Daniel Ricciardo feels that the ending of the Abu Dhabi GP was not right and that he was glad not to be a part of it.
The last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP was one of the most controversial moments in recent F1 history. With five laps to go, Lewis Hamilton led the race with rival Max Verstappen 11 seconds behind him.
The Briton was on course to win his 8th World Title, and Verstappen’s shot at glory seemed bleak.
On the very same lap, Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers, and the safety car was deployed. Verstappen went into the pits for soft tyres and came out with five lapped cars between himself and Hamilton. Initially, the lapped drivers stayed behind the safety car, maintaining formation.
However, right before the last lap, race director Michael Masi ordered those cars to pass the SC. This put Verstappen’s Red Bull which was on softer and fresher tyres, right behind Hamilton’s W12 when racing resumed.
In a final lap shootout, a Verstappen overtook a helpless Lewis Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi GP and his 1st World Title.
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Daniel Ricciardo was glad he was not involved in the controversy
After the race, McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo was heard sounding confused about the ending. He didn’t seem to agree with what happened but was relieved he didn’t influence it in any way.
“I’m glad I’m not a part of that, whatever just happened.” Ricciardo said on the team radio.
“Seemed, uh, pretty f***** up.” he added.
Mercedes lodged two different protests as soon as the race ended, but the FIA dismissed both soon after. The Brackley-based team has announced their intention to appeal but has yet to comment further.
Ricciardo finished the Abu Dhabi on the 12th, which turned out to be another disappointing result for the McLaren driver. He hasn’t had a solid year with his new team. Besides a 1st place finish in Monza, the Aussie did not finish any race on the podium.
