Formula 1 is approaching the final round of Abu Dhabi, but the general expectation is still full of controversy after what happened during the last one Saudi Arabian GP: between controversial episodes, collisions and questionable decisions by the Race Direction, the first race on the Jeddah circuit will go down in history as one of the most chaotic and frenetic ever. The general manager and sports manager of Formula 1 also intervened in this regard, Ross Brawn. The British engineer has in fact analyzed the penultimate stage of the world championship in his column The Ross Brawn Column, starting, however, from the considerations on the next event of Yas Marina: “I think it’s been 47 years since we got to the last race with the two title contenders on equal points – has explained – and I think everyone wants to see a fabulous race in Abu Dhabi. It will be tough: neither – Verstappen and Hamilton – will yield by an inch, but we want a sporting challenge, without the limit being exceeded. We do not want this season to be decided by the Commissioners’ decisions, or that it ends up in the court of appeal, or elsewhere. It must end on the Abu Dhabi track, with the affirmation of the best driver “.
Regarding the test in Jeddah, the former technical director of Benetton and Ferrari expressed his thoughts on the first Saudi weekend in F1 history, from the commentary on the track to the opinions on his drivers of the day: “There is always a bit of apprehension when you arrive on a new track – he has declared – since it is not known how it will work. The Jeddah circuit was certainly very demanding and stimulating. The riders took some getting used to, but at the end of the weekend they complimented the track. It was impressive to see how quickly the race was organized. It was done in a much shorter time than ever before. However, there are elements that will be refined in view of the next race, scheduled for March 2022. A fabulous first event, a wonderful track and a brilliant race. This sport has had it all this season – he added – and gave us even more Sunday; so much intrigue, so much tension, so much fighting between the two main protagonists: it was simply sensational. For me, this week Hamilton gets the recognition of pilot of the day‘. I think he did the best job, kept a cool head in the heat of the battle and managed the race impressively. He made no mistakes and also set the fastest lap with a mid-damaged wing. Moreover, Esteban Ocon has grown a lot over the course of this season: perhaps having Fernando Alonso as a teammate helped him. When you combine the qualities of a mature and experienced driver with those of an emerging youngster, if they get along well they can complement each other, and that’s what’s happening at Alpine. Ocon has come a long way: it must have been frustrating to lose the podium, because he was driving brilliantly before being overtaken close to the finish line. But, together with the victory obtained this season, he will be able to gain confidence from the results achieved.
In conclusion, Brawn made one last, significant comment on the choices and decisions made by the Race Direction during the Saudi Arabian GP, which ended up at the center of numerous controversies both by fans and by various professionals: “I would like – He admitted – congratulate the FIA and Michael Masi for having managed an extremely complex race well. I know some people think several decisions were controversial, but not for me. The situation created with Max and Lewis at the restart, when Michael recommended Verstappen to retreat behind Hamilton and Ocon, was handled well as a valid alternative to reporting to the stewards, who could have proceeded with a time penalty. I think Masi approached the situation in a pragmatic way. It is a type of circumstance that occurs several times during a race: if a driver overtakes a competitor, or defends himself incorrectly from the latter, it is the Clerk of the Course who tells the team to give up the position. It seemed to many that Michael was making some sort of deal, but he wasn’t. It’s simple: either you accept the decision of the Clerk of the Course, with an already known consequence, or you pass the analysis to the stewards “.
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