Will there ever be a F1 championship finale like it again? Let’s hope not writes thomasmaheronf1
Abu Dhabi, one year on: Why Formula 1 was the real loserAstonishingly, 12 months have passed since F1’s most controversial championship finale, as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen jousted in Abu Dhabi.
The unique circumstances of the ’21 title fight meant that Abu Dhabi 2021 turned into one of those incredibly rare sporting scenarios that are so unlikely, it’s almost as if a scriptwriter was behind it. Verstappen’s title chances then took a blow, along with his right-rear tyre, in Azerbaijan, before the Dutch driver went on a run of three successive wins to establish himself as a bona fide threat to Mercedes’ long-standing dominance. That run came to a dramatic, and frightening, end in the tyre barriers at Copse as tensions between the two sides finally exploded in the first proper flashpoint of the season when Verstappen and Hamilton collided at the apex.
It was a dream scenario for F1 and the FIA, with the two titans of the sport deadlocked on points heading into the final race. A complicated points permutation wasn’t necessary, even the most casual of observers could easily pick up the storyline going to Yas Marina – whoever was ahead at the chequered flag would clinch the 2021 title.
It was Perez’s actions that opened up Mercedes to a vulnerability – namely that of a late Safety Car. Due to Perez having wiped out Hamilton’s increasing lead, it meant Hamilton wouldn’t have the luxury of having a pitstop window over Verstappen should the unthinkable happen – meaning they were caught between a rock and a hard place. If a Safety Car was deployed late on, a pitstop for Hamilton would logically mean Red Bull would do the opposite.
Entering the decisive braking zone, it would have been oh-so-easy for Hamilton to edge over and scrape his front wing against Verstappen’s rear tyre – was it ever a thought in his brain as he wrested with the questionable decisions made by Masi in the minutes prior? Despite the emotional turmoil, Hamilton’s ever-sporting approach meant he conceded the place to his rival. And, with it, the title fight.
The fact the title was decided in such controversial circumstances has sealed two separate fandoms into a perpetual state of toxic warfare, which was evident right up until the end of the ’22 season – borne out by the evident over-the-top anger shown towards Red Bull during the height of the budget cap/Sky Sports boycott hysteria.
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