The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was certainly a day to forget for the Silver Arrows team. Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of becoming the greatest F1 driver of all time. In addition, he looked like he was going to win the 8th record title, leaving the great Michael Schumacher behind. But the safety car incident at the last moment changed the course of the championship for the seven-time world champion.
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Hamilton, who was standing on worn surfaces, could not defend himself against his title rival and saw the checkered flag in second place. Since that day, reactions have been pouring in, mostly sympathizing with the British. Many believe that the result was manipulated to make the racing spectacle worthy of a fair result at the expense.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 27: Race winner Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain and Mercedes GP congratulates runner-up and world champion Nico Rosberg from Germany and Mercedes GP on the podium at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit on November 27, 2016 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images)
The 2016 Formula 1 champion, Nico Rosberg, expressed his condolences to the former teammate for missing out on a crucial title. During their time at Mercedes, the two have a long history of close title fights.
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Rosberg expresses his condolences to Lewis Hamilton
Nico Rosberg drove for Mercedes from 2010 to 2016. The two had a longstanding relationship from their karting days, but that faded over time as the two began fighting for championships together. However, Rosberg gave a chance at redemption when he retired from the sport in 2016.
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In a recent interview reported by GpBlog, Rosberg expressed pain over the last-minute debacle that cost Mercedes a title.
“I was in incredible pain. I have no connection to Mercedes now, but it’s still my family, ”said the German.
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STUTTGART, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 29: Mercedes GP Formula 1 drivers Nico Rosberg (L) from Germany and Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain pose during a press conference with Toto Wolff, the Mercedes GP Executive Director, during the annual event of Mercedes Benz Stars & Cars at the Mercedes Benz Museum on November 29, 2014 in Stuttgart. (Photo by Alex Grimm / Bongarts / Getty Images)
A common opinion in the F1 community is that Max Verstappen is a deserved champion and Rosberg shares a similar mindset too. However, he is also of the opinion that the race management could have handled the situation better. He described the FIA’s last-minute decisions as “strange”.
“It’s a shame that it ended like this with a strange decision by the FIA,” concluded Rosberg.
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However, after the Silver Arrows team withdrew the protests, the dust seems to have settled between the title rivals. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will compete against each other on the track in the 2022 season. The fans are burning for another round of this rivalry and it is sure to be an exciting one.
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