Ted Kravitz: “Yes, this is what should’ve happened in Abu Dhabi”

Lewis Hamilton should have benefitted from the Safety Car rule to win last year’s F1 championship in the same way that the rule was correctly used at the Italian Grand Prix, says Ted Kravitz.
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 16, Italian Grand Prix, Monza, Italy, Race Day.
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Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd…

Max Verstappen could not be challenged by Charles Leclerc in the closing stages at Monza as the race ended with a Safety Car due to Daniel Ricciardo’s crash, the correct implementation of the rule.

Notoriously in Abu Dhabi, the 2021 season finale, race director Michael Masi incorrectly allowed race-leader Hamilton to be overtaken by Verstappen who controversially won his first title.

Damon Hill said on Sky after the Italian Grand Prix: “There will be people watching saying ‘is that what should have happened in Abu Dhabi?’”

Sky’s Kravitz replied: “Yes, it was.”

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Kravitz added about how the Italian Grand Prix ended: “The FIA’s view on it - they hoped to recover the car quicker but doing it takes time. It is important, the FIA say, to get the cars to bunch up to allow the marshalls space to recover Ricciardo’s car without cars rushing past. That’s why, they say, it took a while.

“If there is a question, it is about the lost lap 50. Why was the green light not shown to George Russell earlier?

“Was the race director playing it steady? Yes. Could he be quicker? Yes.

“Was it a just result, in the way that Abu Dhabi wasn’t? Yes.

“There is a technical, sporting working summit between the FIA and F1 team managers on Monday to discuss lots of things. This, I’m sure, will be a part of it.”

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