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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner admits to making a mistake in last year’s controversial restart of the Formula 1 season finale Max Verstappen won the world championship.
Verstappen surpasses title rivals Lewis Hamilton Win the race and the world title after restarting on the final lap. But the outcome of the title race was mired in fierce debate when FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Massey didn’t follow the rules properly.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team was eventually persuaded not to appeal the result, meaning the world championship was not decided in court. However, the FIA ​​agreed to review the contentious end of the season and issued a report 97 days after the race ended arguing that there was an error in the contentious restart.
FIA concludes that Massi made two mistakes: He “called the safety car back into the pits without completing an extra lap as required by Formula 1 sporting rules” and did not allow all lapped cars to rejoin the lead lap. Before the start of the new season, Massey was replaced as FIA F1 race director.
Horner has previously described criticism of Massey as a “smoke screen”, Accuses Mercedes of ‘a coordinated campaign … to discredit our achievements’ Take Verstappen to last year’s title. However, in a new interview, he now admits that Massey didn’t follow the rules properly.
“He made the mistake of not allowing all the lapped cars to untie themselves,” Horner told Cambridge Union. “I think there were three cars parked at the back of the field and couldn’t [un-] Circle yourself. It was the only mistake he made. “
Horner made no mention of Marcy’s mistake in ordering the safety car to enter the pit lane one lap earlier than the established rules.
“So I think it was pretty harsh to have him outside to dry, especially in public, and then the trolling and abuse he got online without really supporting the Commonwealth behind him,” Horner continued.
“He made a lot of decisions last year that we thought were not good for us, whether it was Qatar qualifying yellow flag or silverstone affair with lewis. But I do feel bad for him, there should be more support after that championship because he’s in a very difficult position. “
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Horner said the controversy surrounding last year’s final had reduced the quality of Verstappen’s performance last year.
“Obviously, Abu Dhabi has done a lot. It’s a shame that Max’s achievements in the last year have actually been diluted by what happened in Abu Dhabi.”
Horner doubts race coverage would have been different had final lap controversy favoured Hamilton over Verstappen
“I think if it didn’t all go through the appeals process, and it’s obviously a post-event noise, then if it happened the other way around, the problem would be less of a problem,” he said.
“Sometimes I ask myself, if Lewis Hamilton had won the final lap, how would it have played out? Would he have been a hero instead of a villain?”
While acknowledging Massey’s mishandling of the game, Horner stressed that the result should not affect Verstappen’s title victory.
“The reality is that championships are won in a season, not a race. And I think the way Max drove last year, sometimes it wasn’t the best car, but some of the things he did last year, he deserved it 100% champion.
“And I think these things happen occasionally. Sometimes in sports there are close calls.
“For me, I’m very disappointed with the way the FIA ​​has handled Michael as he does everything he can in race control to take the pressure. The mantra is always clear, he’ll always be under pressure to restart the race. No People want to see a world championship win under the safety car.”
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2022 F1 season
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