The 2021 F1 title fight came to an end at the Abu Dhabi GP and Max Verstappen emerged as the ultimate champion. The final lap forced Mercedes to cede their territory to Red Bull after an era of unprecedented dominance for the team. The Brackley men had another reason to celebrate, however. Mercedes has won the 8th consecutive constructors’ title this season.
DISPLAY
The article continues below this ad
Team boss Toto Wolff and the outgoing driver Valtteri Bottas had a lot of fun in the Abu Dhabi club on the same evening. The point of contention for many, however, was the very different mood projection from the team. Many called on the team to protest against the decisions on the one hand and to celebrate at the same time.
DISPLAY
The article continues below this ad
Team boss Toto Wolff recently explained the reasons for the consequences of the Abu Dhabi GP and it certainly makes sense.
Toto Wolff explains the party after the race in Abu Dhabi
December 12th is certainly a day to forget for the men of Brackley. Lewis Hamilton missed his 8th record title and the team lost their first drivers title since 2014. The team, meanwhile, was in no mood to step down and there was a lot of bad blood between the Mercedes team and the FIA.
However, the atmosphere in the Abu Dhabi club was different that evening. The team had a fun evening with lots of fun and nice melodies to lighten the mood.
In a recent interview with Formule1, Wolff spoke about the reasons for this decision. “The choice was to go back to the hotel and sulk, or to postpone it to Monday morning and celebrate the eighth design engineer title with the team,” said Wolff, as reported by Formule1.
DISPLAY
The article continues below this ad
“So that’s what I did. I tried to put aside my frustration at losing the driver’s title. That was something for the next day, ”added the Austrian.
2014-2021 
Eight incredible years. Eight design engineer titles.
And our team photographer Steve Etherington accompanied us every step of the way …
Take a look at the last eight years through his camera lens and share your favorite shot with us! pic.twitter.com/cQO2npO69W
– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) December 29, 2021
DISPLAY
The article continues below this ad
Mercedes also held a party at the factory the week after Abu Dhabi to win the design engineer title. The two drivers also took part to celebrate a successful stint together. In the end, the team failed to enforce their protest. Lewis Hamilton wants to make a strong comeback in his title fight against Max Verstappen in 2022.
DIVE DEEPER
Did you enjoy reading this article? Download our exclusive app for 24×7 coverage, latest memes and social media banter. Click here to download.
