Nicholas Latifi has moved on from the online abuse he received as his red flag causing a crash made him a victim of outraged fans.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were vying for the title till the last race of the season at Abu Dhabi. The whole race was a scintillating affair, and it further got intense when Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers, causing the safety car to come out.
Many outraged Hamilton fans blamed Latifi for tiding the contest between the two title protagonists. The FIA race director took an unconventional decision only to allow cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to overcome their lap long deficit.
This situation allowed Verstappen to be right behind Hamilton with fresher and softer tyres. Instead of first passing the five cars, Verstappen quickly overtook Hamilton in the final lap and became the champion.
The fans of the seven-time world champion vented out their anger on Latifi excessively. They apparently even gave him death threats. The Canadian race driver was heavily affected by this conduct and posted about his ordeal online.
A message from me after the events of Abu Dhabi https://t.co/uYj7Ct6ANQ pic.twitter.com/eThFec8nAi
— Nicholas Latifi (@NicholasLatifi) December 21, 2021
Nicholas Latifi has passed that phase
Now, approximately two months after the final 2021 race, Latifi claims he is over that phase. He informs that he expected such a background, but now he sees all the abuse in the past.
“I already feel it is kind of behind him,” he told Sky Sports. “It is in the past and a very tricky few days with everything that was going on afterwards.”
“But you know, it is part of the sport. I was kind of what I was expecting it to happen. I’m kind of past it now, and for sure, I guess once the season picks up and gives something new for people to talk about and focus on. It is long in the past for me now.”
Also read: Williams banking on GP2 team chemistry between Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi to deliver big in 2022
