“That seemed pretty f***ed up”: Daniel Ricciardo was glad he was not in Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen’s shoes after their controversial finish at the Abu Dhabi GP

"That seemed pretty f***ed up": Daniel Ricciardo was glad he was not in Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen's shoes after their controversial finish at the Abu Dhabi GP

Daniel Ricciardo feels that the ending of the Abu Dhabi GP was not right and that he was glad not to be a part of it. 

The last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP was one of the most controversial moments in recent F1 history. With five laps to go, Lewis Hamilton led the race with rival Max Verstappen 11 seconds behind him.

The Briton was on course to win his 8th World Title, and Verstappen’s shot at glory seemed bleak.

On the very same lap, Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers, and the safety car was deployed. Verstappen went into the pits for soft tyres and came out with five lapped cars between himself and Hamilton. Initially, the lapped drivers stayed behind the safety car, maintaining formation.

However, right before the last lap, race director Michael Masi ordered those cars to pass the SC. This put Verstappen’s Red Bull which was on softer and fresher tyres, right behind Hamilton’s W12 when racing resumed.

In a final lap shootout, a Verstappen overtook a helpless Lewis Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi GP and his 1st World Title.

Also read: New 18-inch Pirelli tyres are expected to make the F1 cars faster by the end of 2022

Daniel Ricciardo was glad he was not involved in the controversy

After the race, McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo was heard sounding confused about the ending. He didn’t seem to agree with what happened but was relieved he didn’t influence it in any way.

“I’m glad I’m not a part of that, whatever just happened.” Ricciardo said on the team radio.

“Seemed, uh, pretty f***** up.” he added.

Mercedes lodged two different protests as soon as the race ended, but the FIA dismissed both soon after. The Brackley-based team has announced their intention to appeal but has yet to comment further.

Ricciardo finished the Abu Dhabi on the 12th, which turned out to be another disappointing result for the McLaren driver. He hasn’t had a solid year with his new team. Besides a 1st place finish in Monza, the Aussie did not finish any race on the podium.

Also read: Ex F1 team boss feels Lewis Hamilton has been too nice with his approach which lost him the World Title to Max Verstappen

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Daniel Ricciardo Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen McLaren

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Somin Bhattacharjee

Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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