Lewis Hamilton still does not forget what happened in Abu Dhabi 2021. The British lost his eighth World Cup in the last lap against Max Verstappen after one controversial decision what did it take michael masiwho was at that time race director.
The seven-time champion has been interviewed by Timo Glock in ‘Sky Deutschsland’, pilot of Toyota in 2008 whom Hamilton overtook in the last lap of the Brazilian GP 2008 that made the British win his first World Cup, taking it away from Felipe Massa. glock he asks hamilton if the 2008 World Cup was manipulated, and the one in Mercedes could not be more emphatic.
“That World Cup was not manipulated. The same cannot be said of last year’s title. Someone decided that the result had to be what happened on the track,” says the Briton, who, however, does equate the “pain” of losing the 2008 title to that of 2007: “The two titles are similar only in the pain they they cause once they are lost. But at least in 2008 it was not tampered with.”
With these statements Hamilton claims the 2021 World Cup in Abu Dhabi was rigged for Verstappen to win. But, knowing what happened in 2007 with McLarenthe question is: What exactly happened in both 2008 and 2021?
2008: the first World Cup in Hamilton
In the last race of the 2008 season, hamilton arrived with such an advantage at the last test that being fifth was enough for him to be championregardless of the position in which his rival was left, Felipe Massa. The Brazilian started from pole position and the British, fourth.
At first the positions of both were maintained, but it was then that 15 laps from the end a rain alert came. Everyone stopped except Glock to put rain tireswhich made that after the change of wheels the order was the following: Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen, Glock, Hamilton and Vettel. With Massa first and Hamilton fifth, Lewis was champion.
It was then that with three laps to go, Vettel overtook Hamiltonwhich made champion at that time Massa. Lewis should recover that position, but could not pass to Vettel.
Brazilian GP 2008, Hamilton with rain tires takes the championship after overtaking Glock in the last corner that had dry tires (video with both onboard) #BoxInThisLap #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/gdy8EDEMi6
—BoxInThisLap (@BoxInThisLap) November 17, 2019
But it was when the miracle happened and in the last lap, almost in the last corner, Vettel and Hamilton switched to Glock that he was going with dry tires in heavy rain, causing hamilton was fifth and won his first World Cup, snatching it from Felipe Massa in the most painful way possible.
At the time, Many accused Glock of getting ahead of themselves.but the images leave no room for doubt and Glock could barely keep his Toyota on track because of all the water that was on the line.
2021: Verstappen’s first World Cup
In 2021, Nicholas Latifi crashed with five laps to go, causing a Safety Car who took advantage Verstappen (which was 12 seconds away from hamilton) to stop to put soft rubbers. the one of Mercedes he did not stop and if the race was resumed, the Dutchman would have a significant tire advantage.
There were five folded between Hamilton and Verstappen when everyone regrouped behind the safety car. At first it looked like these weren’t going to unfold, but that’s when it came the controversial decision.
michael masirace director, ordered that Only those five pilots will unfold and not the restmaking Verstappen already had Hamilton in front of him, with whom I get to put wheel to wheel. After they split Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettelthe Safety Car left to have a last lap of heart attack.
And we all know what happened. max verstappen he dived into turn 5, overtook hamilton And though a few turns later they were matched, Verstappen had the interior, avoiding overtaking and achieving Red Bull’s thus his first World Cup.
This decision was so unprecedented and unusual (since they had never asked for just a few cars to be split instead of all) while controversial that cost Michael Masi his job.
To see it again and again.
This was the last lap in Abu Dhabi, in which Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton to win the race and the Formula 1 drivers’ championship. A great end to a great season, as if it were a movie script. #AcceleratingMagazine pic.twitter.com/BnKIQ6aNYh
– Accelerating Magazine (@AcelerandoEcu) December 12, 2021