COLUMN: Racing or entertainment? F1 teeters line at finale
Associated PressABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The one thing Max Verstappen requested — over and over and over again — was that the race stewards not interfere with the Formula One title-deciding finale with any questionable or inconsistent calls. Hamilton had a lead of nearly 12 seconds and Red Bull conceded Verstappen’s only chance was from “some luck from the racing gods” when a crash by Nicholas Latifi with five laps remaining put the ending in Masi’s control. “You only need one racing lap!” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in urging Masi to get Latifi’s mess cleaned up in time to give Verstappen one final shot at Hamilton. Masi then moved the lapped traffic out of Verstappen’s way and gave him and Hamilton one final lap over 3.2 miles to decide the championship. This year saw the introduction of sprint qualifying in three races, which will be doubled to six in 2022, a late red-flag followed by a final standing restart at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the awarding of only half points for the sixth time in F1 history when rain allowed for a measly one lap run behind the safety car in Belgium.