The 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi had almost everything, including two title contenders entering the race tied and fighting to the last lap. Max Verstappen emerged victorious, while Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes looked absolutely stunned as the tables had turned in two rounds.
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When Verstappen flew past Hamilton on turn 5, he shouted: “This has been manipulated”. What followed, however, was absolute radio silence. His boss Toto Wolff, on the other hand, had an active radio and looked almost as if he was going to break his second headset on just as many weekends.
Formula 1 F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner arrives before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed
The Austrian had his mouth right on the microphone and yelled furiously at Michael Masi, who played a major role in the outcome of the race. Absolute scenes! And after a while even his screams stopped, and all that remained was disappointment and heartache.
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In the midst of such a painful atmosphere around the entire Mercedes garage, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner managed something that shocked the Mercedes engineers and crew.
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Red Bull boss enters Mercedes looking for rivals
Anger was in the air throughout the Mercedes F1 garage after the end of the race. The Red Bull boss didn’t mind when he bravely marched into the Mercedes garage to look desperately for his counterpart Toto Wolff.
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The wands’ jaws dropped when they saw Horner walking around with a big smile on his face. According to the Daily Mail, most of the engineers and staff stopped what they were doing to decipher why the Briton was in their area.
Formula 1 F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 12, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton shakes hands with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner after finishing second in the race and in the world championship is REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed
In the end, Horner wanted to find Wolff and shake his hand. But was that the right time? Not really, given the contrasting emotions, but considering how the duo fought each other year-round, the handshake was actually an obligation.
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The question also arises whether Horner really wanted that out of respect or whether he was just trying to outbid his counterpart. Well we will never know, will we? But let’s hear from you – do you think Horner’s actions after the race were real?
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https://formulaone.news/mercedes/so-far-little-opportunity-for-driver-input-on-the-car-in-2022
