Little has been heard from Hamilton since he lost his crown to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstancesAfter a tumultuous climax to the 2021 Formula One season that ended in both sound and fury, it is Lewis Hamilton’s continued silence that has defined the winter. With the new season rapidly approaching, the British driver’s future in F1 remains unknown and ostensibly undecided. As the FIA wrestles with an inquiry into the events in Abu Dhabi, it is Hamilton’s absence that looms over the sport, his silence speaking volumes.Seven times an F1 world champion but beaten to the title in controversial circumstances at the season finale at Yas Marina by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Hamilton left Abu Dhabi angry and disillusioned. He...
Challenger took the fight to the champion while the McLaren youngster has impressed, but sprints and Spa were letdownsAfter an intense finale that divided fans and remains subject to an appeal, battle lines have been drawn. Both sides are convinced they are right, a microcosm of every cut and thrust between Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes and Red Bull this season. There is so little to choose between them, each having pushed the other to ever greater heights. For all that Hamilton was brilliant this year, especially in the final four races, Verstappen takes the honours. His first title was achieved with some controversial performances but also brilliance. In taking the fight to the best driver of this generation and...
Manipulation of the rules by race director Michael Masi leads to Max Verstappen victory which felt more bungled than buoyantIf there was one thing there appeared to be universal agreement on before Formula One’s season decider in Abu Dhabi, it was that no one wanted the result of an enthralling championship to be decided in the stewards’ room. Inevitably four hours after the flag fell, wrangling with the stewards continued. It may well yet go on for days or longer. Fans were left with a dissatisfying conclusion that was hard to understand, confusing in its methodology and that has triggered only acrimony and rancour. There were celebrations in Abu Dhabi but outside of the Red Bull garage it was far...
Dutchman was handed a title lifeline on the final lap and then Mercedes’ legal challenges came to nothingShortly after the most chaotic and enthralling finish to a Formula One title in the sport’s history, Max Verstappen stood on top of his Red Bull car, fists pumping and shaking as if a lightning bolt was surging through him, before making a flying dismount, Frankie Dettori style. Who could blame him? Somehow, against the odds, he had muscled past Lewis Hamilton during a dramatic final lap shootout in the last race of 2021. A first world title was secured. Yet this thriller of an F1 season still had one final vicious twist to come.While the Dutch driver was celebrating, Hamilton’s Mercedes’ team...
The controversial conclusion to the championship in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix came at the end of a season of squabblingAn enthralling duel between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the season-opener hints at the controversy and drama that lies ahead. Verstappen starts on pole at the Bahrain International Circuit and a gripping strategic fight ensues in which Hamilton and Mercedes take the lead. Later running fresher tyres, Red Bull’s man hits back to pass Hamilton on lap 53, but leaves the track in doing so, and is immediately obliged to give the place back. Hamilton nurses his older tyres home, clinging on to win what he calls a “great battle”. Continue reading...