F1’s most recent title battle went to the wire after a titanic duel between Mercedes’ 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had won the Brazilian and Saudi Arabian Grand𒀰s Prix in the lead up to Abu Dhabi, putting him level🌸 on points with Verstappen heading into the finale.

Ve𓆏rstappen led on countback (more victories than Hamilton) but it was a case of winner takes all on race day.

The race

Verstappen stormed to yet another breathtaking pole position ahead of Hamilton, with McLaren’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris in third.

Red Bull teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sergio Perez - who would later play an integral role - qualified fourth, while the second Mercedes of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Valtteri Bottas only managed seventh, hampered by an old pow𒐪er unit.

Fast forward to the race, Hamilton made a lightning start from second on the grid, powering past Verstap🎐pen into Turn 1.

However, the battle wasn’t ov𒐪er as Verstappen - who was quicker in a straight-line - tried to pass Hamilton int🦹o the Turn 6 chicane.

Hamilton took evasive action and was forced to cut the corner but crucially, retained the leaܫd of the race.

Red Bull felt aggrieved as Hamilton wasn’t penalised by the stewards, alᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚlowing the seven-time champion to dominate the race in the opening stages.

Once the first pit stops played out, Hamilton found himself behind Pe🌃rez, who was instructed to hold the Merced𝓡es driver up.

The Mexican did to brilliant effect, earning him the title ‘Mexico’s mi🌊nister of defence’, allowing Verstappen to reduce Hamilton’s 11-second lead to just over one-second.

It wasn’t enough though as Mercedes’ race pace - like in Qatar, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, was 𒉰too strong, giving Hamilton a commanding lead.

Safety Car changes everything

On Lap 53, Nicholas Latifi cr🐭ashed at Turn 14, bringing out the Safety Car.

This reduced Hamilton's 13-second lead over Verstappen but with lapped traffic between the pair (five cars), 🔥the British driver was safe from the Red Bull, who had just stopped for fresh soft tyres (Hamilton was still on the hard tyres).

The lapped cars were informed they wouldn’t be allowed to overtake the Safety Car and thus give Hamilton a crucial buffer over Verstappe𝕴n.

Hamilton was on course to become an eight-ti🗹me champion with the race set t🎃o finish behind the Safety Car.

However, on Lap 57, Masi allowed five of the seven lappe🃏d cars to unlap themselves, allowing Verstappen to have a free run at Hamilton.

The race resumed with just one lap remaining, giving Verstappen enough t𒀰ime to make the most of his f🌄resher tyres to take the lead and thus secure the 2021 F1 world championship.

It was𒐪 a remarkable ending to an unforge⭕ttable season but the fallout would soon begin with Toto Wolff complaining to race director Michael Masi over team radio during the final lap and again, at the end of the race.

The post-race fallout

Mercedes were quick to protest the result, alleging 🍨that Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton u🥂nder the Safety Car, and Masi failing to follow the FIA’s sporting regulations correctly.

▨168澳洲5💮最新开奖结果:Verstappen was ultimately cleared by the stewards but it wouldn’t stop there with Mercedes threatening further appeal by going to the International Co🌞urt of Appeal because ♉of Masi's ill-handling of the finale.

The p⭕oint of contention was that Masi only allowed a handful of the lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car rather than all of them - as ꦆthe rules state.

However, ahead of the FIA’s prize giving gala, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mercedes wi𒆙thd꧑rew their intention to appeal as Wolff and Hamilton opte🍷d against attending the ceremony.

The FIA would 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:conduct their own investigation over the 𒅌w𝔉inter, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:ultimately deciding to 🍰sack Michael Masiღ ahead of the 2022 F1 season.

It was clear that Masi failed ꦆto follow the Safety Car rules correctly but the res🧜ult and outcom🍰e remained unchanged. 

A sour end to a legendary F1 season.

What was said in 2022?

“So only one time, in the history💦 of the sport, that they haven’t done the rule," Hamilton said, reflecting on Abu Dhabi in 2022.

He also said: "What really was breaking was to just believe that the sport would do something like that. That that would happen, given that there are so many people you re🐼ly on. You expect that the job woul𒅌d be done right.

"An outcome of a world championship which♑ so many♌ people have worked so hard for would come out through a wrong decision from somebody, you know?"

Bottas said: "He just coꦿuldn’t believe it had happened.”