Lewis Hamilton shares how he handled his emotions after being beaten by Max Verstappen in the last race of the 2021 F1 championship.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen went head-to-head for the 2021 Championship title. The two were on a level with the same points heading into the last round of the championship in Abu Dhabi.
This meant that the winner of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP would be crowned the World Champion. Max was on course to win his maiden title while Lewis was about to win his record-breaking 8th championship.
Lewis took the lead and was en route to winning the race and the title. But after Nicholas Latifi crashed on lap 53, The safety car was called for the last few laps.
A controversial ruling by then race director, Michael Masi saw cars between Lewis and 2nd placed Max unlapping themselves. This controversial restart in the last moments saw Max overtake lewis on the final lap to claim the title.
Many fans and critics have claimed the ruling by Masi was unfair. He was sacked from his role as Race Director following an investigation by the FIA.
F1 and the FIA have accepted their mistakes. But unfortunately, Lewis lost the chance to win the 8th World Championship title which would have made him the driver with the most championship wins in the history of the sport.
Also Read: FIA seek to avoid a repeat of the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen controversy in 2022
Lewis Hamilton on losing the title to Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton was in tears after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Briton lost the title in a controversial way and was emotional after being ‘robbed’ of the title. He was consoled by his father Anthony Hamilton.
He described the moment he finished the race and how much it hurt him saying, “In that moment my world collapsed.”
Lewis adds, “I couldn’t compute what had happened. I couldn’t compute the emotions that I was feeling. What was happening inside me was very hard to bear, but something told me I had to get up.”
The 7-time World Champion said he did not want to give up because that would give a wrong message to his young fans. And he found the courage and congratulated rival Max on winning his first championship.
“I know there are kids like me, when I was 8 years old, watching, or younger or slightly older. And the steps that I took there will, hopefully, positively impact how they go about the things they do.”
Lewis concluded by saying, “I’m a racer at heart. What we’re doing as racers out there, there’s nothing we can do to control what the power that be.”
His gesture to accept his fate and continue fighting is why people all over the world admire him. Truly a champion at heart!
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton talks about shaking hands with Max Verstappen after 2021 Abu Dhabi GP
