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2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg says it was “heartbreaking” for Lewis Hamilton to lose the title with a “change of procedure that was not in line with the regulations”.
Lewis Hamilton lost the 2021 championship to Max Verstappen after race director Michael Masi broke the rules and protocols of the Safety Car, to create a situation where Max, on fresher tyres, was easily able to overtake Lewis to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the title.
Later Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said he was not sure if Hamilton will return to Formula 1 in 2022. Lewis’ former team-mate and rival Nico Rosberg was asked to give his opinion on whether Lewis will return.
“I don’t know, I’m sure it’s so hard at the moment to live through this,” the German said.
“He was the World Champion in his head, 99 percent sure, and then it gets taken away from him like that, so that’s hard.
“I don’t know what his thinking is, but of course we all hope that he’s gonna be there next year.”
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Rosberg was then asked how tough it is for a driver to overcome a situation like that.
“It’s so hard, because also he got overtaken. Yes, he had s**t tyres, but he got overtaken on that last lap.
“It’s not like his car broke down or something. To see the championship slip away like that… man, that’s horrible, horrible, horrible! That’s so painful.
“If you’re in the lead like that, you’re stressed like crazy, and then the guy overtakes you, my goodness…”
Nico then said both Hamilton and Verstappen ‘deserve’ the championship, but he also acknowledged Lewis lost because rules were broken.
“Both drivers would have deserved the championship,” he continued.
“Of course, it was heartbreaking for Lewis to lose it like that, with a like – in the moment – change of procedure that was not in line with the regulations.
“Max, nevertheless, is a deserving champion. We’ve had the most incredible season, let’s not forget that. Now it’s just about getting over it and moving on – you can’t change it anymore.”
The German adds the FIA needs to make sure that a situation like this doesn’t happen again.
“It’s important for the sport to learn from that, and also from all the wheel-to-wheel racing. Tighten the framework there so you just have these ultra-fast, clear decision, ‘Yes, that’s okay, no, that’s not okay’, and then we get on with it.
“That’s also possible, to really tighten that up,” Rosberg concluded.
