Lewis Hamilton has commented on last year’s controversial title loss.
Lewis Hamilton has claimed Max Verstappen’s 2021 title win was “manipulated” in a fresh dig at the Red Bull star. Hamilton even suggested someone had “made a decision” for the Dutchman to win the championship after Hamilton lost out on the final lap of the race.
The seven-time champion made the comments in an interview with Sky Germany when he was asked if losing the title in 2021 was similar to missing out in 2007. Hamilton said: “No it was different because this one wasn’t manipulated by anybody. Someone made a decision for that result to be what it was basically.
“There are similarities in the pain of losing 2007, for 17 seconds losing that championship. The last three laps I had lost it basically and then coming across the line for another 17 seconds or whatever it was still having lost the championship.”
Hamilton enjoyed a commanding lead in the closing stages of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before a late crash from Nicholas Latifi turned his title hopes on it’s head. A safety car allowed Verstappen to pit for fresh soft tyres with just one lap remaining.
But, FIA race director Michael Masi failed to follow the correct rules on lapped cars allowing Verstappen to restart the race directly behind the Mercedes. It took the Dutchman just a few corners to get past the seven-time champion to secure his first world title.
