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 Bra♑zilian and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix in the lead up to Abu Dhabi, putting him level on points with Verstappen heading into the finale.

Ver♏stappen led on countback (more victories than Hamilton) but it was a case of winner takes al🅰l 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, Hami⛦lton made a lightning start from second on the grid, powering past Verstappen into Turn 1.

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

♍Hamilton took evasive action and was forced to cu൲t the corner but crucially, retained the lead of the race.

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

Once th♛e first pit stops played out, Hamilton found himself behind Perez, who was instructed to hold the Mercedes driver up.

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

It wasn’t enough though as Merce🗹des’ race pace - like in Qatar, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, was too strong, giving Hamilton a commanding lead.

Safety Car changes everything

On Lap 53, Nicholas Latifi crashed at Turn 14, bringing 🐠out t🌠he Safety Car.

This reduced 𓆏Hamilton's 13-second lead over Verstappen🤪 but with lapped traffic between 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 lappeᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚd cars were informed they wouldn’t be allowed to overtake the Safety Car ꦉand thus give Hamilton a crucial buffer over Verstappen.

Hamilton was on course to ꦬbecome an eigh♕t-time champion with the race set to finish behind the Safety Car.

However, on Lap 57, Masi allowed fꦕive of the seven lapped cars to unlap themselves, allowing Verstappen to have a free run at Hamilton.

The race resumed with just one lap remaini🍌ng, giving Verstappen enough time to make the most of his fresher tyres to take the lead and thus secure the 2021 F1 world champions💃hip.

It was a remarkable e🔜nding to an unforgettable season but the fallout would soon begin with Toto Wolff complaining to race director 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 that Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton under the Safety Car, and Masi failing💧 to follow the FIA’s sporting regulations correctly.

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Verstappen was ultimate🦩ly cleared by the st♌ewards but it wouldn’t stop the𒉰re with Mercedes threatening further appeal by going to the International Court of Appeal because of Masi's ill-handling of the finale.

The point of contention was that Masi only allowed a handfu✱l 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 intenti🍸onཧ to appeal as Wolf♔f and Hamilton opted against attending the ceremony.

The FIA would 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:conduct their own in🐼vesti🌞gation over the winter, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:ultimately deciding to🙈 sack Michael Masi ahead of the 2022 F1 season.

It was clear tﷺhat Masi💦 failed to follow the Safety Car rules correctly but the re❀sult and outcome remained unchanged. 

A sour end to a legendary F1 season.

What was said in 2022?

“So only one tiﷺme, in the history of the sport, that they haven’t done the rule," Hamilton said, reflectin💖g on Abu Dhabi in 2022.

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

"An outcome of a world championshiꦑp which so many pꦫeople have worked so hard for would come out through a wrong decision from somebody, you know?"

Bottas🥃 said: 𝓰"He just couldn’t believe it had happened.”