The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one of the most dramatic F1 races in recent memory. A late crash by Willams’ Nicholas Latifi brought out a safety car which turned the tables in the championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

In the end, it was the Red Bull driver who came out on top as world champion. But, it didn’t end there, as a section of the Formula One community attacked the Canadian driver for making the Knight lose a historic eighth title. However, there is one person backing Latifi, and that is Verstappen, who has advised him to ignore the haters.

Max Verstappen comes to defend Nicholas Latifi

The Red Bull driver started from pole position for Sunday’s race, but Hamilton took the lead as soon as the lights went out. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez defended strongly against the Mercedes driver so that Max could catch up. Inevitably, Lewis overtook the Mexican driver.

The gap between Hamilton and Verstappen kept on increasing and a record eighth title looked well in sight for the Briton. But a late crash caused by Latifi brought out the safety car, which resulted in the drivers getting bunched together. A controversial decision saw Hamilton and Verstappen neck-and-neck in the final laps of the race. As the chequered flag brought the race to an end, it was Max who became world champion.

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Many bombarded Latifi with abuse and hate for changing the course of the championship, but the Red Bull prodigy has advised him not to listen to them. As quoted by Motorsport.com, Max said, “If Nicholas is sane, he will turn off his phone and ignore all these negative comments. I hope he enjoys his winter break and comes back stronger next year.” (Translated from Turkish via Google)

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With such an exciting finish to the season, the Formula One world is looking forward to what the 2022 season has in store. What are your predictions for the next year? Let us know in the comments section below.

Read More: Max Verstappen Explains to His Father the Thinking Behind the Risky Pass on Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi