“Lewis Hamilton just couldn’t believe it had happened” – Valtteri Bottas says 7-time world champion had tough time accepting Abu Dhabi controversy

Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate says the F1 legend was ‘quiet’ and took time to recover after the Abu Dhabi race.

The 2021 Formula 1 ended under highly controversial circumstances as Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton to win the championship on the last lap in Abu Dhabi.

The race director, Michael Masi’s handling of the Safety Car restart enabled Max Verstappen to grab the championship from Hamilton on the last lap.

An FIA investigation after the controversial Abu Dhabi finale concluded that his decision was a “human error” but said Masi had acted in “good faith”.

This race then led to a widespread controversy for many months, leading to Masi’s eventual sacking before the 2022 season.

Lewis Hamilton couldn’t believe what happened in Abu Dhabi

In an interview with Crash.net at the Belgian Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas discussed how his then-teammate Hamilton, who had gone on a nearly two-month social media hiatus, had responded to the events of December 12.

The Finnish driver said they used to see each other after the season for some team events.

“We had a brief chat, and yeah, he was pretty quiet about it,” Bottas commented. “He just couldn’t believe it had happened.”

Hamilton had displayed admirable sportsmanship after losing the world championship to Verstappen.

When asked if he could have maintained his composure as Hamilton did, Bottas responded, “It took him a long time to recover from that, I’m sure.”

“I think it would be the same for everyone who is battling for the title and you lose it in the last race, with, let’s say special circumstances. It’s a hard one to accept.”

“It can put you off in terms of how much you love the sport.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton hopeful to have $30 Million F1 race in 2023 despite collapse in talks

“Lewis is back,” says Bottas

Hamilton entered 2022 hoping to get revenge but has faced a setback in his quest to win an eighth drivers’ championship.

Mercedes have so far been unable to challenge for victory this year. Which has resulted in Hamilton now facing the possibility of losing his record. As the only driver in F1 history to have won at least one Grand Prix in every season he has competed.

“I think for a driver like Lewis, who’s used to always fighting at the front, and used to a lot of winning, I think it was tough to accept” The then Mercedes driver stated. “You could see that.”

According to Bottas, the seven-time world champion is handling the situation well at the moment and is focusing solely on his work.

He says, “For sure, I could see it was tough moments for him in Abu Dhabi and in the beginning of the year, but now I think he’s back.”

 

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Bottas, who moved to Alfa Romeo following his Mercedes exit. Claimed it has been “weird” to see his former team struggling after helping the German manufacturer win five consecutive constructors’ world championships.

Also Read: When Lewis Hamilton fought to cut down tree at $31 Million mansion in London