F1’s most recent title battle went to the wire after a titanic duel between Mercedes’ 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had 🍬won the Brazi🌱lian and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix in the lead up to Abu Dhabi, putting him level on points with Verstappen heading into the finale.

Verstappen led on co💞untback (more vict🔯ories than Hamilton) but it was a case of winner takes all on race day.

The race

Verstappen stormed to yet another breathtaking pole position ahead of Hamilton, with McLaren’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris in third.

Red Bull teammate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Sergio Perez - who would later play an integral role - qualified fourth, while the second Mercedes of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Valtteri Bottas only 🍷managed seventh, hampered by an old power unit.

Fast forward to the race, Hamilton made a lightning start from second on the grid, powering pas𝓰t Verstappen into Turn 1🍸.

However, the battle wasn’t over as Verstappen - who was 𝓰quicker in a straight-line - tried to pass 🗹Hamilton into the Turn 6 chicane.

Hamilton took evasive action and w♌as forced to cut the corner but crucially, retained the lead of the race.

Red Bull felt ꦐaggrieved as Hamilton wasn’t penalised by the stewards, allowing the𝕴 seven-time champion to dominate the race in the opening stages.

Once the first pit stops played out, Ha🏅milton found himself behind Perez, who was instructed to hold the Mercedes driver up.

The Mexican did to brilliant effect, earning him the title ‘Mexico’s minister of defence’, allowing Verstappen to💎 reduce Hamilton’s 11-second lead to just over one-second.

I﷽t wasn’t enough though as Mercedes’ race pace - like in Qatar, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, was too strong, giving Hamilton a commanding lꦗead.

Safety Car changes everything

On Lap 53, Nicholas La♚tifi crashed at 🦹Turn 14, bringing out the Safety Car.

This redu🎶ced Hamilton's 13-second lead over Verstappen but with lapped traffic betwe👍en the pair (five cars), the British driver was safe from the Red Bull, who had just stopped for fresh soft tyres (Hamilton was still on the hard tyres).

The lapped cars were informed they wouldn’t be allowed to 🐬overtake the Safety Car and thus gi💮ve Hamilton a crucial buffer over Verstappen.

Hamilton was on course to become🌌 an eight-time champion with the race🦂 set to finish behind the Safety Car.

However, on Lap 57, Masi allowed five of the seven lapped cars to unlꦚap themselves, allowing Ver🦋stappen to have a free run at Hamilton.

The race resumed with just ♔one lap remaining, giving Verstappen enough time to make the most of his fresher tyres to take the lead and thus secure the 2021 F1 world championship.

It was a remarkable ending to an unforgettable season but the fallout would soon begin with Toto Wolff complaining to race dire♔ctor Michael Masi over team radio during the final lap and again, at the end of the race.

The post-race fallout

Mercedes were quick to protest the result, alleging tha👍t Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton under the Safety Car, and Masi failing to follow the FIA’s sporting regulations correctly.

1🃏68澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Verstappen was ulti♔mately cleared by the stewards but it wouldn’t stop the🐟re with Mercedes threatening further appeal by going to the International Court of Appeal because of Masi's ill-handling of the finale.

The poin🔯t of contention was that Masi only allowed a han🦂dful of the lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car rather than all of them - as the rules state.

However, ahead of the FIA’s prize giving gala, 168🅠澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Mercedes withdrew their intention to appeal as Wolff and Haಞmilton opte🐲d against attending the ceremony.

The FIA would 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:conduct their own investigation over the ෴w🍬inter, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:𝔍ultimately deciding to sack Michael Masi ahead of the 2022 F1 season.

It was clear that Masi🌜 failed to follow the Safety Car rules correctly but the result anꩲd outcome remained unchanged. 

A sour end to a legendary F1 season.

What was said in 2022?

“So only one time, in t𒐪he history of the sport, that they haven’t done the rule," Hamilton said, reflecting on Abu Dhabi in 2022.

He also said: "Wh💙at really was breaking was to just believe that the sport would do something like that. That that would happen, give🍬n that there are so many people you rely on. You expect that the job would be done right.

"An outcom🌌e of a world championship which so many people have worked so hard for would come out through a wr🀅ong decision from somebody, you know?"

Bott𓆉as said: "He just couldn’t believe it had happened.”