Here we are again. Day 4 out of 23. And, today's post, I think, is pretty intriguing.
Let's travel back in time. Only slightly. To Sunday 11th November 2018. This was the day of the penultimate race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix. A race that was full of action, surprise and the "odd" controversy, eventually won by Brit and 2018 World Champion; Lewis Hamilton, was one of the most entertaining and gripping races of the season. It was also where Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Point Force India's Esteban Ocon resumed their Formula 3 rivalry. A clash between the two on lap 43 became the main talking point of the race. But, who was to blame for the incident? And, was Verstappen's behavior post race acceptable?
Lap 42 ends and lap 43 begins. Verstappen, who is leading, laps back marker Ocon on the start/finish straight. Both cars go into the Senna Esses almost side by side. Ocon makes a lunge to try and unlap himself but catches Verstappen in the process, sending them both into a spin. Hamilton then arrives on the scene, snatching the lead from the Red Bull driver. The rest is history.
Ultimately, Esteban Ocon was penalised for this incident. Unsurprisingly. But after reading tweets and other blog posts after the incident, I can't help but notice that many people are disregarding the fact that a lapped driver has every right to lunge in and unlap himself. What Ocon did was not wrong. It was how he executed the move in which got him stuck in hot, hot water.
I'm quite curious really. The start/finish straight has Drag Reduction System (DRS) and then the straight immediately after the Senna Esses also has DRS. Why did Ocon choose to make his move in the place that he did? The risk of a collision there is high, especially when it's unlapping yourself from the leader. Common sense would tell you wait and in that moment the Frenchman was lacking in it. Being quoted as "my team told me to do it."
I think, if the situation didn't involve a backmarker and the race leader, it would have been looked at in different light and classed as a racing incident. As Senna himself once said; "If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver." A quote that defines racing for me. And, in defense of Ocon, whether you have been lapped or not, you are still racing. So, I understand why he tried that move. It just baffles me as to why he didn't wait. At the end of the day, drivers should have respect and courtesy for one another. Something that didn't seem to exist here. Possibly due to their Formula 3 days.
As for Verstappen, could he have given Ocon room to pass? That's a difficult one. The Senna Esses are tight and overtaking can be limited; not to even mention a possible blind spot.
I think, in normal circumstances, this would have been classed as a racing incident. But, because it included the race leader and a backmarker, something had to be done. It's similar to how a backmarker gets penalised for ignoring blue flags. In this case, all the factors were pointing towards Ocon as the guilty party.
But what about Verstappen's behaviour post race? Was there any need to physically "attack" Ocon?
I get Verstappen's frustration. He could have won. But he didn't. That's life.
I'm conflicted here though. Verstappen should not have lashed out like he did. A quiet word in private? Yes. A shove? No. It just doesn't look good. All the drivers are there for the same reason after all. However, can you blame Verstappen for lashing out when Ocon stands there smirking over the incident?
Overall, point is, Ocon WAS to blame for the clash, in some regards and Verstappen shouldn't have reacted how he did.
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