Even though Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton lost the 2021 championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in perhaps the most controversial of circumstances, team principal Toto Wolff still believes that his side has received a massive benefit as a result of the same. Wolff made these remarks despite having stated multiple times that the wounds of that season may last with him forever.
Hamilton too has stated previously that the “scar” of losing the title in that fashion still remains with him. In an interview with ESPN, he said (as quoted by crash.net), “Ultimately that feeling never really truly leaves you. It’s like when you think about your first love. It will always be that first love and first heartbreak. Abu Dhabi, the scar is there and there will always be that memory“.
Hence, considering that the painful memory of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix runs so deep in both Wolff and Hamilton, it seems strange that they found some benefit coming out of that evening. However, Wolff believes that Mercedes received a lot of love and sympathy of the F1 fans.
Toto Wolff expresses his gratefulness to F1 fans
Toto Wolff recently appeared on BBC’s Radio’s Desert Island Discs podcast when he explained how he has coped with the disappointment of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. As quoted by soymotor.com, the Austrian said, “The interesting phenomenon is that we as a team and Lewis as a driver, we didn’t have a lot of recognition or sympathy for having won so many times“.
The 51-year-old believes it was that race in 2021 at the Yas Marina Circuit that changed how fans began viewing Mercedes in a positive light. After stating the same, Wolff went on to explain why that race in Abu Dhabi continues to haunt him and Lewis Hamilton.
The Austrian made it clear that the reason why Hamilton and he continue to have painful memories of the event is because a potential eighth world championship for the British driver was “stolen” from them. Wolff insists that had his side lost the title fair and square, they would have at least been able to accept that the better side won.
While this was not the case on that occasion, Wolf concluded his remarks by stating that losing an F1 title is not the worst thing that can happen to an individual in the world. Considering that Wolff and Hamilton repeatedly keep answering questions about what happened in Abu Dhabi, it is evident the impact that one Grand Prix had on the F1 community.
2021 Abu Dhabi GP left fans polarized between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was such a polarizing event that it also divided F1 fans between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. In the past two years, several fans have slammed the Dutchman for winning the world championship by chance and almost “stealing” it from Hamilton.
Meanwhile, there are also others that have begun a petition. Some fans launched a petition on change.org (as quoted by si.com) earlier this year to crown the Briton as an eight-time world champion. Hence, considering that the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP is still discussed about despite two years having passed, it just shows what kind of impact that single race had on the fans.
