Source: F1

December 12th, 2021. Under the lights at the Yas Marina Circuit, Formula 1 would witness the finale to one of their tightest title battles in recent memory. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and the young, hungry Max Verstappen entered the final round level on points, promising a thrilling race to all 109 million viewers watching from around the world [1].

The two challengers had fought numerous on-track skirmishes, with a few ending in complete disaster for one or both. Following the season opener in Bahrain, it was clear that the trophy was going to be contentious, but it is hard to say if anyone predicted the fight would go down to the wire quite like this.  

Max Verstappen qualified on pole position for the race, but an excellent start from Lewis Hamilton saw him take the lead at the first corner.

 The first bout of controversy began when Verstappen attempted to pass Hamilton at turn 6, resulting in a near collision as Hamilton cut the corner to rejoin significantly ahead. Red Bull protested that Hamilton should give the position to Verstappen, but the stewards decided that any advantage gained had been conceded, and no further action was taken. 

Hamilton would go on to extend his race lead over Verstappen, with the two making their pit stops on laps 13 and 14, respectively. Both switched to the white hard tyre, with Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez inheriting first. A wonderful defensive battle between Perez and Hamilton would follow, allowing Verstappen to catch up to the Mercedes driver by lap 20. 

Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi retired on lap 35 as a result of mechanical issues, prompting a virtual safety car. Red Bull brought in Verstappen for a new set of hard tyres and kept second behind Hamilton, with Mercedes opting to keep the British driver out. 

All seemed lost for the Red Bull team and Verstappen as the race began to enter its final laps. That is until, on lap 53, William’s Nicholas Latifi collided with the barriers and triggered a full safety car. Instantly, the tides began to turn. Red Bull brought Verstappen in once more for a fresh set of softs, while Mercedes again told Hamilton to stay out under the belief that the race would end behind the safety car. 

Verstappen rejoined the race in second, but the five lapped cars of Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, and Lando Norris stood between him and Hamilton as the debris from the incident was being cleared. 

The initial order from race director Michael Masi was that no lapped cars would be allowed to overtake and rejoin the rest of the pack. The world waited on bated breath to see what would come next, mixed with the squabbling of the teams and FIA shown over the TV broadcast.

On the penultimate lap 57, Masi gave the infamous call: only the five cars between Verstappen and Hamilton would be allowed to overtake. This meant that there would be a one-lap shootout for the championship, with Hamilton on older hard tyres and Verstappen on fresh softs. 

The order was carried out, and the green flag waved. Crowds cheered on the two challengers as Verstappen lunged down the inside at turn 5, taking the lead of the Grand Prix and the championship from Hamilton. The Mercedes driver attempted to fight back, but the race would end with Verstappen victorious as the 2021 World Driver’s Champion [2]. 

The race results would be protested by Mercedes, declaring that Masi violated safety car procedure by allowing only the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves, thus causing the restart to occur a lap earlier. They claim that, had the procedure been followed, the race would have ended under the safety car and Hamilton would be crowned champion. They had also insisted that Verstappen had breached procedure by overtaking Hamilton under safety car conditions, which would later be proven incorrect. Mercedes’ first protest, however, proved to be more contentious [3].   

Article 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, stating “any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car” [4], was brought as evidence for the violation. Red Bull Racing argued that the use of the term “any” rather than “all” cars made Masi’s actions valid. 

The FIA would later rule in favor of Red Bull, concluding that Article 48.12 could be overridden by Article 48.13 of the FIA Sporting Regulations. This section highlights the fact that once the “Safety Car in this lap” message is displayed, the safety car must be withdrawn and racing must resume. 

Article 15.3 was also presented as a defense from Red Bull to justify the safety car procedure. The race director is given full jurisdiction over the safety car’s use under this provision, thus Masi had every right to determine when the safety car period would end [5]. 

Mercedes would later proclaim their intentions for appeal, but the statement was rescinded, with the team claiming their wishes of not “tarnishing the image” of Formula 1 by bringing the matter to FIA’s International Court of Appeal [6]. 

Reactions following the race, both from fans and media, were nothing short of absolute anarchy. Various drivers voiced their confusion and concern over how the final laps were handled, but not many were eager to directly comment on the result itself and how it came to be. 

To many, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a disappointment. 22 races full of drama, both on and off the track, had culminated in a controversial disaster from all sides. What should’ve been a season to look back on in awe became one that left a sour taste in the mouths of many F1 fans. A championship nearly taken to court is never a good look, and though it is what Mercedes attempted to avoid, they could not erase the damage that had already been done. 

Since then, much has changed in the world of F1. Following the controversy, Michael Masi was stripped of his role as race director and replaced by Niels Wittich and Edorado Freitas as co-directors [7]. Safety car procedure would be changed for the 2022 season, now stating that the safety car will be withdrawn a lap after the message for lapped cars to overtake is sent, rather than when the final lapped car finishes unlapping itself [8]. 

Many to this day believe that Verstappen’s first championship was not rightfully won. That Hamilton is F1’s first eight-time world champion and was effectively robbed of his record-breaking title. Race manipulation, some shout, gave Verstappen his trophy. 

If we look at the result with due respect to the regulations, then yes, Lewis Hamilton had his title unfairly taken from him at the last possible second. His fans have every right to be absolutely furious at the handling of the Grand Prix and Masi’s actions, which had been chalked up to “human error” by the FIA [9]. 

A Formula 1 season is made up of multiple races, all with opportunities for either challenger to snatch points off the other and extend their lead. Going into the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen had a 19-point lead over Hamilton [10]. By the final race, they were even. The Mercedes driver undoubtedly deserves his praise for keeping the fight going until the end, regardless of arguments over who had better machinery in the latter half of the season. 

That is not to say that Hamilton was without his faults in his championship campaign. He had several subpar weekends, such as in Monaco, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, that gave Verstappen the opportunity to take the lead of the championship and extend the points gap. His tangle with the Dutch driver in Silverstone was also a controversial moment, as many firmly believe Hamilton didn’t deserve to win the race after deliberately taking out his opponent and only being faced with a 10-second penalty. 

With the problematic end to the season, it is a shame that the performances of the champion himself were not given the credit they deserved. Max Verstappen did have his share of mistakes over his 2021 campaign, famously missing out on pole after colliding with the wall at the final corner for qualifying at Saudi Arabia. But many of his disappointing weekends were due to elements out of his control, including a tyre failure in Azerbaijan and an incident with Lando Norris in Hungary.

The young Dutchman impressed many over the year, with ten wins to his name by the time the season was over. His win at the Circuit of the Americas was especially one to watch – the final laps between him and Hamilton were nothing short of nail-biting. Verstappen took advantage of the weekends where Mercedes were lacking, such as in Monaco, and made himself a truly formidable opponent. 

A Formula 1 championship is the goal of every driver who makes their way onto the grid. They hold onto the belief that they have the talent and the determination to see a title challenge out until the bitter end. But the sport has never just been about raw ability. The car that each team gives their pilot plays a key role in every championship battle. Simply put, if a driver does not have the machinery underneath him, they will not win a title no matter how many skills they possess. 

Both Red Bull and Mercedes built their cars to near perfection – they developed them over the season to try and keep ahead of their competitors. And their pilots knew exactly what to do with their machines: win the title. 

Max Verstappen went on to secure his second championship in 2022, with only a feeble and short-lived challenge from Ferrari standing in his way. His third title would be won in absolutely dominating fashion, with the Red Bull driver finishing with 575 points to his name and multiple records broken, including the longest win streak ever held by a Formula 1 driver. 

The true validity of the 2021 World Driver’s Championship will be a topic of contention for years to come, with its memory being seared into the minds of every F1 fan, whether they watched the race live or not. The world may never know what might have or should have happened, but it does not help to relive the past now, and what happened on that fateful night in Abu Dhabi will forever be etched into the history of Formula 1. 

[1] https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-announces-tv-race-attendance-and-digital-audience-figures-for-2021.1YDpVJIOHGNuok907sWcKW.html

[2] https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.brilliant-verstappen-claims-maiden-title-after-victory-in-abu-dhabi-season.22Arui4l6BKK2PUsJgKqpZ.html

[3] https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-mercedes-launch-protests-over-abu-dhabi-gp-result-after-safety-car.5oNwx2opecswnQ5S70O1cY.html

[4] https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2021_formula_1_sporting_regulations_-_iss_5_-_2020-12-16.pdf

[5] https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2021%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Decision%20-%20Mercedes%20Protest%20Art.%2048.12.pdf

[6] https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/59681314

[7] https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-outlines-plan-for-f1-race-directors-in-2023/10424015/

[8] https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-makes-rule-tweak-to-streamline-f1-safety-car-restart-process/8289311/

[9] https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/formula1/2022/03/19/fia-concludes-masi-made-a-human-error-at-f1-abu-dhabi-gp/49957903/

[10 ]https://www.statsf1.com/en/2021/mexico-city/championnat.aspx