The 2021 Formula 1 season proved to be one of the most unforgettable campaigns in the prolonged history of the sport, unfortunately not because of the electrifying rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Despite the dynamic duo nearly orchestrating the most diabolical F1 rivalry ever, the hard-fought battle was eventually overshadowed by a controversy-ridden season finale in Abu Dhabi.
To this day, every single F1 fan wonders whether the sport has finally moved on from the awfully anti-climactic closure to the 2021 season, only for a world-renowned personality to re-kindle the buzz yet again. This time, it’s none other than former Ferrari F1 representative Peter Windsor who has admitted that, even with time, he hasn’t been able to move on from the incident.
The recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix witnessed rain gods playing hide-and-seek with F1 throughout the weekend before finally wreaking havoc over the circuit on Sunday. Just as the cars were heading towards the chequered flag (lap 65 of 72), Zandvoort endured a massive downpour, almost emulating the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.
However, the quick thinking of the FIA led to a brief stoppage in the race. Coming across such proactive decisions made over this season, Windsor admitted that a similar decision following Nicholas Latifi’s crash in Abu Dhabi could have led to a more enthralling finish to the race and the season altogether.
Mercedes’ straight-line speed could have led Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP
Peter Windsor opened up about the chances of Hamilton winning against Verstappen assuming the stewards followed a similar protocol to the 2023 Dutch GP in Abu Dhabi in 2021. “They were very, very closely matched,” he said in his YouTube stream.
“The Mercedes was usually a bit quicker in a straight line, but it was close. It was very close. I think we saw Mercedes definitely with a very competitive car in the last few races. I still say that race of Lewis’s at Abu Dhabi was one of the best races he ever drove and, considering the state of the Championship, it was a really impressive performance from Mercedes as well, I think, to do as well as they did.
abu dhabi 2021 https://t.co/pXKYX1vMhm pic.twitter.com/m1SOfOI2xl
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“If they’re going to stop the race, why didn’t they do that? Everybody must be on a new set of soft tyres, one-lap sprint to the finish – that would’ve been OK. I was just thinking actually, to go on about it again, when the whole red flag thing came out at Zandvoort and they all stopped and then they told everybody what tyres to be on, why didn’t they do that at Abu Dhabi?
“But to allow pit stops and then have the race start when it shouldn’t have? It still sticks in the gullet, that one. Nothing to do with Max deserving it or not, I just think it was an insanely bad decision at the wrong time,” he concluded. Overall, the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP will forever remain one of the most controversial races of all time, not because of the drivers, but because of the governing body itself.