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Lewis Hamilton says end of Italian GP brought back memories of Abu Dhabi: 'What the rules should be'

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins the Italian Grand Prix, the race ending behind the safety car.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins the Italian Grand Prix, the race ending behind the safety car.

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that the end of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix brought back memories of Abu Dhabi’s title match against Max Verstappen, and this time the Mercedes driver agreed to a safety car application.

The 2022 Italian Grand Prix was similar to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in that the safety car was called with a few laps to go.

However, at Monza the race ended behind the safety car, with Max Verstappen beating Charles Leclerc, but the race was restarted by mistake with one lap to go in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen overtook Hamilton on older tires on that final lap to clinch a remarkable world championship.

Max Verstappen overtakes Lewis Hamilton on final lap in Abu Dhabi to win 2021 F1 Championship!

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Max Verstappen overtakes Lewis Hamilton on final lap in Abu Dhabi to win 2021 F1 Championship!

Max Verstappen overtakes Lewis Hamilton on final lap in Abu Dhabi to win 2021 F1 Championship!

Hamilton, who finished fifth on Sunday, said: Italian sky Given the chance to restart, he said, “I wanted to fight the guys behind me,” but said he ultimately agreed to finish given last year’s finale.

“It always brings back memories,” said Hamilton. “That’s the rule it should be, isn’t it?

Sky F1's Karun Chandhok explains why the Italian Grand Prix ended behind the safety car and the options available to the FIA ​​in such circumstances.

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Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok explains why the Italian Grand Prix ended behind the safety car and the options available to the FIA ​​in such circumstances.

Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok explains why the Italian Grand Prix ended behind the safety car and the options available to the FIA ​​in such circumstances.

“There’s only one time in the history of the sport that they didn’t follow a rule like that today, and it changed the outcome of the championship. But that’s it.”

Michael Masi, who left F1’s governing FIA, did not allow some cars to unwrap at last year’s Abu Dhabi.

Both Red Bull and Ferrari have said they want to resume Sunday’s race, but FIA race director Niels Vitić, one of Masi’s replacements, has applied the rules correctly.

“I think they followed the rules this time,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. sky sports f1“They could have finished a lap early and they accepted the end of the race under the safety car.

“This is how it should be”

What Happened at Monza and Why Fans Rejected the Finale

Verstappen was cruising for a fifth consecutive victory, but 16 seconds ahead of two-stop Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo brought his McLaren car to a halt on lap 47 of 53, and he took the lead during Lesmos. I stopped the car.

Yellow flags were waved immediately, but there was a slight delay before the safety car signal was given.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was unhappy with the FIA's safety car rules in the final stages of the race.

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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was unhappy with the FIA’s safety car rules in the final stages of the race.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was unhappy with the FIA’s safety car rules in the final stages of the race.

Verstappen and Leclerc nevertheless pitted on the next lap after many of their rivals and put on soft tyres, as the team expected the race to resume soon for a spectacular finale.

However, precious time was wasted when the safety car pulled out in front of George Russell’s car in third instead of Verstappen’s. Also, at first Russell did not release 11 cars between him and the leader.

Mercedes told Russell to overtake the safety car, but the British driver held back.

Another obstacle was the fact that the marshals were unable to move Ricciardo’s car and the cherry pickers began to retrieve it with three laps to go.

Shortly after, Russell and the other cars were allowed through the safety car, but Verstappen was unable to get into the position he needed at the front of the safety car line at the end of laps 51/53. .

Christian Horner has admitted he wanted Max Verstappen to win the race under normal racing rules, not behind the safety car.

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Christian Horner has admitted he wanted Max Verstappen to win the race under normal racing rules, not behind the safety car.

Christian Horner has admitted he wanted Max Verstappen to win the race under normal racing rules, not behind the safety car.

Sky Sports F1’s Kahn said: “At this point it is clear that there is not enough time for all the cars to circle and join the train to release the lapped cars and finish the race in green flag conditions. Chandok said.

Verstappen and Leclerc were separated on the penultimate lap by the two lapped cars of Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas.

This prompted Leclerc to yell “Come on, the track is clear” and the fans to boo. Verstappen was also booed on the podium.

FIA explanation and how it could have ended

After that, Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz revealed the explanation from the FIA.

“They said the marshals couldn’t push Ricciardo’s car. They hoped to recover it sooner, but it will take time,” he reported.

“They also said it was important to keep the cars together so that the marshal space could retrieve Ricciardo’s car.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton said he was

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Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said he was “grateful” to finish fifth after starting at the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said he was “grateful” to finish fifth after starting at the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix.

“If there is any question it’s about the 50 laps lost, why Russell wasn’t shown the green light earlier, especially when his Mercedes team said he thinks he can get through. rice field”

Chandhok said, “Procedurally, the race directors did everything right…they followed the rulebook. No question about it” – but came up with an alternative scenario that would give a better finish .

“My personal view, in light of what happened in Abu Dhabi, would be an automatic red flag on a standing start if there was an incident in the last five laps.” I think it was a perfect finish.”

Meanwhile, Ted concludes:

“But was it a legitimate outcome, as in Abu Dhabi? Yes.”

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