The Great Theft of Formula 1
It’s been a week since the final grand prix of this Formula 1 season, and I still can’t quite grapple with what I witnessed on that early Sunday morning. I live in Los Angeles and will wake up at whatever gawd-awful hour the race begins, because I’m an Aries and watching it after the fact makes absolutely no sense. The thrill of seeing the race live is worth the 4:45 AM alarm.
I can’t quite explain my love of F1. It goes against my politics, my environmentalism, my feminism — and, yet, I enjoy it more than I care to admit. To be clear: I’m not a crazy fangirl, adorned in F1 attire or anything like that (I own one t-shirt because the Senna logo is a classic, and Ayrton never goes out of style). People are always surprised to find out that I’m a fan. But I am. Part of what I love about F1 is the…well…the curious elegance of it. The cars are shrouded after a crash. Barriers are put up in the pits when cars are being worked on. And while part of that is for secrecy (there’s a level of paranoia in F1 that’s almost laughable), it adds a bit of ceremony to what would otherwise be mundane. Simply put: it’s fancy like that. Plus, there’s champagne (unless the race is in a non-alcohol-appreciating country). But, this year was off from the start (prosecco was on the podium among other affronts). With F1 soaring in its popularity, and more eyes on it than ever, you’d think the people in the FIA would mind their Ps and Qs. LOL. Nope. Instead, the season ended in a disaster of a shitshow.
I’ve always loved fast cars. When I was 5, my uncle had a ’68 Corvette that he promised to keep for me when I turned 16. (Spolier: He did not keep his word.) I’d watch races as a girl with my stepfather, who never not had on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” on the weekends, and I recall the excitement of the Monaco Grand Prix even then. I knew who Jackie Stewart was and Mario Andretti. I loved the sound the cars made as they careened down the streets or around the track. There was something about the skill and danger of driving fast that enthralled me. Admittedly, I have something of a lead foot and enjoy taking curvy roads in my Fiat faster than the posted speed limit suggests, just to get a small sampling of G-force pulling at me. It’s not about being reckless; I always drive within the lane, always signal and never put myself or another at risk. Part of being skilled behind the wheel is remaining within the lines and limits, and following the rules (except for maybe that posted speed limit).
My passion for Formula 1 is exclusive (no NASCAR or Indy, or even F2) and got reignited with the 2010 documentary SENNA and then, like many recent converts, the soapy drama of Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”. SENNA showed us the petty politics of the FIA, and perhaps its corruption. This season of racing showed that the FIA remains not just flawed, but utterly fucked up.
There are many experts who have weighed in on the fuckery that occurred throughout the season with the inconsistency of the FIA rulings, many of which handed the toad points he did not deserve (hello, Spa). There are some who say that Lewis Hamilton — the 7-time world champion and lead driver of the Mercedes team, who was poised to win a record-breaking 8th championship — got off easy with a 10-second penalty at Silverstone, when the toad arrogantly turned into Hamilton, expecting him to yield (as Hamilton so often has) and, when Lewis held his position, the toad hit Lewis’ car, jettisoning himself into a barrier at 140 m.p.h. on the first lap of the race. The toad walked away, winded but with enough energy to whinge about Lewis’ celebration (Hamilton fought on and won the race, his home race — which, of course, he should revel in), as if the world should stop because the toad got a boo-boo (which was completely self-inflicted by his blinding arrogance).
We can talk about how many times the toad ran Lewis off the track without penalty, or about the time he drove his car on top of Lewis’ in yet another dangerously desperate move to overtake, and something that would have likely killed or seriously injured Lewis were it not for the halo (that nobody wanted at the time, right Toto Wolff?), with the toad gloating on the radio, “That’s what he gets,” while his car remained on top of Lewis’ head. (If you’re wondering why I only refer to this repugnant driver as ‘the toad’ rather than by name, there’s your clue. Not only that, he looks like the kind who eats flies for fun.)
Throughout the season, comparisons to the Senna-Prost rivalry, that went on from the late-80s to the early-90s, were made, and understandably so. Many of their battles ended up with one or both of them off the track, one world championship being won by Senna because they both went off the track (the point system explanation is for another post…or a Google search). And, like the Senna-Prost battle, the FIA was right there to fuck things up, especially for the driver of color. Senna, being from Brasil, was one of the very few non-Europeans on the track and Jean-Marie Balestre, then-president of the FIA, took great pleasure in ruling against Senna. He was very pro-Prost.
I believe there are only two kinds of F1 drivers and, thus, two kinds of fans: You are either a Senna or a Prost. You either have integrity, or you play politics and scheme. Lewis is a Senna. The toad is pond scum.
Lewis won the three races before the final, including Qatar wherein the toad brake-checked him near the end of the race, causing Lewis to hit the toad and damage his front wing. But, in true Hamilton fashion, Lewis went on to make the fastest lap with a damaged car before crossing the finish line. That’s the kind of driver Lewis is: A great one. And that win, with the extra point for the fastest lap, left him and the toad tied for points going into the final race. It was clear going into Abu Dhabi that nothing was going to stop Lewis Hamilton from winning his 8th title…except the FIA.
Lewis Hamilton led every lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after starting from P2 and immediately taking the lead — keeping it even after the toad predictably ran Lewis off the track in lap 1, in yet another pathetically desperate move to overtake/cause a race-ending crash — but for the few after a pit stop, where the toad’s teammate tried to slow Lewis down so the toad could catch up. That plan failed and Lewis ended up with a 10-second lead over the toad with 10 laps to go. There was no way — NO WAY — the toad would win the race. Lewis had secured his record-breaking title. Then, fucking Nicholas Latifi crashed, a safety car was put out, and the greatest theft in modern racing was perpetrated for the whole wide world of sports to see.
For the entirety of the race, I had my hands clasped in prayer to Lord God and Savior of Formula 1, Ayrton Senna, begging Senna to keep Lewis safe and secure the win. (This is what one does when the stakes are that high.) I, along with many others, were concerned the desperate toad would do what he had done all season and cause a crash, which would make him the world champion because, even with equal points, the toad technically had won more races (again, I’ll bring up Spa and the nonsense that Belgian Grand Prix was). My hands remained together for 54 laps, but then they began shaking because I saw what was happening. With each remaining lap, the race was spinning out of control as Michael Masi, the race director, handed the toad the grand prix with one lap to go. Masi allowed some — but not all — lapped cars to unlap themselves, defying the FIA rules. This enabled the toad, who had pitted and was on fresher tyres, to catch up to Lewis, and then actually overtake Lewis under the safety car (another violation of the FIA rules). Most horrifyingly, with one lap to go, the safety car was removed, the “race” was resumed (yet another violation, as there should have been one lap under the yellow flag after the safety car, before racing officially restarted), and the toad, who’d had a 10-second deficit before Latifi’s crash, passed Lewis who was on the older tyres. The toad “won” the race.
I was literally trembling as I watched that unfold (surprising myself by that reaction), shouting no as this theft occurred (my poor neighbors are used to my early Sunday morning racing outbursts). How could Masi have done something that outrageously unjust…and just plain stupid? But the clues were there all season, and this is what I have come to believe:
The FIA did not want a man of color to break Michael Schumacher’s record. They did not want Lewis Hamilton to have 8 world championships. They decided to favor the toad to hobble Lewis’ chances. Once more, I will bring up Spa and how many times the toad tried to kill Hamilton on the track, and how many of those attempts went unpunished. There is no other excuse or explanation. Dumbfuckery like this does not continue over 22 races unless there is a deeper cause.
If Masi was doing his job properly, the race would have ended under the safety car with Lewis as the winner. That’s not just my opinion or an opinion shared by many: that’s what the FIA rules declare. Toto Wolff (team principal) and Mercedes protested the race result, but to no avail. And while they initially were set to appeal the FIA’s decision, Mercedes withdrew the appeal on Thursday because, at the end of the day, what’s the point? The FIA and Michael Masi are Prosts. They play the politics and screw over drivers they find less to their liking. There was no way they would want to reveal the egg on their faces by admitting the egregious errors (multiple) and giving back the win to the deserving driver. Meanwhile, the toad and his team talk about the win like it was earned, like he drove an amazing race and a bunch of other bullshit that is utterly nauseating. The win and the title were a gift, courtesy of Michael Masi and a corrupt FIA. Enjoy it. May it be your last.
Gutted would not begin to describe Lewis’ pain, which was palpable even through a screen. Lewis Hamilton didn’t attend the post-race press conference, though he congratulated the toad after the race, as did Lewis’ father, because the Hamiltons are a class act. (This is after the toad walked off the podium in the previous race before the group photo because his brake-checking didn’t work and Lewis won. A spoilt, poor sport, he did not/does not deserve Lewis’ grace.) Lewis and Toto Wolff did not go to the FIA awards ceremony, either (where Mercedes won their 8th constructor’s championship). And there’s a question of if Lewis will return to Formula 1 next year. I wonder the same for myself.
My love of the sport was slain on that last lap in Abu Dhabi. The unjustness of it all left me sick. And, yes, there are bigger issues in this world to be concerned with and other matters to be enraged about — and don’t think that I’m not. One of the things Formula 1 has given me during the pandemic is an escape for a couple of hours, here and there, to focus on frivolity. It was a weird form of self-care that, sadly, has been ruined.
Why would I (or anyone) want to follow a sport that is so unsportsmanlike? Why would I want to invest my time and money ($79 for yearly access to F1TV) in an organization that doesn’t honor its own rules, nor has the fortitude to admit wrongdoing and make it right? I suppose if Lewis returns, I will as well (out of solidarity alone), but the shine has gone off F1 and we all know you can’t polish a turd. The FIA sunk to a new low and, as of this writing, Masi still holds his position. (If he had any integrity, he would have resigned as of Monday.) Supposedly, they are reviewing the season, the inconsistencies, and how something like the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was allowed to happen (not to mention fucking Spa!). We’ll see if they change at all. Jean Todt has stepped down as president of the FIA and Mohammed Ben Sulayem was voted into his place, the first non-European to hold that position.
The 2022 season was set to be exciting with new cars and spending caps that were supposed to put all 10 teams on more equal footing, making the racing tighter, more competitive and thrilling. But what does that matter if the rules aren’t applied consistently? FFS, rules are rules. All you have to do is follow them or suffer the consequences (also outlined in the rulebook). I hope there are consequences for Masi and the stewards who sullied the sport. As for the toad, karma will find him, without a doubt.
With all that said, I can’t wait for season 4 of “Drive to Survive” to come out because it will surely be a doozy. The toad has long refused to participate because of the “unfairness” of it (meaning they show him in his true light). I am curious to see what unfolded behind the scenes for some of the more dramatic moments of the past year. As much as you get to overhear on the team radios, the cameras capture even more. But, no matter what the series reveals of the 2021 season, what a truly sad ending it will have.
