Poll What is the Worst way to lose a Championship

[F1Brits_90]

i had a thought, earlier when thinking about how flat i was as the championship is (all but) over barring mechanical issues, i was looking forward to abu Dhabi showdown also how does vettel feel as 1 squeeze has gone from 12 lead to 28 behind + 3 big mercedes circuits up coming. & ive decided its a great to get another opinions on it, i was thinking hypothetically everyone is title chasing driver, what is personally a worse way to lose a title & what would eat you up the most in the winter months.

you lost the title because of your mistake Schumacher Jerez 97,
Vettel on sunday,
Webber Korea 2010, (sort of)

or you lost the title because car let you down
Mansell Australia 86
Lewis Interlagos 07
Rosberg Abu Dhabi 2014
Lewis Malaysia 2016

 

[Road of Bones]

Felipe Massa, 2008.

End of chat...

 

[Rutherford]

IS THAT GLOCK???? IS THAT GLOCK GOING SLOWLY????

 

[Greenlantern101]

Dying?

 

[Incubus]

Not sure I'd agree with the article's premise to begin with becausse the title is always decided over the season's entirety and never over a single race. We just tend to mostly remember incidents when they happen in the last few races, that's all.

And sometimes the difference between "your own fault" and "someone else's" is always a tenuous one. When it comes to Mansell's tyre explosing in Australia for example Prost's pace after his stop should really have made it clear a precautionary stop was the way to go, in a race that Nigel only needed to finish in third.

 

[RasputinLives]

Nigel's exploding tyre is a good example of a thin line between title and second. Charlie Whiting pointed out to Mansell afterwards that if he'd not controlled the car so well and come to a stop in the middle of the the track then he'd have had to red flag the race. As it was over three quarters distance then race result would have been from lap before and Nigel wins.

That's the story in someone's book anyway.

 

[FB]

Vettel hasn't lost the title yet, although it will be tough. There are a couple of of examples of him turning over larger points deficits than he currently has.

If I had to think of the cruellest way to lose a title it was Carlos Reutemann in 1981 as it was obvious his team didn't want him to win.

 

[Hamberg]

Or because some cheating bastard wipes you out
Hill Adelaide 1994

 

[RasputinLives]

Yeah but Damon didn't have to dive down the inside of him. His car was crippled. A bit of patience and Schumie was dead and buried anyways.

 

[The Pits]

So a spot of heat of the moment misjudgement then? Glad we dont see that behaviour anymore!!!

 

[teabagyokel]

So a cheating bastard wipes you out but you probably should have dealt with it.

The worst.

 

[Rutherford]

Or because some cheating bastard wipes you out
Hill Adelaide 1994

Who cheated? I can't find a record of anyone being penalised in that race.

 

[F1Brits_90]

true Incubus but that is how sport is Melbourne is worth the same as Abu Dhabi & you will always remember certain games or races. where you think i lost it there

but yeah my thing came from that despairing radio message from Lewis in malaysia where he screamed NO NO NOOOO & how he must have thought in following weeks "if only" i wouldve been a 5x world champion & its not over Lewis is the best drivers to know its never over til you cross the line & in massas case its still not over even then

vettel will be thinking all winter. "why did i" & you could tell from his radio message when he profusely apolgises

 

[Il_leone]

FB

Reutemann was in command and should not have let Piquet in with a chance at the last round. He started from pole but mysteriously fell back to 8th.

Reutemann did screw Jones by not obeying team orders to win his "home race" Brazil but Jones would have still been with a shout had he not spun in Jarama leading comfortably.

When they came to the Glen Jones insisted that he was treated as equal status not a No 2 which meant Williams had to bring 4 cars instead of 3 cars and work on all 4 which probably distracted the team's focus. Cue Jones won the race but it was so bad at Williams in 81 that neither wanted to be teammates for next season which sent Jones into retirement but Reutemann then quit after 1 race

 

[Il_leone]

How about Massa 2008

- First Singapore leading comfortably and then having to pit with the hose stuck to his tank and the Ferrari guys had to run after him to remove it

- Then having thought he was world champion only to be told 30 seconds later he was not champ

Mansell - always finds ways to lose championship

- No fault of his own
- 86 - told by his team the tyres were okay to last the race distance only to blow down the straight . His instinct was to make sure he did not hit anyone or put himself in danger. Only to realise he could lose the championship off course his teammate Piquet was not impressed that he had to come in ruining his own chance of winning the title

- 87 - the loose wheelnut at Hungary cost him a certain win and then his crash in Suzuka where he spun and got launched and landed on a kerb which injured his spine that put him out of the contention

Own fault
- 91 - the infamous handwave at Canada and he allowed the car to stall was his own fault . Then there was Portugal where he was black flagged for being in the fast lane of the pit

- 93 - Well he did not want to be Prost's teammate to defend his title

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It is always more heartbreaking if say a mechanical failure or a red flag/ safety car situation suddenly changes the race where you had under control. A driver can only control himself inside the cockpit but he can't do much about outside if luck is not on his side on the day or in some cases his rivals decided to use their cars as a battering ram

 

[Mezzer]

Based upon the ego and self-belief most drivers seem to have I don't believe they understand that there is an option where they lose due to their own mistake. Massa, for example, has apparently never been in a shunt that was his fault!

 

[Bleu]

Doing Senna-Monaco 88 in the last race.