With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale generating a lot of reaction, Fernando Alonso confesses that both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton deserved to win the Formula 1 world title.
The 2021 Formula One season ended with another dramatic Grand Prix win for Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, giving him his first world title in the sport. However, the outcome of the race caused a stir after Nicholas Latifi’s accident led to the safety car being called in by FIA race director Michael Masi, who also decided that the one-lap cars would not be allowed to overtake each other, before changing his mind.
This allowed Verstappen to take the lead over Lewis Hamilton. Asked to comment on this eventful finale, Fernando Alonso said that both drivers deserved to win.
“I’m happy for Max, but I’m especially sorry for Lewis.
“I wasn’t following the race too much but when there were two laps to go I had Lewis in front and Max four cars behind. Obviously I was surprised to see the reverse order in the final classification. It was an epic race, an epic championship, to have the two contenders on equal points in the last race and to be fighting wheel to wheel on the last lap of the last race is something incredible.
“I’m happy for Max, but I’m especially sorry for Lewis. He had an incredible end to the season. And to be honest, from my point of view, I don’t care who wins, but I think they both deserve it. In the end, only one can win. So yes, it was an intense fight, good for the sport.
“And you know, it’s always obvious that if you’re the lucky one, it’s great. If you’re not, it’s not great. I think more than any other year, if you could split the trophy in two, this was the year to do it. Because they were both outstanding.
“Max the champion, it was a matter of time before he won the trophy. Without the safety car Lewis was world champion, and with the safety car Max is world champion.
“So it’s purely a matter of luck, what happened in Abu Dhabi. It’s going to be a big topic, I guess, but if you take the 22 races, as I said on Thursday, any one of them could be world champion,” Fernando Alonso said
A total fix by Masi and FiA.
The race Director makes the ultimate decision and thank goodness he did. Very boring sport otherwise. Without Verstappen, let’s all go play bowls.
Hamilton was robbed masi should be sacked and banned from F1.
The fairest assessment I’ve heard on this. I have more respect for Alonso than I’ve ever had before. A professional and experienced mind. A golden and fair summary. I nearly cried for Hamilton but let’s all move on and look forward to F1 2022.
His assessment from 3 days prior was clearly more accurate.
Mercedes deserved more the WCC and Verstappen deserved more the WDC.
It was not a fix. You’ve been sucked into the Lewis Hamilton paranoia theory. Every time the guy loses it’s a long list of excuses, innuendos of blame on others within his team. I mean it’s every race. And the guy is so passive aggressive. Lewis Hamilton is a tremendously talented driver and deserving of many victories over the years, but his sportsmanship is almost non-existent, and I say almost, in case it’s possible to find one or two examples where he acted with genuinely good sportsmanship undiluted by a comment or action immediately before or immediately after that undoes the fake sportsmanship.
That is what affirmative upbringing causes.
Yes, it helps to unleash latent potential but makes the person feel entitled and unable to process defeat –looking for anything that helps handle the cognitive dissonance.
I think this is the beginning of Sore Lew’s decline in F1. He’s not mentally strong like Verstappen is right now.
Of course in a few years it might be Verstappen’s turn.
Was the safety car really necessary? Could the card continue with reduced speed and no overtaking and when the debris cleared the green light given to continue the race? Is it usual for the safety to be called out for such a minor incident? Just started watching the races for a few months.
Yes, it’s normal to get a safety car out for that. If you’ve watched for just 1 month you should know. The track was filled with debris in a place with poor vision for the drivers.
He knows all about safety cars helping the team either a win!
I don’t think I ever seen sore losers like I have with MB / Ham fans. Quite pathetic.
I can’t believe RB/Max can accept such a hollow victory. Quite pathetic.
LOL the rage you demonstrate is hilarious. I’m a Norris and Ricciardo supporter but I’m not blind. Clearly, you are. Invest in Kleenex stocks. Hamilton and Mercedes fans are bloody nuts, as bad as football hooligans. Get some perspective.
It’s mostly Sore Lew’s fans.
In 2016 it was almost the same even though both championships were won by the other driver.
What would be the reaction if the race had been a few laps longer, or the safety car had been brought out a few laps earlier, and the standard procedure followed? Verstappen would have won and Hamilton supporters, although disappointed, would have accepted it. Similarly if Hamilton had had a puncture. Red Bull did nothing underhand.
If Hamilton had won under the safety car he would have been lucky that it happened on the last few laps. As it was the result was engineered by some stretching of the rules, and luck played into Verstappen’s hands.
In my world he was second so he lost
Seriously, who really likes motor sports and would have preferred to end the season and name a champion with 5 final laps with safety car? Imagine if Hamilton changed tires as well, and ended up behind Verstapen on the last lap – he would have been the one with the last overtake and become champion. And he wanted to be in that position, just as every other desision he managed to take on his own during the season, he would have been right. I am sure the Mercedes tactics team is the only one he blames for the loss of the championship, not Verstapen, not Masi.
I’m glad Max won. Regardless, the princess-like drama and bullshittery has destroyed F1 for me. I enjoy watching Norris, Russell, Ricciardo and the others battle it out. I don’t enjoy the insanity of MB and Hamilton fans. We get it. You like a driver and team. To become so bloody obsessed to the point you bicker like children is evidence that F1 is becoming like amateur football, with whiny parents screaming at the ref and fans of opposing teams. You embarrass the sport you claim to love. Grow the hell up and look forward to more F1 with your favourite drivers and teams. Don’t cry and moan because you didn’t get your way. Hilariously pathetic. Anyway, not a problem now! Back to watching 80s F1 😀
I’m with you in regards 80’s F1.
As to the rest of your post, absolutely spot on.
Hamilton fans are staggeringly similar to the tribal football mentality and will call out ‘racism’ if anybody differs to their beliefs. Rabid, unhinges and seemingly victims who need to have a figure to make a deity.
I know of somebody who told me personally that when Hamilton retired, he would stop following F1.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t following F1, he was following a driver who had been gifted a career from the very start funded by Mercedes.
Still what do I know about jumping on bandwagons, I’ve only been following this circus since the mid 70’s!!!
They have a problem accepting that the best race card driver is not the same as being the best driver period.