Lewis Hamilton suffered a heartbreaking end to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi and Daniel Ricciardo was one of the first to console him.
The 2021 F1 season will live long in the memory of F1 fans as one of the most exciting F1 campaigns ever. Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen went toe to toe for the World Title, and couldn’t be separated until the very last lap of the season finale.
Verstappen and Hamilton came into the Abu Dhabi GP level on points. Hamilton seemed favorite to win that race after dominating from the very start, but a late race safety car changed his fortunes. Then race director Michael Masi made a very controversial call, which gave Verstappen unprecedented advantage over his rival.
The Dutchman was able to pass Hamilton comfortably on the final lap and the latter lost out on his eight World Title in heartbreaking fashion. The outcome was controversial, but Hamilton took the loss sportingly. On top of that, almost all the drivers on the grid came up to console the Mercedes driver post race.
One of the first to come and hug Hamilton was McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton share a moment after the Abu Dhabi GP
Ricciardo himself didn’t have a great 2021 season. It was his first year with McLaren since his move to Surrey from Renault. People expected him to be right up front with teammate Lando Norris, but for the majority of the year he wasn’t.
His only podium finish with the Woking outfit came in the form of a win at the Italian GP in Monza last September. It was a glorious moment for him as he led McLaren to their first race win since 2012. Other than that, he had a fairly underwhelming campaign.
After the race, Hamilton moved away from the pit-lane to speak to his close friend and personal trainer Angela Cullen. While doing so, Ricciardo came up and offered consoling hugs to both of them. It was a very wholesome moment on the part of one of F1’s most likeable figures.
Ricciardo however, wasn’t the only driver to do so. The likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mick Schumacher and Lando Norris all went up to the seven-time World Champion to offer their commiserations.
