The entire Mercedes garage, and we mean almost half of the F1 fandom, exploded when the commissioners made the bizarre decision, lapping cars between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap of title-winning Abu. to roll out the Dubai GP.
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Many claimed biased decisions that eventually led Hamilton to lose his title shot to Verstappen. Hence, such allegations made the Dutchman’s championship victory appear unfair.
However, former Hamilton rival Nico Rosberg pointed out the Briton escaped penalty early in the race. On the first lap, Verstappen let Hamilton off the track, while the former managed to keep his car within the track limits.
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Hamilton, meanwhile, cut off the entire chicane, regained the lead and also increased his deficit on the Dutchman. So what did the stewards do? They let Hamilton keep the position amid Red Bull’s plea and the disagreement from Sky experts.
What did Nico Rosberg say?
As reported by Motorsport Week, Rosberg admitted that after the poor show at Yas Marina in early December, F1 urgently needs progress.
“Of course, great respect for Jean for his career. But now with a new person there is a chance. The sport has to move forward, ”he told Sky Sports.
21 July 2018, Germany, Hockenheim: Motorsports: Formula 1 championships, Grand Prix in Germany. Nico Rosberg, formerly a Formula 1 driver himself, is now a commentator for Sky Sports. Photo: Uli Deck / dpa (Photo by Uli Deck / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
“It starts with all the overtaking maneuvers, the wheel-to-wheel action. Let’s not forget that Max Verstappen passed Lewis in the race and edged him out a bit. Lewis stayed at full throttle, rounded the corner and took the lead again. Still, we experts told Lewis to leave Max here, but they didn’t ask him to. “
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FIA has to tighten everything: Rosberg
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Rosberg said the stewards left one too loose phone call, which often led to controversy. With the new FIA president, the one-time world champion hopes that Formula 1 will be stricter from 2022.
Formula 1 F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 5, 2021 Red Bulls Max Verstappen in action with Mercedes Lewis Hamilton during the REUTERS / Ahmed Yosri race
“The FIA has to tighten everything up so that we don’t have all these discussions. It would be better for the sport if it was much easier to understand. Even in wheel-to-wheel races; who is right now and who is wrong, what has to be done. A quick decision has been made and we can continue, ”concluded Rosberg.
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Well let’s hear from you – while many claim the final round decisions were biased, unlike Hamilton, were the stewards overly lenient in the first round of the Abu Dhabi GP?
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