Lewis Hamilton has claimed Max Verstappen’s 2021 title win was “manipulated” in a fresh dig at the Red Bull star. Hamilton even suggested someone had “made a decision” for the Dutchman to win the championship after Hamilton lost out on the final lap of the race.
The seven-time champion made the comments in an interview with Sky Germany when he was asked if losing the title in 2021 was similar to missing out in 2007. Hamilton said: “No it was different because this one wasn’t manipulated by anybody. Someone made a decision for that result to be what it was basically.
“There are similarities in the pain of losing 2007, for 17 seconds losing that championship. The last three laps I had lost it basically and then coming across the line for another 17 seconds or whatever it was still having lost the championship.”
Hamilton enjoyed a commanding lead in the closing stages of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before a late crash from Nicholas Latifi turned his title hopes on it’s head. A safety car allowed Verstappen to pit for fresh soft tires with just one lap remaining.
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“I don’t know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had. I do remember just sitting there just in disbelief and realizing I’ve got to undo my belts, I’ve got to get out of there, I ‘ve got to climb out of this thing, I’ve got to find the strength.
“And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I’ve had in a long, long time. I knew what had happened. I knew what decisions had been made and why. Yes, I knew that something wasn’t t right.”
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