Williams team principal James Vowles has offered fresh praise for Lewis Hamilton’s handling of losing the 2021 drivers’ championship.
The end of the 2021 Formula 1 season remains one of the most debated moments in the modern era of the championship. The fight between Hamilton and Max Verstappen went down to the wire at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton had been leading the race when the safety car was deployed due to a crash involving Nicholas Latifi, with Verstappen following the seven-time champion in second.
With the chequered flag closing in, the race director at the time, Michael Masi, ordered only the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves rather than all lapped cars, in order to finish the grand prix under racing conditions.
This meant that Verstappen, who was on newer tyres, was able to overtake Hamilton to take the win and his maiden drivers’ championship title.
“You asked me before about drivers and why I put Lewis where he was, that sportsmanship approach is a huge part of it. I’m sure you’ve done things in your life. I definitely have, where you just can’t come to terms with what’s happened,” Vowles told Frankie Langan in an episode of A Lesson With…
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, and Angela Cullen, Physio for Lewis Hamilton
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
“That wasn’t him after the race. In fact, he ended up being one of the strongest leaders within the team that brought us all together at a time that was the hardest for all of us.
“That’s a true champion irrespective of what happens on track. That’s a true champion.”
The Williams team chief, who served as Mercedes motorsport strategy director at the time, also noted: “We cannot neglect the fact that Red Bull and Max were right there fighting for a championship. And even if we removed Abu Dhabi, he would have won the championship in that circumstance.”
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