F1's competition manager warns Verstappen before the end

2021-12-10T09:21:11.981Z

Ahead of the end of the F1 season on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, competition director Michael Masi warns that unsportsmanlike conduct can have major consequences. - There can be a points deduction, says Masi.

Red Bulls Max Verstappen and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton are exactly equal with 369.5 points before the end in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The set-up is simple: The first driver to finish these wins the overall championship.

Verstappen chases his first title while Hamilton chases his eighth.

If none of the drivers finish or miss points (which the first ten get), the championship goes to Verstappen because he has the most victories: 9-8.

The drivers have been involved in hot duels, with three collisions during the season, most recently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Hamilton won and Verstappen finished second despite 15 extra seconds for offenses during the race.

There are now fears that another collision will occur on the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi and that the battle for the title will end in an anticlimax.

F1's competition director Michael Masi now warns the drivers, which actually applies to Verstappen because he would benefit from no one finishing or being without points.

The story from 1974 is repeated

"I would especially like to remind you of the following articles," Masi told Reuters.

Masi quotes Article 12.2.1: "Any violation of the principles of fairness in competitions, behavior in an unsportsmanlike manner or attempts to influence the outcome of a competition in a manner contrary to sports ethics."

And 12.4.5: "Suspension for one or more competitions, points deduction for championship, cup, challenge, trophy, series."

This clearly means that a driver who deliberately tries to put a competitor out of action can get rid of up to all the points it has scored during the season.

The only time before that it was completely even before the last F1 race was in 1974 when Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni settled for the title, which went to Fittipaldi.

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F1's competition manager warns Verstappen before the end

The story from 1974 is repeated

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