Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/3GHVIGi

“Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you

“Bookends Theme”

We all live in the past.

The past few days I’ve been reading this book “Powder Days,” by Heather Hansman. After graduating from Colby College she went west to Colorado and became a ski bum. But after a few years she let go, now, years later, she’s revisiting all her old haunts and old people, trying to find out if the ski bum life still exists, and how those who were caught up in it have survived.

It was different decades ago. You could make it on minimum wage. And almost nobody was going anywhere fast. You were trying to find yourself, do what felt right. It was hard for our parents to understand, having grown up in an age where you did what you had to, what you were told, to get ahead in the world. But the boomers were the first generation raised in the era of leisure time, when you could think about what you wanted to and do it, when who you were was more important than how much money you had.

It’s not that different in the music business. Sure, as the sixties closed it was obvious money was being made in the music business, ergo the consolidation of Warner, Elektra and Atlantic into the Warner Music Group. As a matter of fact, Ahmet Ertegun could never get over the sale, Atlantic was first, he wanted the financial security, but those who sold thereafter got a much better multiple, he believed he’d been ripped off. So when you told your parents you wanted to work in the music business, they were not encouraging. Furthermore, you couldn’t start at the top, you couldn’t even start in the middle. Your college degree meant nothing. And there was no financial security, no obvious career. To this day it’s hard to stay in the music business, then again a whole generation is not eager to get involved. Used to be if you worked at a record label you were a god, inside the machine, privy to Oz. Now, it’s just a job.

And it was all because of the music. There’s music today, but it doesn’t infect people the same way. It doesn’t mean the same thing. Back then it was everything, and we counted on our artists to push the envelope each and every time, and they tried to. And we basked in the results.

So on these cold winter nights, well, as cold as it gets in Southern California, it’s the quieter music that resonates, that keeps me warm. Not the bombastic in your face productions, but the ones that touch my soul, like Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bookends.”

Am I the only person who just doesn’t love “Bridge Over Troubled Water”? I mean it’s okay, but it’s just another ballad featuring Art Garfunkel’s high voice. Oh, it’s more than that, but I’d much rather listen to “The Boxer,” on the flip side of that album, which is held up as the duo’s paragon of excellence when the truth is that’s “Bookends,” which came before.

“Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” was the one that showed us these two were different. That they weren’t just recording ditties, but reaching for something more. “Scarborough Fair” is far superior to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in my book. There’s the upbeat “Cloudy” and the reflective “Homeward Bound,” but the best track on the album is “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her,” the most beautiful song I know. Go deep beneath the surface and this is every man’s dream. The track hovers above the earth, it is not of this world, it’s free of the bringdowns, it’s life.

And of course there was “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night,” which captures the zeitgeist better than any of today’s bombastic tracks. Today you can do or say anything, but the end result is usually nothing is said. Whereas “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night” cut right to the heart of society, and everybody was aware of it, even though it was not a hit single and didn’t get radio play, this is what happens when you tell your truth holding no punches. Then again, there were many fewer records then.

And then came “Bookends.” It’s the album with “Mrs. Robinson,” but at this point that was seen as a movie song, for “The Graduate,” which had come out the year before. And both the song and film are great, but “Bookends” as a whole is even better.

At the time, it was the second side I cottoned to, that i played most. I loved the opening track, “Fakin’ It.” “Punky’s Dilemma”…I could never forget the reference to the Kellogg corn flake but the truth is I didn’t love it back in ’68, although it grew on me. And then there was the concluding trifecta, “Mrs. Robinson,” “A Hazy Shade of Winter” and “At the Zoo”…WHEW!

As for the first side, at first I only cherry-picked “America,” which is the best track on the album, which encapsulates a spirit and experience that no longer exists. The dream is no longer to go cross-country, to see America, and now you’re never disconnected, you can reach out and touch Mommy & Daddy with your cell phone. Back then once you walked out the front door you were in the ether, disconnected, alone, long distance phone calls were expensive, and you made them once a week, if that.

But I came to love “Save the Life of My Child,” with its aside “He’s all right,” the chaos and changes, you felt you were on the street before “America” took you on a journey.

But then… “Overs” was a downer after “America.”

But after that, you had “Voices of Old People,” which you only needed to hear a few times and then couldn’t tolerate. This was back in the experimental music era, John Cage and so much more. “Revolution 9.” That’s how the track was viewed.

And the album closed with “Old Friends” and a reprise of the theme song, albeit with lyrics this time.

“Old Friends”… It was slow, sandwiched between that which didn’t need to be heard. But there’s that one line that every boomer knows, which I’ve been saying a lot to friends recently, as that dreaded birthday arrives for them, “How terribly strange to be 70.”

64 is younger. And the Beatles song was a lark, from the perspective of youth. You really didn’t feel the advanced age. But in “Old Friends”…

These were the forgotten people, on park benches, we thought we’d never get there, but we are there now.

When you get to around 70, it’s about lifestyle. Good times. Friends. Possessions mean less, as does the culture. You pay attention to the movies, watch TV, but there’s nothing you really need to hear or see, and you can always fall back on the classics. And the shenanigans… You realize nothing ever changes, it seems people can’t get along, and there are always a few money and power hungry people who cock it all up for everybody else. But at least you’ll be gone soon. You think about the long term future, but when there’s gridlock you disconnect, I mean you’re literally not going to be here.

So now “Old Friends” resonates completely. How prescient Paul Simon was. But what resonates with me most is the “Bookends Theme,” which closes out the side.

“Time it was, and what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences”

It most certainly was, and we didn’t realize how good we had it, that these were our formative years. I’m not talking about high school, but college and your twenties. You questioned, you bonded, you weighed the options, experimented and found your path, whether by choice or default. In your thirties you get serious, before that you still believe everything is up for grabs.

Of course it’s different now. People in their twenties have careers, own houses, are saving for retirement. We thought we’d die before we retired, we could not see that far out, absolutely not. But now we’re looking back.

I got out. The second year in Utah I realized if I didn’t leave then, I never would. And it was hard, but I escaped. You say you can ski on the weekends, take vacations, but that’s not the same thing. You’ve got to hit the hill every day, like a job, the experience counts, you fine tune your skills, after a month you’re at the top of your game, having peak experiences, which trump everything else in your life, but is it a life?

Most of the people still doing this in “Powder Days” have sacrificed everything to ski, relationships, children, ownership of houses… They’re all in, and it’s too late to turn around. But they continued to reach for the stars in this one vertical, whereas most people end up compromising, endlessly.

So what we end up with is our memories. It’s personal. We share a bunch with friends, others with family, it’s amazing you spent all those years growing up in that house with your siblings, it was so long ago.

And we forget the bad experiences. And believe me, there were plenty. You don’t truly become comfortable in your skin until your fifties or sixties. And it’s amazing you made it through, especially if you did it your way, so many of those ski bums end up committing suicide, to this day, happened when I was there.

But on one level I’m still there. In the mountains. With room to move. Alone with nature. Hitting peaks you can’t reach any other way. Feeling alive.

And you start to realize it could end in a minute. So many are dying, but you become old and frail, and even if you’re not cautious there are certain things you can no longer do, or not as well, and you eventually accept this, but not easily.

And throughout it all is these songs. Like I said, it’s different for baby boomers. We bought guitars, we sang in a circle. If you weren’t there you cannot understand how much the music meant. It was an exciting, transitional period. Kinda like the advent of the internet, but it was based on the arts, music. What you said was more important than what you did. And then you reach a point where no one is interested in what you have to say, you end up not even speaking, it’s not worth it, you just keep it all in your head.

And you wake up and you realize you’re approaching the bookend. You had birth, you had twenty years of growing up. Now it’s twenty years of slowing down. But instead of making friends, they fade away. Instead of your world getting bigger, it gets smaller. And no matter what you do, you cannot stem the tide, it’s inevitable.

So to a great degree we live in the past. There’s so much of it. Memories are triggered randomly, you could be taking a shower, reading a book or driving your car, a synapse fires and there you are, in that old situation, with those old people, who you never even talk to or see anymore, but once upon a time they were friends.

It’s a secret, we all know it but no one talks about it, for fear of being labeled over the hill, discarded, ignored. But the truth is we’re all in it together. It’s a dilemma. Maybe not Punky’s, and society may resemble a zoo more than ever, but Joe DiMaggio sold Mr. Coffee. And Paul Simon wore a turkey suit on Saturday late night TV. And Chevy Chase was once the biggest name in comedy, the irreverent voice of a generation.

On one hand it’s hazy, on the other it’s perfectly clear. Doesn’t matter if we faked it or not, now it’s completely real, this is us, we have to accept it, whether we like it or not. But thank god we’ve got the music to carry us through, it’s our theme.

“Going There”: https://amzn.to/3ysEppZ

I only read it because I want to get her on the podcast. She too is an iHeart podcaster and I figured that’d give me an in.

Not that I ever watched the “Today Show.” I’m almost never up at that hour and if I want news, I’ll go online, or read the newspaper. I don’t need the hokey-jokey banter, I know I’m not friends with these people no matter what they project, then again, too many people are home alone and feel the connection when they watch not only the “Today Show,” but QVC, it’s a sad commentary on the state of society, too many people are lonely. And yes, I know some watch the show while they get dressed, but I grew up in a home where turning on the television before six P.M. was a no-no, and I went to college where there was no television and lived in Los Angeles for years without one, which is all to say if you added up the entire time I’ve spent watching the “Today Show” it wouldn’t even be fifteen minutes, really.

But I know who Katie Couric is. Actually, I know a lot about the “Today Show,” because of the talent shenanigans, they were news…Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville, Willard Scott, Bryant Gumbel, Matt Lauer…but the only person who seemed to fly above it all, who lasted, who left on her own terms, was Katie Couric.

She’s cute. Let’s not talk about the “P-word,” i.e. perkiness. It’s not only looks, but personality. You see Katie is game. For all those men, usually misogynists or rich or both, who believe a woman should be arm candy, there to be seen but not heard, there are many who are looking for an activity partner, someone who will both lead and follow, who will push and pull, who will give back, who will laugh, who is adventurous.

That’s Katie Couric.

I didn’t even know she had big boobs until I read the book. At one of her first jobs a male colleague mentions them. And Katie ultimately talks about her reduction. Which speaks to the honesty of this book. However there is myopia. Everyone is a victim of their own experience, as much as you see you don’t see everything, not even close.

So Katie grows up in a middle class family, she doesn’t have the grades to go to Smith like her older sisters, so she goes to UVA. In other words, academics were not her priority. She was not staying at home studying, she was a cheerleader, she partied, she was well-rounded, which is why so many of the grinds at elite colleges don’t end up being world-beaters. You can plug them into an existing system, but they’re not about pushing the envelope, breaking the rules, unlike Katie Couric.

She’s aggressive. It’s just that simple. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. She’s not a force of nature, she’s not Padma Lakshmi, with a bad reputation for needing the spotlight, needing attention, but when she’s desirous, Katie goes for the target. Like her very first job at a TV station in Washington, D.C.

She didn’t have the best resumé. Sure, she did some internships in the communications field in college, but she was not a star there and she was not on the fast track, as a matter of fact she took the summer off after graduation, to live the beach life. But then…

She lied to get a job. Not majorly, but…

She sent her resumé and heard nothing. So she went to the station unannounced and asked to see an executive who had two kids who went to high school with her older siblings. The guard wouldn’t let her through, but he let her use the phone and she talked her way in to see this man who had no idea who she was, and ultimately a job.

Not that she was on the fast track, but… She became the darling of the horny men. Yes, if you’re a cute girl with spunk, men notice and they give you opportunities, which Katie took advantage of. She didn’t sleep with these dirty old men, but she climbed the ladder, went to CNN and Florida and ultimately ended up back in D.C. at the Pentagon, courtesy of Tim Russert. Like that old Buzzy Linhart song that Bette Midler made famous on her first album, you’ve got to have friends. Mentors are important, as long as you’re not an artist. Great artists have no mentors, people can tell you where they’ve gone, but not where you should be going.

So it appears that Katie got the gig at the “Today Show” just like that. There’s luck involved, but also that indefinable extra, and TV skews young, you reach a certain age and they’re not interested, so if you want to be in front of the camera don’t plan a long term attack, but a short one.

So Katie goes to NBC and she lobbies for her rights, as a woman. She wants to be an equal, and essentially is one, not that she does not encounter static in the process. But the bottom line is Katie Couric is a star, and everybody realizes it. And it’s not mannered, she’s just being herself. Although she is a people-pleaser, she does want everybody to like her, and is stunned when she finds out this can’t happen.

And then Katie jumps to CBS as their evening anchor and it’s downhill from there. But she has a very long ride.

The one with insight here is Warren Beatty, who tells her not to take the gig, because no one watches TV news at night, they all watch in the morning, and he was right but Katie thought she was making history as a woman in the evening role, she just didn’t realize that no one other than the detached Les Moonves wanted her to succeed. They felt she was a lightweight who hadn’t paid her dues. Never underestimate entrenched prejudice.

So, the spin on this book is its honesty, that the aforementioned Moonves is a close talker with bad breath. But “Going There” does not read as an exposé, rather it’s just Katie telling her story, which is what makes it such a good read even if you’re detached from her career, like me, because underneath she is just a person, like you or me. And unlike Ray Dalio and the rest of the rich male blowhards, she doesn’t lord her success over you. She knows she’s good, but she’s not telling you she has all the answers.

Her first husband dies of cancer because he never went to the doctor. That’s the number one lesson here, have a doctor and go for a checkup each and every year! If he had, he’d probably still be here. But he also was a Civil War reenactor. Katie revisits this decades later, but even at the time…what were you thinking? You wanted to be involved with a guy like this? She was ready to get married, she said how great the guy was, but that Civil War reenactment is a giant flashing red light, that her younger daughter ultimately can’t understand.

She’s got to manage her gig and her kids and she’s not perfect at it. While her husband is still alive she hires a nearly criminal nanny who believes she’s a member of the family, with equal power to the parents. And then she’s a single parent. And unsupervised the older kid starts testing the limits. Meanwhile, Katie’s dating.

Now there’s a ton of coverage of the gossip rags, most notably “Page Six,” but it’s amazing how much never got out, that Katie talks about here. Going to a club to dance and drinking so much she’s falling down drunk and has to go to the hospital.

And she dates Tom Werner. Who ends up being a rich Ivy Leaguer with commitment phobia. The richer they are, the more they don’t want to sacrifice, the more wary they are of encumbrances.

And then she dates a boy toy, much younger than she is, even moves him into her house. Everybody else pooh-poohs the relationship, but she wants the companionship and the sex.

Yes, Katie is a regular person, with troubles just like you, albeit with a lot more dough and much richer and connected friends.

Yes, you’re reading the book and you can relate, but then when she talks about dinners in the Hamptons you realize she’s playing in a completely different league. She’s famous, with the perks, and she takes advantage of it. Then again, when Katie sees an opportunity… She hit on both of her husbands. She’s not worried about how things look, but whether she gets what she wants.

So she’s hosts a failed daytime talk show after CBS, with Jeff Zucker, who says he’s committed but really isn’t. And it’s a bad fit, anybody could see that, they don’t want news in the afternoon, they want scandal, celebrity, a clubhouse before or during your first drink, hard news is taboo.

And then she goes to work for Yahoo, which is actually a brilliant move, but Marissa Mayer can’t return a phone call and is more interested in clothing than business. Katie makes a serious connection for Marissa and Marissa just never calls back, forget being late. Mayer has a reputation for all of the foregoing, so we’re just getting confirmation here. But it is Katie’s career.

So her daughters go to Spence, where students’ parents have weekend homes in Gstaad… This is the life of the rich and not famous that the hoi polloi are unaware of. There’s a track, and you’re not on it. It starts with nursery school and ends up in this case at Yale and Stanford. You need the money and the fame and…there’s no way those august institutions are turning down Katie Couric’s kids, because it will burnish their image and will get them MONEY! It’s a game. If you’re rich and/or went to an elite college, you know this, but most people don’t. And bottom line…there’s always somebody richer than you. Katie is talking about money when she’s making eight figures a year, but she’s playing in a league most of America isn’t even aware of.

And then… She goes to a restaurant and the hostess has no idea who she is, asks her her name and Katie has to spell it. Couric has a sense of humor about this, but this is life, this is America. You peak and then it’s downhill, it’s nearly impossible to be king or queen forever, not that people don’t try, if for no other reason than time keeps passing, they’re making new people and your triumphs are in the past. Gen-Z thinks it rules the world. The best thing I heard all weekend was a TikTok star who said they didn’t even have a Facebook account. Ask boomers and Facebook rules, asks youngsters and it’s a graveyard they’ve never visited, it’s creepy.

So one day before Covid, when we were all still going to the office, I opened the studio door and right on the other side were Katie and a guest. You know the situation, where you’re nearly right on top of each other. And while I was still adjusting for the closeness, and realizing it was Katie Couric, she looked me directly in the eye, said hi and smiled. She was wearing jeans. She was not made up. She was just like you or me, but different. She’s a winner, and she can never give up the game, it’s in her blood. Read for the dates with Neil Simon and Larry King, for truths heretofore unspoken, but what ultimately makes “Going There” a good read is it’s the adventure, the journey of an individual who succeeded as a woman in a man’s world and not only lived to tell the tale, but is telling it. It’s a good read.

Who will be remembered fifty years from now?

Tune in tomorrow, December 14th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive

About an hour ago I tried searching for your original emails about Drive To Survive so I could reply and say “Thank you!”. I’ve been on your mailing list for maybe 10, 12 years? And during that time learned that we have similar tastes in certain areas. When you recommended DTS, I went “Hmm.” Next thing you know I’ve binged it in record time and start watching YouTubes to learn all I can.

I’m an older woman who generally likes sports but has never watched a car race; men driving around in circles in fast cars? Yuck. Then, DTS got me hooked. Telemetry, g-forces, the Halo, overtakes, understeer…all part of my regular vocabulary now. I set the alarm to wake up at 6:30am on both Saturday and Sunday to watch not only the race but qualifying too (depending on the location of course).

So thank you for the DTS recommendation months and months ago. Formula 1 is thrilling and fascinating. And I completely agree, Lewis got robbed today (though I’m a Carlos Sainz fan and am super excited for him doing so well in his first year at Ferrari.)

Nikki Vinci

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Amen to all that.

Richard Griffiths

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If an asterisk should ever be applied to a victory, this was it.

Jason Whittington

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As a long time F1 follower, it felt like a return to the bad old days – but as I said to my son, it’s good for F1 to have the controversy and attention.

zaphodd

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One of the very best things you’ve ever written.
You absolutely nailed it about Christian Horner, Max and Lewis.
I will begrudgingly accept Max won the title but his claim to fame will only be as a driver who is better than average. Lewis has done more for this planet this season alone than Max will ever do, nothing to do with Max’ age, everything to do with his personality.
The wrong man was given the title and that’s too bad.
But I expect Lewis will be back better and stronger and still as humble next season. I still believe the good win out in the end.
Thanks for turning more people on to this amazing sport of F1.

Sandee  Bathgate

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With a bit of time for reflection on the F1, it does kinda feel like you’re fourteen points up in a pub quiz, then the quizmaster suddenly announces that to keep it fun the last question is worth fifteen points.

Andy Hollis

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Gutted.

The sport lost (arrogance of the comment “it is called racing Toto”) and won (the sheer interest level), as is life.

Alan Cassidy

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Totally agree.

That was some fucking bullshit today I was incandescent afterwards

Lewis has had to drive calmly whilst that petulant lunatic has driven like a dangerous prick all season putting others lives in danger.

I really wanted Lewis to win today so he’d have the 8 titles and overtake Schumachers record and retire.

I guess now hopefully he’ll be fired up to come back next season and right today’s wrong.

NICK HANSON

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Set my alarm for 7:30 am today to watch pre-race show and the race itself.  Lewis was going for his 8th straight championship, 1 more than Michael Schumacher.  Oddly, his son, Mick hit Latifi, which sent Latifi into a wall and final laps into caution.  And then the ‘can’t pass’ to Max getting new tires and the lapping ‘incident’ gave Max the win. Shameful for F1, not to follow their own rules.  Mercedes has filed 2 protests, both denied.  Lewis Hamilton is a role model for the sport, hopefully next year he and his team get another shot at the championship.
Thanks for writing about it.

Sari Leon

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Agree with you completely!

Max is a great driver but an awful competitor.

You mention the rules working out for Max but even those were not properly applied!! and Merc have lodged their complaints about that though I’m sure the FIA will find a way to explain away the Race Director inventing his own rules for the restart.

The end was a joke.

I’m sad for Lewis and the sport.

Matt Gorny

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Today killed F1 for me.  How in the world can something happen (negate Lewis’ 10 second lead because there is a crash) and no one I know can explain how it became a one lap race, basically a match race between Max and Lewis.  The announcers just carry and go along with it and act like it all made sense…or not.

What a jerk off.  The F1 governing body make the IOC look like geniuses.  What are the goddamn rules.  It’s like screwing up the Super Bowl by having the referees say that there isn’t five minutes left on the clock, only :30 sec.

The sport finally blew up in the US because of the Netflix series and then at the critical moment, the one we’ve all been waiting for, they blew it.  The series was great and that is enough for me.

John Brodey

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As w/ all of them, I did watch it.
Lewis Hamilton is a brilliant driver in the best engineered car on the planet , supported by the best crew in the world.
Max Verstappen is another superb , aggressive driver who is managed by  an amazing and motivating manager.   Is with whom he’s married actually a factor ?!?
Christian Horner of Red Bull followed the rules at a critical moment, changed tires and won the race for his driver.
As a former Ferrari owner and fan—I’m depressed but accept reality.

Kind regards
Bob Sherwood

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You are not alone in your dislike of Chritian Horner. I’ll admit, at the start of the season, I was pulling for Max to win the championship. But as the season progressed, I grew more and more turned off by Horner, and began to pull for Lewis and Toto. Lewis is an elegant champion, and I do appreciate the things he stands for and the commitments he’s made to change things. A fascinating season nonetheless, and now looking forward to where the soap opera goes from here…

Todd Schnick

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So, so well said. I concur!

It’s going to fuel the goat and next season, watch out. But with new cars, it’s anyone’s guess.

Edwin Rojas

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Bob, just like you, Netflix got me hooked on F1. The way the race was handled today was disgraceful and I seriously hope Mercedes challenges the outcome of this race to the very end. Everyone with a working set of eyes could see the Hamilton had this race won and then to change the rules on the last lap is a joke.  Formula 1 should look up the definition of credibility.

Jay Headrick

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Totally agree. I’ve been following F1 for decades – been to a handful of races – and have seen a lot of crazy drama. This year and this race may be at the top. Mercedes totally got screwed in the mistaken fear of the race director of ending the race under a yellow flag. And exacerbating that mistake by clearing the back markers, something that would not have been done if the flag was earlier in the race.

The only solace, I suppose, is that Mercedes won the team crown – and that’s where the money is.

Tom Wszalek

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I’ve been watching F1 for decades. I was Ferrari, always Tifosi,
started pulling for Red Bull 3 years ago because Mercedes/ Hamilton
was too efficient, no contest, no sport.

Today was the strangest F1, Max had pole but Lewis was faster in a longer run.

Max was going to lose to Lewis … but .. in last week’s race, and in
today’s first lap, every official  judgement went Hamilton’s way, the
last call gave Max a chance, he won the last lap!

The sport’s next season will be more anticipated because the greatest
driver in its history finally lost.

Paul Zullo

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The FIA is in a spot of bother here.  Michael Masi, the race director did not apply the safety car rules correctly.  Under the safety car rules (Article 48.12) he should have let ALL the lapped cars unlap themselves and the safety car should then have stayed out for one more lap after the last lapped car had unlapped itself.  Instead he let selected lapped cars unlap themselves and then sent the safety car in straight away.  That gave Christian Horner the “one more [racing] lap” he demanded of Michael Masi and enabled Max’s win.  So Mercedes should and will appeal to the International Court of Arbitration.  The decision on local appeal in Abu Dhabi was that the race director has an overriding discretion under another rule (Article 48.13) to call the safety car in at any time but Article 48.13 contains none of the legal language (e.g. “provided always”) that suggests it is an overriding discretion.

So Mercedes will win the appeal, Masi will be fired as a sop to Mercedes to keep them in the sport but the race result will stand.  As such Max’s championship will forever be tainted and the sport will have lost all credibility.  Honestly, why have pages of rules that dictate how flexible a wing can be when the race result can be manipulated a spineless race director with a moaner like Horner chewing at his ear?  The only bright spot of today is that Lewis Hamilton remains his usual classy and gracious self in the face of sporting immortality being stolen from his grasp.  I’m prouder than ever of Britain’s greatest ever sporting son.

Andrew Harting

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I have been an F! fan since the 1950’s when Juan Fangio and Sterling Moss were driving.  I have seen F1 races live since the 1960’s and watched a lot on TV.

This race was the “NASCARization” of F1.  NASCAR always found a way to bring out the yellow flag close to the end of the race to group the field so as to have a close finish…have a big show.  The Latifi crash five laps from the end was a promoter’s dream, a way to bunch the field to allow a dramatic ending. The stewards decided to “let them race.”  Lewis didn’t get penalized for his “shortcut” on the first lap in today’s race after Max aggressively forced him off the track…;”let them race.”  In the latter stages of the race, Mercedes decided to let Lewis finish on hard tires while Max was brought in for a switch to soft tires.  All were strategy risks that might not play out.  Then the freak Latifi crash. The stewards did everything they could to get the track cleared so they could…”let them race.”  One lap left they…”let them race.”  On the last lap, Max exhibited his youth and daring and made a clean pass on Lewis after driving his heart out all day with a lesser car.  We got to see some great driving. Great finish. Glad I got up early to watch the race at 5am Los Angeles time.

John Anderson

Torrance

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Fucking brilliant, and extremely accurate. No one could have written that ending to that race and been believed. We all watched it live, and knew that Hamilton had been robbed by the rules. A very calm and quiet former world champion GP 500 motorcycle racer named Eddie Lawson once got pissed off, and devastated the field. Mercedes will be very pissed off right now. Watch the result. This is going to be fun.

Stewart Bailey

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I was pissed!

Lewis was robbed!

Louis Joachim

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Thanks for this insight. I used to be a lifelong F1 fan until more or less 10 years ago… I even went to Indianapolis in 2003 when they built a circuit inside the oval. Then it fade away until a couple of months ago, I was browsing Netflix and discovered the F1 show. All of the sudden I remembered what brought me to the sport in the first place! Now I am eager to find out in real time what happened, but more importantly I am waiting for next season to learn the inside dealings.

Thanks for this article, I enjoyed it very much.

Best

Daniel Castano

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Thanks for you extensive in depth depuzzelization(new one) of
what went on today. Lewis is the best but Max and his team were
smarter as they found chance in tactics and a little luck on the side.

That is the essence of Formula 1 these days. It’s not the faster car that prevails.
That would be Formula Bore 1. Red Bull was  looking for a bunny in a top hat.

And they found one.

These are are cunning and interesting times.

Cheers from Holland

Hein Fokker

____________________________________

Sour grapes, old man.

Rick Jonews

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Couldn’t agree more.  We wus robbed!!

The ending was unbeleivable… to reverse the decision regarding the lapped cars in the middle of the lap was nothing less than highway robbery.  You can’t help but feel that the fix was in!

Lewis is everything that Max isn’t,  and the world is a better place because of that.

Joe Wallace

____________________________________

I think that you are exaggerating the Netflix effect on Formula 1 when you refer to global viewership.  Netflix obviously boosted viewership in the English-speaking world but there has always been a huge contingent of TV viewers pre-Netflix in all countries except perhaps in North America.

In 2020 the TV and Digital average audience per Grand Prix in 2020 was 87.4 million (source https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-announces-tv-and-digital-audience-figures-for-2020.3sbRmZm4u5Jf8pagvPoPUQ.html).

The 2021 Formula 1 season has been averaging 947,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, an increase of 56 percent over the shifted 2020 season (608,000 viewers) and up 41 percent over the 2019 season average (672,000 viewers). (Source https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/11/formula-1-has-triumphant-return-to-north-america-viewers-respond-to-u-s-mexican-grand-prix-telecasts/#:~:text=The%202021%20Formula%201%20season,season%20average%20(672%2C000%20viewers).)

So the U.S. TV and Digital market for F1 is tiny compared with the rest of the world.

Mark Jackson

____________________________________

The rules did not fall Max’s way in the least. They were cravenly, and falsely, manipulated by the race control director, Michael Masi, to produce just this result. And people are right to see the corruptive handprints of Netflix and Liberty all over it.

bmaz

____________________________________

Your read on it is interesting in that I feel differently while watching the same race.

I like both drivers but was pulling for Max because I tend to love underdogs and wanted him to have his first championship.

Mercedes are a bit whiny too — they also protested that Max’s nose went ahead of Lewis’ briefly during the safety car.

I liked the ruling because it allowed them to race the final race of a deciding championship without lapped cars in the way.

Anyway, yes thank you Netflix!

Aaron Lloyd Barr

____________________________________

You’re right. WTF is with that Race Director Masi? A race is 2 hrs long. There’s strategy, driver’s skill and discipline, pit stops, mechanical breakdowns, all kinds of things that determine who wins. And Masi turns this race into a one lap sprint after Mercedes and Hamilton drove 56 laps to build up a lead. He turned it into a crapshoot.

If they don’t get rid of Masi, F1 isn’t legitimate anymore.

Besides, Verstappen got away with numerous violations throughout the season. Team Head Horner and Team Owner Marko are sore losers and enablers.

Cyrus Won

____________________________________

Well, there was that incident on the first lap where Verstappen was passing Hamilton and Lewis cut the track to retain the lead.   Did Verstappen force him out?   Whose corner was it?

The thing that did Lewis in was his team not pitting during the previous yellow when he already had 23 laps on his tires with 20 laps still remaining.   That was ridiculous strategy.

Jordan Berliant

____________________________________

My husband made a comment when the crash happened, “Red Bull just called Williams and told them they would pay them 2 million to crash their car.” And after that, the craziness happened. What an ending. We are still baffled.

Heidi Jones

New York

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Fantastic race. F1 hasn’t been this compelling since Ayrton Senna died.

As far as IndyCar racing in circles, they are down to 6 ovals out of 19 meets. The preponderance of races is on road and street courses.

IndyCar is no longer a joke –  in fact, while NASCAR and professional drag racing are heading in the wrong direction, IndyCar is trending upwards both in attendance and eyeballs. Its storylines are as good as F1’s — the series just lacks the unlimited marketing horsepower Liberty Media brings to its F1 property.

All motorsport disciplines have their challenges, but IndyCar is more physically demanding to drive than F1 — the lack of power steering requires the IndyCar drivers to muscle these mean machines in pretty brutal conditions. Ask Romain Grosjean, who has driven both.

Cole Coonce

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MARTIN SAMUEL: Verstappen’s triumph in Abu Dhabi was a STOLEN title

https://mol.im/a/10302393

NICK HANSON

____________________________________

I’m a huge f1 fan so not a typical American. We do not need more whiny fucking entitled hammy’s. We need more parity in this sport and I’m glad the self appointed king is dead. I can’t stand max but I’ll take him over a whiny self entitled shit like hammy.

Ding dong the hammy reign is thankfully over,

Phil Bergman

____________________________________

I watched the race and was on pins and needles the entire time, and then the shit hit the fan. Unbelievable, but not surprising. I don’t like Christian’s antics, but I think his constant bitching about how unfairly Red Bull has treated all year finally got in Mike Massey’s head. Christian as much said it with ten laps left when he said they’re going to need a miracle from the racing gods to win that race. I’m not a conspiracy nut, but that was a cowardly call from Massey. Sure let them race, but don’t allow Max to essentially line up right next to Lewis with one lap left in the last race of the year that decides the Championship when Lewis was ahead of him the entire race and was over 11 seconds ahead until that call was made. History may show Max won that race on paper, but Lewis is the real Champion.

Tom Rein

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Sir Frank Williams, the founder of the Williams Formula One, who just
passed away last month, said:

Victory is 1/4 the tires, 1/4 the driver, 1/4 the engineering, and
1/4 the strategy.

Today, Lewis Hamilton lost because Mercedes strategy was flawed. Max
Verstappen won because Red Bull’s strategy was much better.

As for the yellow flags, the slow downs and not passing. This rule
was introduced by Formula One in the 1980s at the request and the
lobbying of Nikki Lauda (3 times world champion). Until then, every
year, a couple of F1 drivers would die in the racing season!

Once introduced, with some safer circuit design changes, it took 10
years until the next F1 driver (Roland Ratzenberger) died while
racing.

syv

____________________________________

As someone who has been watching motorsports for 35 years, allow me to give a perspective on the 2021 World Drivers’ Championship:

 

Among race fans, it’s accepted that the driver in the best car doesn’t always win.  It’s just part of the sport.  In the case of today’s Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton had to make a strategy call – switch to newer tires, but lose his track position?  Or maintain his lead on older tires and hope that the yellow flag doesn’t come out?  There’s really no right or wrong answer; sometimes the strategy plays out and sometimes it doesn’t.  In this case, Max Verstappen’s strategy was the right one.  Every great driver from Mario Andretti to Jeff Gordon and Lewis Hamilton has won and lost races this way, and that’s just racing.  Which is why, as someone who likes Hamilton very much as a driver, I just can’t get too mad about this.

 

So I tip my hat to both Lewis and Max for such a great season.

 

Wes R. Benash

____________________________________

MASI IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYHEM

Of course I am shattered. I too wanted Lewis to win. But that’s okay, a few days later and I will be over it. Let’s face it, there was always a 50% chance you were going to celebrate or commiserate the race result. Hamilton will go on to win other championships. Probably. Maybe.

What is not okay is how Masi made a royal mess of it. That highly dubious decision with the safety car, let the guy on fresh tyres make a dash for it against the guy who had been leading for 57 laps with worn-out tyres. Is that fair? Of course not. The rules don’t even support it. Masi (another Aussie* like me) will be remembered for a long time for his mismanagement of the race. An unmitigated disaster. Mercedes has the option to take it to the appeals court. Maybe they should. Otherwise what are the rules for?

Apart from Masi’s orchestrations to give it a ‘Netflix like finish’ (a director in the making?). 2021 was an incredible year. Just a pity about the terrible finish.

A great summary, Bob, by the way.

*Feel good we are not bashing an American in the hot seat this time 😉

Pete Meehan

____________________________________

That is a perfect encapsulation of F1 and the crapshow at the end of today’s race.

Mike masi, the race director could have/should have ‘red flagged’ the race with the 5 laps to go.

Under the rules, Hamilton could have put on a fresh set and we would have been treated to two of best drivers to ever turn a wheel going at it hammer and tongs for five laps.

Oh well…

Jeff Davies

____________________________________

I’m heartbroken, shattered and not a happy camper.  Very upset!

Iona S. Elliott

P..S. Lewis Hamilton, is in a class by himself. Always the gentlemen and sportsman, He’s too good for this sport. End of story.

____________________________________

I share your disappointment in the way today’s race was decided. However, based on my viewing of this season and the prior three via Drive to Survive, I disagree with your characterization of Christian Horner as a whiner and a prick, and Toto as the “good guy.”

I, for one, appreciate Christian talking to the broadcast team during the race. And while I have no problem with Toto, he rarely, if ever does. And when you saw Riccardo in Season One of DTS, he was a Red Bull driver. Mercedes came late to that game.

And I’m not holding his Spice Girl against Horner.  Maybe I’ve missed some of what you may be picking up somewhere, but I have not seen his interactions with race officials on behalf of his drivers and team as being  qualitatively different than Wolff’s.

And even having seen most of this season’s races, I am very much looking forward to DTS Season 4.

David Ortez

____________________________________

Thank you so much for this piece!

Not only is it breath-taking to follow your description of the race but also you deliver all the spice, the background, and the analysis of a season – and even the whole story. Very time-efficient for someone who was once hooked but decided to take this type of educated entertainment off his schedule.

You brought all the magic back and addressed all the questions.

Kudos!

Yours in music,

Tom Bush

____________________________________

YES!!!!

and thanks for turning me onto the Netflix show.  I’ve been officially addicted and watch the races in real time. And yes we wuz robbed!!!

Peter Roaman

____________________________________

Your dead on. I hate Mercedes Benz and all that their cars stand for on the road and track, however I love Lewis. He is everything you want in a driver and human being polite, kind, righteous and an absolute killer.  Today’s race was the grossest display of blatant racism and nonsense I have ever seen in professional sports in my lifetime.  It’s wasn’t a race till the Stewards had a chance to ruin the season.

The only thing that could have made me happy today is if Lewis was making a move to Ferrari next season and kissed Benz goodbye. A man of his stature deserves to drive a red car, but then again don’t we all want to ultimately want to drive a Ferrari? I know I do.

Team LH for now and forever!

Best,

Jason Weinstock

____________________________________

100% agree. Heartbroken for Lewis and everything he represents in the plight of good and just— in addition to wholeheartedly deserving it because of his enormous skill.

My wife and I refer to Christian as “Naked Christian”. Have you seen the picture? Yuck. Talk about arrogance and self-absorbed. Disgusting.  To us the picture represents the sleazy unsportsmanlike conduct and rhetoric coming from him and Max.  Got the picture off of twitter from one of the lively community members which was using the image several weeks back to illustrate the same point (sleazy).

Did you notice Max didn’t smile after winning (except the private moment caught on camera in the garage with his daddy). GRRRR…. This one has frosted our ass something bad.

Chris Clapp

P.S. Oh…. And forgot to mention Mr 2021 world champion stormed off the podium stage last week during the course of the ceremony. Loser.

____________________________________

Max is 24.

Lewis is 36.

I don’t know about you, but I gained a lot of maturity in those 12 years.

Lewis has had a team of 20 publicists and strategists carefully scripting his brand to perfection for years now. Max is just a young cowboy trying to get taken seriously in a world that’s only talked about one guy for 7 years now. He’s the indie artist, Lewis is the major label with all the corporate backing. Surprised you don’t salute his rebel spirit a bit more, ha ha. But give him a little time, and let’s see what Max can do with his legacy over the next 12 years.

– Mark Radcliffe

____________________________________

Bob, you’re right Christian Horner is a 100% classless reprobate and Toto DOSES Rule. Hamilton’s the best by miles and the Dutchman (I refuse to utter his name), drives like a bull in a China shop and winning the final race and Championship was an unsettling crime orchestrated by F1’s steward Masi they should fire his ass BIGTIME and he should be banned.

Best,
Olie

btw: It was one of OUR fellow Canadian F1 drivers who hit the wall and started this mess…Blame our embarrassing Prime Minister…. Justine Trudeau…he’s responsible for all of Canada’s FuckUps…

The BBC app is an great source for F1 check out the link below and you’ll find other goodies there as well.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/59631665

Olie Kornelsen

____________________________________

Love your stories about music & entertainment but this piece is BS.

 

Max is not a world champion because “rules fell his way”. A F1 world championship is based on all races combined as you might have understood so if you want to start to talk “robbing”… Take in account Silverstone (with the “murder” attack of Lulu on Max in the fastest corner of the season), and Hungary (with Lewis’s team mate Bottas kicked several drivers off). Max also lost a sure win in Hungary due to a bad tire exploding.

 

Stay in for a few more years and maybe you understand. Mercedes simply had the best car for many (8) years and now lost it, to the better driver. Shit happens. Toto is a sore loser and I will bet you Mercedes dealers around the globe don’t like how he “represented” the brand yesterday and many teams during the season. Talking about whining…

 

I hope you stick with you great stories about music.

 

Best regards,

 

Wim Reijnen

____________________________________

Oh boy, if the dutch found out about this article, I bet you will a flood of mails over you.
All the newspapers has Max on the cover, the morning shows are all about Max. All the commercials are focus on Max.

But I think you are right. Except one thing: Max really made a great move on the last round

– Kris Keijser

____________________________________

Pfff It’s a race!! Mercedes should have let him swap tires multiple times, that’s on them. Also, why does the color of his skin have anything to do with it? So ridiculous Bob.

Denny White

____________________________________

Now you write about car racing? You think you are an authority on everything? How arrogant.

Lou Judson

____________________________________

Look at the year statistics Bob

It shows that Max had a better season overall

And Yes, Lewis had a much faster car

But Max is a better driver.

I agree that Lewis is a great sportsman and personality. Max is still very young, but a fighter.

Maybe you can live with this.

If not, you’re just a bad loser just as Toto Wolff.

Best,

Rogier J. van Twuijver

____________________________________

Millions gave up on nascar

We remembered the racing of the 60’s into 70’s where there were understandable differences between Ford, GM and Chrysler
Differences in motor, power, gearing shapes- winners may be laps ahead

Then it all became about the same, nobody can tell the diff between cars

and nascar started to shape the race

400 laps don’t really matter, it was a given that the race would be slowed or stopped and bunched up for a few lap race to the end

officials and nascar shaped who was competitive

nascar has other problems now

F1 follows a similar script and shape the races

What happens on the track matters less to the race than decisions from officials, decisions made in the suites

Is it now like wrestling ?

Mk Bitterman

____________________________________

What a one-sided Horner and Verstappen bashing Bob…

Horner knew and admitted they needed a miracle to have a chance of victory in this last race.

But let’s get the facts straight as far as better driver over the whole 2021 season goes:

Verstappen ended the season with 10 wins to Hamilton‘s 8, having also led more laps and taken more pole positions and podiums.

Mark Unterberger
(Austria)

____________________________________

great you like the sport and Lewis Hamilton, as do I. He is a great sportsman and a true role model – we need more of them.

However I would not be so biased towards Christian Horner, Red Bull and Max. You are getting the information via Netflix, the WaPo or other media, you never experienced them first hand. Maybe there are things about Toto Wolf you do not know and would dislike…?  I’ve worked with Jos Verstappen and Red Bull in the past and they are true professionals, also looking for the truth and holding fairness high.

In F1 everyone strives for the title and tries to interpret the rules for his own benefit but that’s why they have them and a system of regulations you can use in case you disagree. All team principals are protecting and supporting their drivers, so don’t blame Christian Horner for it and praise Toto Wolf for doing just the same.

Despite my great respect for Lewis Hamilton I was happy for Max and his team to win. In the end it was Mercedes’ decision not to change tires as they assumed the safety car period would last until the end of the race – and Red Bull took all eventualities into account to have a slight chance.

Never mind, keep up the good word Bob

Thanks, Christoph

____________________________________

Biggest difference in the kind of COMPETITION involved in sports and music is that in sports wins aren’t orchestrated in the boardroom.  And that is a fantastic thing as no one I know who has ever competed in any athletic endeavor at any level would want to see a race end under a penalty car- or caution flag for NASCAR fans.

That the race manager did not follow the letter of the law and used his own sense of Fair Play – something he did had the authority to do- prevented one of the single most disappointing outcomes in the history of modern sport of ANY kind-bad news for the brand big time. The championship was decided by the competitors- on the field of play-not the suits in the suites- or paddocs. And that is absolutely the way it should be.

The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame has elected bands  less deserving than others because “The Hall” can sell them more $10,000 per ticket seats for the ceremony.  The Grammy’s decided to award Jethro Tull best Metal Album over Metallica to make up for past oversights in ignoring the bands deserving work . And this year they expanded the categories  to a mind boggling 10 nominees each to ” be more inclusive” when the entire purpose of competitions is to exclude not include. Thank God- and the racing Gods- that F1 doesn’t work that way

For real fans of the sport this was the most exciting way to finish any season…. mano y mano with one lap to go.  Your guy started that lap with the lead and ended up losing. Why? Toto Wolff screwed up and did not have him pit to get new tires when Vestappen did.  Racing is as much about strategy as speed and your team choked. So now you kinda sound like one of those vapid Lakers fans who always scream conspiracy when the team loses. WHAAAAAA- the refs cheated!!!!!

For the race to have ended any other way would have been cheating the sports BILLION PLUS fans- not to mention the spirit of fairplay- and that Hamilton did not win the title is a bigger story and better for the sport than if he had won his 8th in the last 9 years.

Enjoy the drama behind the scenes in the Netflix series but please don’t get all dramatic after having watched- as Christian Hoerner put it- ” the racing Gods getting involved” in the most exciting finish of any sport season in recent memory.

Also- F1 racing is the third biggest sport in the world. You forgot about Cricket.

Chris Long

Los Angeles

____________________________________

I admire your enthusiasm, and your emotion for the sport now….i’ve been obsessed since the mid 90’s, and was aware before then because Gilles Villeneuve is from my home province.

What makes Max’s victory amazing, is precisely because Lewis and Mercedes are so formidable. Last time Lewis lost the championship, it was against his teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016. Look it up and Hamilton’s behaviour in the last race. When his own team told him to let Nico go by because he was faster, Lewis told them to let them race.

On the whole of the season, Max deserved this championship, and luck happened to chose him today with the late accident and safety car. Mercedes played not to lose, and Red Bull played to win….cause they had nothing to lose. So Red Bull have the driver’s championship and Mercedes has the constructors. You’d think if Hamilton was so much about others, he would have acknowledged this victory. Instead, he didn’t even show at the after race press conference.

Look at Max’s story, and his dad’s tenure in F1 (never won anything and a spectacular fire ball incident when they were still refueling cars during pit stops – look it up)…. So Jos Verstapen took his kid all over the place karting and fixing up his car….they paid their dues.  So did Lewis of course, but we know that, he has 7 world championships. Today would have been 8, and the absolute record over Michael Schumacher. He may have even retired afterwards who knows! Instead….he felt the same heartbreak he imposed upon Felipe Massa in Brazil years ago (look that one up too!).

I admire and respect Lewis, he is a legend and a great champion. But today, he appears to be a sore looser.

I’m happy for Max……and I love F1….

Glenn Moran

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1

You are correct, Lewis is the better driver and he was robbed. Max is like a republican, in that he bullies his way around the track and acts like the rules don’t apply to him.

2

You are not correct about Liberty. F1 has been the #2 most popular sport (Behind football/soccer) for decades. Whether you like Bernie or not, he was a ruthless dictator and is largely responsible for bringing F1 into the modern era, and passing along an already very successful product to Liberty.

 

3

I’ve been racing motorcycles for more than 40 years, (I’m racing in the 60+ class these days) and so have been following most all forms of motorsport since i was a kid. Again you are right about Indycar, and also Nascar, who are like the Democrats, trying their best to fuck up a perfectly good product.

Anyway, check out MotoGP, the motorcycle version of F1. They’ve tweaked the rules so the racing is much closer and of course it’s full of interesting personalities. and coming soon:

: https://www.superbikeplanet.com/new-amazon-motogp-series-will-bring-motogp-drama-racing-to-the-masses/

It’s great how quickly your writing on F1 has gotten so good (like much of the rest of your writing). You’re one of us now!

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

All the best,

jay maher

____________________________________

I find myself rooting for any driver but Lewis.  I would have been just as rabid about this past season if it had been Ricciardo or Charles Leclerc chasing the championship against Lewis.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Max.  And I do recognize that Lewis is great.  But, Formula 1 needed this.

I’m the e-commerce director for a company that has the exclusive wholesale/distribution/retail rights for F1 apparel and accessories in North America and most of South America.  We’ve been in business since 2016…about 2-3 years before Drive to Survive.  And, let me tell you….we thought our business had been taken to another level last year after Drive to Survive really took hold during the pandemic lockdowns.  But after this historic Formula 1 season?!  The only way I can describe our growth is: “Holy Shit!”  Formula 1 has exploded in the US in a BIG way.  The drivers felt it in Austin this year.  Their days of anonymity are over.   And we have the upcoming Drive to Survive season in a couple months!  Can you imagine what has been going on behind the scenes these past weeks in the Red Bull and Mercedes pits?

Anyway, Max winning is good for the sport.  I do wish Max had…won better….but I’m happy nevertheless. It’s also good for business.  Red Bull Racing merchandise has been outselling Mercedes-AMG Petronas 3 to 1.   And, it’s not just Max merchandise selling.  Sergio Perez is a rock star to the Mexican fans.  At times, his merchandise has outsold Max merch, especially in the weeks leading up to Austin and Mexico City.

Formula 1 needed a change.  Lewis needed a challenge.  He will fight harder next year.  And Max will be out to prove he’s not a one hit wonder.  I hope the FIA lets them race it out.

Rudy Falco

Asbury Park, NJ

____________________________________

I’ve been an F1 fan since the late 80’s.

Been going to Montreal since 95 (and the epic 1st win by Jean Alesi)

My son was born the afternoon Lewis won his first ever Grand Prix (Canadian GP no less).

But I have no idea how I feel about this season.

At least not at this moment.

Sure it has been an epic battle with some fantastic moments, but the appearance of inconsistency from the FIA and race stewards has really made it a hard season to square.

What a lot of people who are new to the sport don’t know…and inexplicably Netflix did not cover it…is that the long time FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting passed away on the eve of the 2019 season opening Australian Grand Prix.

He was extremely well respected by all teams and drivers, and had been part of the F1 community for decades.

This left a massive void as to how in-race incidents are handled. His understudy, and replacement, Michael Masi is taking a lot of stick from the decisions made this year.

Belgium was a disaster, and today was just bewildering.

And those are just two examples…there are more from this season.

Formula 1 needs a very consistent hand at the wheel during the race.

The teams are constantly letting their views known to the Race Director, and I don’t think Charlie would be having the issues that exist today.

I’m not sure Masi has the same respect from the teams…but this is armchair quarterbacking from my side.

I want to continue being a fan of the sport….but this season has really been trying my patience.

2022 needs clarity.

Rob Johnston

____________________________________

Bob: The F-cking Magic hand of the FIA came down from the sky and waved over this final race to ordain the win and championship to Max and Red Bull.

It was Deus/FIA ex machina — god out of the machine — a plot device to solve the unsolvable with an implausible action or event. We got a Grade A example of it

today.

To recount, the Williams car crashes at lap 53 and out comes the safety car with five laps to go. Max immediately pits for fresh tires. Hamilton stays out to keep the lead, but on worn tires.

Lapped cars are then ordered to maintain their track position places by the FIA after the Williams crash, and that freezes the field. Five cars are now between Lewis and Max due to this directive.

Lewis is a master on worn tires, and has five lapped cars between him and Max on the coming restart. Eight record-setting F1 championship here I come. What could go wrong?

Plenty. Crybaby Horner contacts FIA Race Director Michael Masi and whines why are those five lapped cars still between race leader Lewis and Max in second? What?! Because of the FIA’s directive you meddler.

Lewis’s racecraft managing worn tires, and Mercedes strategy managing their stops, have put them in a lock for the win — one would think.

You thunk wrong. The FIA, with a brutally cloddish decision, reverses itself and now allows the five cars to unlap themselves, but no other cars in the field are allowed to do so. This race is getting curiouser and curiouser — with apologies to Lewis Carroll.

Of course this allows Max to drive up to an unearned second position for the restart, with his fresh tires right behind Lewis on worn ones. I nearly pulled an Elvis and shot out the TV!

Now, all this intervention will make for great TV. A wet dream battle between the top two racers and teams of the season will rivet eyeballs to the screen.

The FIA knows Lewis almost cruising to his 8th championship, with five cars between him and Max, makes for lousy TV.

Evaporates: Tension! Conflict! Anticipation for next season! Allows time enough for all those eyeballs to go take a piss — they know the ending. It’s the worst case scenario for ending the season for the FIA. With one lap to go Lewis now has no fair chance to hold off Max for the win. Mission accomplished. Great TV.

Bob, ever hear the phrase “designated spinner” for the driver who crashes or spins to hit the wall near the race end? To cause a yellow flag and bunch up the field.

How about “Jacque Debris,” racist pejorative lingo to identify debris on track invisible to the naked eye. Except by the race control or stewards — which throw a yellow and bunch up the field?

There is a reason racers in various series call qualifying for a race “making the show.” Because when massive TV money is so crucial the guiding principle is: entertainment first, racing second. Mercedes and Hamilton would be the F1 champions if that order were reversed. But it won’t be. Too much TV money at stake.

Be safe and healthy,

Glen Grissom

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Lewis Hamilton is my champion!

Merck Mercuriadis