Lewis Hamilton has admitted he was “robbed” of an eighth world F1 title in 2021 after Max Verstappen took the crown in controversial circumstances.
During the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi Hamilton was leading Verstappen but a series of events, including an incorrect safety car restart procedure that eventually led to the race director Michael Masi being sacked, saw the Dutchman overtake the Brit on the final lap and win his first title – he went on to win the next two and is chasing a fourth in 2024.
“Was I robbed? Obviously,” Hamilton told GQ this week. “You know the story.
“If I see a clip of it, I still feel it. But I’m at peace with it.
“But what was really beautiful in that moment, which I take away from it, was that my dad was with me. And we’d gone through this huge roller coaster of life together, ups and downs.
“And the day that it hurt the most, he was there, and the way he raised me was to always stand up, keep your head high.”
Hamilton added: “And I obviously went to congratulate Max, and not realising the impact that that would have but also I was really conscious of there’s a mini-me watching.
“This is the defining moment of my life. And I think it really was. I felt it.
“I didn’t know how it was going to be perceived, I hadn’t visualised it. But I was definitely conscious of: Those next 50 metres that I walk is where I fall to the ground and die – or I rise up.”
Hamilton changing lanes
Hamilton stuck by his Mercedes team for the following years despite them struggling to pick up F1 wins.
But next year the Brit will change lanes and join F1 rivals Ferrari in what is expected to be his career swansong.
The move has left Carlos Sainz, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in either 2023 or 2024, without a seat next season.
Verstappen could also be on the move, potentially to Mercedes, amid turbulent times at Red Bull F1 involving team principal Christian Horner and an unnamed employee who accused him of “inappropriate behaviour”.
Verstappen’s father, Jos, has also weighed in on the saga, calling for Horner to go.