© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Former F1 driver Mark Webber says, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was fighting “with his hand tied behind his back”.
After a period of silence, following the controversial ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has returned to the public eye and is currently preparing of the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Former F1 driver Mark Webber talked to Nine Wide World of Sports about what hit Lewis so hard in the finish of the race.
“It was a really tough finish for him mentally, at the end of last year,” Webber said.
“He led 99 per cent of that race, to lose it the way he did, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s a big pill to swallow.
“He felt he was robbed on the last lap, because he couldn’t fight. He had nothing to fight with, and it wasn’t through his own doing. He was fighting against something that was an outside force.
“When it’s Max Verstappen on fresh tyres it’s a real challenge.”
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And this outside force was race director Michael Masi who ignored the Safety Car rules and created a situation where Verstappen was right behind Lewis on fresh tyres on the final lap of the race.
“For the sport we were all disappointed it ended like that,” Webber continued.
“It’s not how we wanted it to end. Both of them deserved to lift that trophy, but we did not want it to finish like that at all.
“We wanted a straight fight, a clean fight, and unfortunately there was one guy with his hand tied behind his back.
“Of course in hindsight they would all agree we could have done something different, what happened wasn’t the ideal scenario,” the Australian concluded.
