Denied a record-breaking eighth World title in controversial circumstances, Lewis Hamilton says the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a “trauma” that may linger without end.
Hamilton and his title rival Max Verstappen arrived in Abu Dhabi, the ultimate race of the 2021 championship, tied on factors in a winner-takes-all state of affairs.
Hamilton was going to be that winner, comfortably forward of the Pink Bull till FIA race director Michael Masi made a controversial name beneath a late Security Automotive to permit solely the lapped automobiles between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves.
On a lot brisker tyres, Verstappen made a last-lap-of-the-season go on Hamilton to take the win and the World title.
Such was the fall-out that for weeks System 1 didn’t know if Hamilton could be again on the grid for the beginning of this 12 months’s championship.
He in the end determined to proceed, the Briton saying whereas Abu Dhabi will at all times be a traumatic occasion in his life, he nonetheless loves System 1.
“That may at all times be with me,” he admitted to Channel 4. “I believe that’s when anybody experiences this trauma as a result of it may be a traumatic expertise if you lose one thing that you just’ve labored arduous for, no matter it might be.
“So I believe that may at all times be part of me, however I want to suppose that I’ve gained energy from it, I’d say.
“It’s not one thing I’m trying again on and fascinated with ever to be sincere. I’m simply trying ahead.
“What I’m grateful for remains to be the love that I’ve for my job, for the game, and the help that I’ve throughout the sport but additionally seeing the change that’s slowly beginning to occur.”
Hamilton’s dream of claiming that eighth title this season are maybe already over, Mercedes’ W13 but to win a grand prix.
The automotive, which till the British Grand Prix suffered with extreme porpoising, has been woefully off the tempo of the front-running RB18 and its Ferrari counterpart.
Hamilton’s finest end result up to now has been three P3s, the Briton even going so far as to say his Canadian GP podium end felt like a “race win” such has been Mercedes’ struggles.
However whereas it might appear unusual to new followers to not see Hamilton profitable grands prix, the 37-year-old reminds folks he wasn’t at all times the dominant driver.
“To me, it doesn’t really feel that means as a result of my life has not at all times been like in seven years have you ever seen,” he stated. “It’s not at all times been like that.
“After all I’ve had a number of success all through my profession however you simply change, prioritise in a different way, you alter your expectations, and also you modify and also you dig in.
“That’s what we’re doing as a workforce. We’re similar to, huddling collectively and we’re working. And it’s really it’s simply completely different.
“There are folks in my workforce who’ve solely recognized success, profitable championships, as a result of they had been younger, however there are individuals who have been with the workforce for 20 plus years, who’ve been by the struggles and know, form of revisiting partly…
“Clearly it’s not as dangerous because it maybe was many a few years in the past, however that is really a extremely attention-grabbing time period the place we’re pulling along with energy in different areas that maybe when you’re profitable like we had been you might have some good time to concentrate on bettering, like teamwork for instance.”