Coochas

"Destroyed the scales" LOL.
I'm amazed the "weight bridge" in F1 looks like a couple of Race Ramps. All that tech and that's the best they can do?

Debo18D

Not to be today
Perfection unrewarded
Rubbish, the made plans

Manifold

Good race, one of the better ones of the season for me. Poor Max ... the fault was definitely mainly Ocon's, but perhaps a more mature Max would have remembered he had more to lose and been more defensive.

Jimbo951

Actually, I thought the fault was 100% Verstappen's. He turned in with a car beside him. Everyone can argue if Ocon should or shouldn't be there, but Ocon WAS there so Max should have minimally given him a lane. Max wasn't racing Ocon so Max should have given him room and/or let him go. Red Bull should have told him such over the radio. Max was racing Lewis, not Ocon.

ProCoach

^^THIS^^

LuigiVampa

+1

However, I would apportion about 10% of the blame to Ocon. While he has the right to unlap himself he was extremely aggressive in his attempt.

I think driver of the day should have gone to LeClerc for his qualifying run from the day before.

StoogeMoe

If it was 100% Verstappen's fault, then how come the stewards gave the penalty to Ocon? Hmmm?

Manifold

10 sec penalty too, not small. Brundle agreed with the stewards, as did apparently just about everyone except Otmar.

Akunob

Fumes

from a fault perspective...I thought max was far enough ahead that ocon really could have/should have backed out. he was running in 14th. that said, lewis was 100% right -- ocon has both the right to unlap himself and absolutely nothing to lose. max had EVERYTHING to lose. he could have just kept the wheel open instead of turning down on esteban. neither driver made very good choice so they failed to make it work. the penalty seemed severe -- seemed like a racing incident, but of course FIA stewards will punish you for screwing up the leaders race I suppose.

mostly I'm mad because I would have called the race correctly had that not happened

Circuit Motorsports

Because Verstappen was the leader.

If this had been a race for 6 and 7 and not a guy trying to get back onto lead lap I think it would have been ruled differently.

As for far enough ahead that someone should have to back off? Is this time trialing or something? Learn to coexist on track. It's racing. It doesn't need someone to back out of a corner because they aren't totally along side.

Here is how to coexist on track. Yes they bump wheels but notice how they don't chop down on eachother with the expectation that the corner is 'owned' by the guy who is slightly ahead.

Circuit Motorsports

Here's a great photo montage showing Verstappen's inability to coexist.

DTMiller

VER expects other people to cede him the track and they are dicks when they don't.

That attitude might win him a few races but it definitely lost him the race in Brazil.

mhm993

Unless the rule says backmarkers are required to play dead, and throw out an anchor at any time a frontrunner is near, this is >90% Verstappen's fault. I know the stewards see it differently than we do. My two cents.

hf1

+1
Ocon was ahead on the outside into the turns and had no less than 3/4 car overlap at all times in the turns. Ocon had nowhere else to go at the point of contact -- backing out was impossible at the limit, with 3/4 car overlap, and in such tight space. And why would he back out when he had full rights to be where he was? Verstappen should have given him racing room as many others did in passes there. Verstappen also did wrong to himself from strategy perspective as he had much more to lose from cutting Ocon off. If they were fighting for a position then Verstappen would have likely received the penalty. The stewards penalized Ocon only because he was a lap down.


History also gives some perspective, as Ocon and Verstappen have been rivals throughout their careers. Ocon won 2014 Formula 3 ahead of Verstappen, so I'm sure Verstappen knew that Ocon is not a "one lap slower" kind of driver in terms of skill.

I like Verstappen but he was a complete d*ck for pushing Ocon multiple times in the paddock after the race.