A video featuring Lando Norris has gone viral on social media and reopened a wound that many Formula 1 fans have never truly healed: the world title that slipped away from Lewis Hamilton in 2021. All it took was an innocent question, a passionate crowd and one spontaneous answer to bring everything back to the surface and reignite one of the most controversial debates in modern F1 history.
Norris talks about the future, the crowd goes back to 2021
During a promotional event alongside McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Norris was responding to a question about Hamilton’s chances of returning to fight for the Formula 1 world championship in 2026 with Ferrari. However, before he could even complete his sentence, the audience interrupted him with a loud chant of “eight!” — a clear and direct reference to the dramatic and highly disputed 2021 season finale.
The reference was inevitable: Abu Dhabi 2021.
The Safety Car period. The controversial restart procedure. The last-lap overtake by Max Verstappen. The FIA later described the situation as “human error,” while confirming the validity of the championship result. Yet for a significant portion of the Formula 1 fanbase, that night remains an unresolved chapter in the sport’s history. The emotional reaction from the crowd in this viral clip proves that the events of that race are still fresh in the collective memory of F1 supporters around the world.
“It should have been eight”: Norris lets it slip
In the video, published on TikTok by “@zuspamm”, Norris initially tries to answer in a calm and measured way:
“It’s a different car, you know, he has more experience than pretty much everyone. So, certainly, he hasn’t won seven world championships…”
The crowd immediately erupts again: “Eight!”
Norris smiles, pauses for a brief moment, and then admits:
“It should have been eight.”
He then continues his reasoning, speaking in a sincere and almost affectionate tone about Hamilton’s legacy and abilities:
“He didn’t achieve it just by being good, he’s proven he has everything it takes. It’s going to be awesome… I think it’s going to be awesome to see Lewis back at the front and fighting for the title.”
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The clip has gone viral precisely because it touches a sensitive nerve within the Formula 1 community: the fine line between what officially happened and what many believe should have happened. At the same time, it underlines something equally significant — how much Lewis Hamilton continues to generate emotion, discussion and powerful memories among fans, even years after that dramatic championship decider.
Now, as Hamilton prepares for a new chapter in red with Ferrari and looks ahead to the 2026 Formula 1 season, the past inevitably resurfaces. But it is the future — and the possibility of seeing him once again battling at the front for a world championship — that truly excites supporters and keeps the debate alive.
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