton held on to the lead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2021 title.
Hamilton was passed on the last lap of the season by title rival Max Verstappen after the late safety car was withdrawn for the final tour.
Ecclestone believes Mercedes, Hamilton's team, could have prevented a restart by telling teammate Valtteri Bottas to retire the car, causing further delays.
"I thought about that [retiring Bottas] too, and it would have been ideal to make sure that the safety car was left out and that the race had not been restarted," Ecclestone said in a recently published interview with Blick.
"People would have been upset, but there would have been no change in the final result."
Ecclestone even questioned if Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff would stay with the team after their first drivers' title defeat since 2013.
"I don't know if Toto Wolff, with a third of the shares of the team, is now in the same solid position [within the leadership of Mercedes], but we'll find out some time," the 91-year-old said.
There are questions that Bottas may have not adhered to the orders anyway with the Finn leaving the team for Alfa Romeo in 2022 and his alliances wavering.
Mercedes didn't expect the safety car to be withdrawn when it was, which may have impacted the time in which they had to make this controversial, unsporting, but admittedly genius idea happen."

That 'trick' would have been unsportsmanlike.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

*For everyone* !

+1

[Killed by Death]

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

In an interview Blick pitched a 'trick' to Ecclestone and he liked it.

Original: https://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/e...d17094902.html

"Blick: Aber Mercedes hätte die WM [Weltmeisterschaft] ja nicht verlieren müssen…
Ecclestone: Wie kann ich das verstehen?
Blick: Nun, hätte Mercedes auf den Schachzug von Red Bull richtig reagiert, wäre es gar nie mehr zur letzten Runde gekommen, wo Max alles gewann und Lewis alles verlor.
Ecclestone: Was meinen Sie?
Blick: Red Bull holte drei Runden vor Schluss Pérez an die Boxen, weil er offenbar ein Öldruckproblem hatte und man unbedingt eine weitere Safety-Car-Phase verhindern wollte. Und da hat Mercedes einen Funkspruch zu wenig gemacht…
Ecclestone: Welchen?
Blick: Ganz einfach, man hätte Bottas funken sollen, er solle das Auto ausrollen lassen, weil man den Motor schonen möchte…
Ecclestone: Ganz schön clever. Habe auch daran gedacht, und es hätte einige ideale Orte gegeben, damit das Safety Car hätte draussen bleiben müssen. Viele hätten sich aufgeregt, aber niemand hätte ja ohne Wiederaufnahme des Rennens das aktuelle Finale im Hinterkopf gehabt."

Reported: https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2021/12/...9338b4576.html

"Bernie Ecclestone reveals trick that could have won Hamilton the 2021 title
Says he might have played dirty if he were Mercedes
Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone believes Mercedes missed a trick that could have ensured Lewis Hamilton held on to the lead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2021 title.
Hamilton was passed on the last lap of the season by title rival Max Verstappen after the late safety car was withdrawn for the final tour.
Ecclestone believes Mercedes, Hamilton's team, could have prevented a restart by telling teammate Valtteri Bottas to retire the car, causing further delays.
"I thought about that [retiring Bottas] too, and it would have been ideal to make sure that the safety car was left out and that the race had not been restarted," Ecclestone said in a recently published interview with Blick.
"People would have been upset, but there would have been no change in the final result."
Ecclestone even questioned if Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff would stay with the team after their first drivers' title defeat since 2013.
"I don't know if Toto Wolff, with a third of the shares of the team, is now in the same solid position [within the leadership of Mercedes], but we'll find out some time," the 91-year-old said.
There are questions that Bottas may have not adhered to the orders anyway with the Finn leaving the team for Alfa Romeo in 2022 and his alliances wavering.
Mercedes didn't expect the safety car to be withdrawn when it was, which may have impacted the time in which they had to make this controversial, unsporting, but admittedly genius idea happen."

That 'trick' would have been unsportsmanlike.

For sure the SC being withdrawn suddenly took Merc by surprise and simply didn't give them enough time to do a 'dirty' with slave BOT.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

For sure the SC being withdrawn suddenly took Merc by surprise and simply didn't give them enough time to do a 'dirty' with slave BOT.

Could have been the other way around too: Hamilton pits for soft or medium tyres. Hamilton losing track position: Verstappen ahead of Hamilton behind the safety car suite. Perez stopping his car on track.

That would have equally been unsportsmanlike.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Could have been the other way around too: Hamilton pits for soft or medium tyres. Hamilton losing track position: Verstappen ahead of Hamilton behind the safety car suite. Perez stopping his car on track.

That would have equally been unsportsmanlike.

Maybe though it's unlikely that Max would be first in track position unless they would request that HAM gave that position back when he went off track back on the first lap.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Maybe though it's unlikely that Max would be first in track position unless they would request that HAM gave that position back when he went off track back on the first lap.

I referred to the safety car stage after the Latifi crash in lap 53/58. Verstappen pitted for soft tires in lap 54/58. If Hamilton would have subsequently also pitted, he would have lost track position vis-à-vis Verstappen (who was behind several backmarkers following the safety car). That was exactly the reason why Mercedes instructed Hamilton to stay out (no pitstop): ensuring that Hamilton would maintain P1 behind the safety car.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Artemis

I referred to the safety car stage after the Latifi crash in lap 53/58. Verstappen pitted for soft tires in lap 54/58. If Hamilton would have subsequently also pitted, he would have lost track position vis-à-vis Verstappen (who was behind several backmarkers following the safety car). That was exactly the reason why Mercedes instructed Hamilton to stay out (no pitstop): ensuring that Hamilton would maintain P1 behind the safety car.

And ...
Checo was (finally) there for MAX .

And ...
BOT was nowhere .

[///M Power-Belgium]

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

And ...
Checo was (finally) there for MAX .

And ...
BOT was nowhere .

BOT was thinking Alfa and Ferrari engine ...

[///M Power-Belgium]

*****

[Killed by Death]

Originally Posted by Artemis

I referred to the safety car stage after the Latifi crash in lap 53/58. Verstappen pitted for soft tires in lap 54/58. If Hamilton would have subsequently also pitted, he would have lost track position vis-à-vis Verstappen (who was behind several backmarkers following the safety car). That was exactly the reason why Mercedes instructed Hamilton to stay out (no pitstop): ensuring that Hamilton would maintain P1 behind the safety car.

Don't know if it's been mentioned but HAM almost made it work. That last lap was intense

[M5Rick]

Signing off now everyone, a glass of champers waiting to be poured to see in the New Year, it's 13c outside and fireworks are going off.