By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor
(FORMLA 1)—The tracks of the three major racing series we follow are cold and silent, not to feel the heat and the rumble for a couple of months. But Formula 1 ended the racing year with a memorable event—and the way it ended hasn’t ended it.
One race. Last lap. Two drivers tied in the championship standings fighting tooth and toenail for the championship—one to set a record for most titles and the other in search of his first championship trophy.
Lewis Hamilton had the lead going for F1 championship number eight until a late crash brought out the caution car. Max Verstappen was running second but behind five lapped cars but race stewards allowed the five lapped cars to go around the safety car and take positions at the back of the field during the caution. Verstappen stopped for tires during the caution while Hamilton stayed out and the two were side by side for the restart.
Ride with the two drivers in this video from Formula 1—
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/video.side-by-side-verstappen-and-hamiltons-final-lap-shootout-for-drivers-title.1718961184355366048.html
Hamilton jumped into the early lead but on the fifth turn of the sixteen-corner circuit, Verstappen snatched the lead for the first time in the entire race. Hamilton tried to take it back on the ninth turn but couldn’t get it and Verstappen won by more than two seconds.
Although the victory celebration began on the track and later on the podium, Vertappen had to wait four hours before F1 officials dismissed claims by Hamilton’s Mercedes team director that the last lap had been started improperly.
FIA race director Michael Masi made the decision to allow the five lapped cars to unlap themselves on the same lap that the race was resumed. Some observers say Masi’s decision, after strong lobbying by Verstappen’s Red Bull team leader, was contrary to the rules.
Although stewards rejected the Mercedes protest, Mercedes has indicated it might appeal the verdict. It has 96 hours after the end of the race to file that appeal. But as we write this, Max Verstappen is considered the race, and championship winner.
There are reports, however, that the controversy will cost Michael Masi his job. The FIA, the sanctioning body of F1, will meet December to elect a new president, replacing Jean Todt,who is stepping down after twelve years. A decision about Masi’s future could be made then.
(INDYCAR)—-INDYCAR lost Al Unser Sr., last week. Unser, who died last Thursday, was the second four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, a feat accomplished previously only by A. J. Foyt. He was 82 and had been fighting cancer for the last seventeen years.
Unser ran his first 500 in 1965 and is one of the few drivers with back-to-back victories (1970-71). He led 190 of the race’s 200 laps in his first win. He also won in 1978 and got his final victory in 1987 when he became the oldest winner in Indianapolis 500 history. Since then, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves have joined the “four-time” club.
Although he had left the 2021 race to fly home before Castroneves became the fourth four-time winner, Unser took a break from his cancer treatments to fly back to Indianapolis for a special photograph July 20 of the four four-time winners with the Borg-Warner Trophy at the yard of bricks (L-R: Foyt, Unser, Mears, Castroneves).
Unser led more laps than any other driver in the race’s history. His 27 starts are the third-most in race history. He retired in 1994.
His older brother, Bobby, was 87 when he died last May. Bobby won the 500 three times.
Al Unser Jr., won the race twice.
The Unsers opened a museum in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico to house the cars they raced, the cars they collected (including the cars the Unser family achieved its earliest fame with by winning races to the top of Pike’s Peak), and the plaques showing the nine “Baby Borgs” they won at Indianapolis—plaques showing miniature versions of the famous 500 trophy—and hundreds of other awards.
Al Senior was at the museum often and would meet visitors and share his memories and his visitor’s memories—as he did a few years ago with this writer.
(NASCAR)—Richard Petty has sold controlling interest in Richard Petty Motorsports to Maury Gallagher, the owner of GMS Racing. The company will be rebranded Petty GMS Motorsports with Petty remaining as Chairman—and the face of—the company. The team will field two cars next year with Erik Jones driving the 43, Richard’s old number that he carried to seven NASCAR titles—and Ty Dillon bringing the number 42 back to the track—the number Richard’s father, Lee, campaigned with in the early days of NASCAR and with which he won three championships.
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With cars in the garages, engines and tires cold for the winter, this column is entering its off-season, too. We’ll resume whenthe roar returns. (photo credit: Chris Owens, INDYCAR)