© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Former F1 driver David Coulthard says he “would still be complaining to the European Court of Appeal” if he were in Lewis Hamilton’s place after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
At the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was denied an almost certain title win, after race director (at the time) Michael Masi decided not to follow the rules.
Mercedes immediately lodged a protest, and after it was quickly dismissed by the stewards, the team announced their intention to launch a full appeal.
Although it was believed that the team had a strong case if they went in front of an independent court, they ultimately decided not to go through with it.
In the immediate aftermath of the race, Hamilton congratulated Max, his father, and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, he attended the podium ceremony, and refrained from making any negative remarks.
Afterwards, he embarked on a period of media silence, which lasted for almost two months. When he returned to the media spotlight in February he decided not to openly criticize those involved, and he rarely talked about the details of that race for the remained of 2022.
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During a recent Red Bull media event in Dublin, former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver David Coulthard praised Lewis for how he handled the situation.
“The way Lewis handled it was fantastic,” Coulthard said.
“Maybe when he was younger, it would have been more difficult to do that. But he’s in his late 30s, he’s done a few laps, and I think with age comes maturity.
“The benefit of youth is you don’t know, so you’re not scared of anything. As you get older, you obviously start to understand consequences and things like that. But that maturity I think enables you to deal with different situations.”
The Scot then admitted he would still be causing a ruckus, if he were in Hamilton’s place.
“I would have kicked off. I would still be complaining to the European Court of Appeal,” Coulthard concluded.
