Chain Bear video...he essentially argues that:
48.12 - needs to be applied to the letter as written, without consideration to intent. (As I've mentioned, the intent of 1 more lap is to get the unlappers far enough out of the way that they won't be caught again soon)
15.3 - applies his opinion of the intent of that rule, ignoring how it is actually written. While I agree it is primarily about the relationship between RD and course clerk, it is also to make it clear that RD does in fact have cart-blanche to make calls as necessary to unique situations.
In his conclusion/suggestion (which I generally agree with in terms of a more team based approach), he assigns blame to Masi for letting HAM get away with corner cutting, even though that was actually a stewards decision (although Masi could have pre-empted the stewards by suggesting HAM give the place back, but he didn't).
Ultimately you do need 1 person who has ultimate authority with the following priorities:
1. Safety
2. Fair competition
3. Entertaining competition
Like it or not, 2&3 get intertwined in every single sport (ie. game-management). "Fair" can actually be pretty tough to define, especially when you have 10 teams and 20 competitors. The motor race was settled on the track and competitors suffered the consequences of previous strategic decisions and luck.
If Latifi crashes one lap earlier, Max very likely wins with little controversy. If Latifi crashes on lap later, it's probably all moot. As it happened it was a bit of a coin flip...someone had to win and someone had to lose. Max WDC and Merc WCC is actually about as 'fair' an outcome as one could hope for this season IMO.
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