Lewis Hamilton did not attend the 2021 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony, which devastated a young karter who was his huge fan.
The ending of the 2021 F1 season was incredibly controversial. Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the final round level on points, and for the majority of that last race it looked like the former was going to go home with his eighth World Title.
Unfortunately for him, a late race safety car and a series of questionable calls made by then race director Michael Masi took it away. It handed Verstappen a golden opportunity to overtake the Mercedes driver on the final lap, and he ended up becoming the first Dutch Champion in history.
Hamilton, his fans and Mercedes were absolutely furious with how things unfolded. They lodged protests which were dismissed, and in the end they decided to snub the prize giving ceremony.
The winner of the Championship, and drivers who finish P2 and P3 are given trophies in the gala. Hamilton, along with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff did not show up in Paris for that event.
Young Zack finally got to meet his hero Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton not showing up for the FIA gala disappointed a lot of F1 fans. However, no one was probably as sad as Zack, a young kart racer who was supposed to present the runners up trophy to Hamilton.
“I was so excited to carry your trophy to you,” he said on his Facebook account after Hamilton’s snub. “To show you my helmet with the first star, but you were not there.”
“You are the greatest driver in my heart,” Zack added.
The seven-time World Champion made up for it earlier this week. Ahead of the French GP, he met his young fan, and offered him a tour of the Mercedes garage.
Hamilton will start his 300th Grand Prix this weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard. He has broken several records in the past, but he aims to be the first F1 driver ever to win a race after crossing the 300 mark.
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