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Mercedes-Bound George Russell Slams ‘Unacceptable’ Abu Dhabi GP Decision That Helped Max Verstappen to F1 Title

Published 12/12/2021, 10:25 AM EST

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via Reuters

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix produced an evening of anxiety, excitement, and controversy, as Max Verstappen went on to win the world championship title right on the cusp of the chequered flag.

There were indeed a lot of disagreements over how the stewards planned the final lap by letting selective cars un-lap themselves under the safety car; the cars that were occupying the space between the two title contenders, Hamilton and Verstappen. Was the decision a fair play?

Either way, there is absolutely no point in discussing it now as both Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes look to have given up. The future Mercedes driver, George Russell? Not so much.

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via Reuters

The Briton, who was indeed cheering for his soon-to-become teammate, blasted off on social media and slammed the way the race ended. Russell acknowledged that he indeed is happy with Verstappen lifting his first-ever championship title.

However, it is the way the race unfolded that he couldn’t agree upon.

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Russell slams the unfair play in the Max Verstappen F1 title win

The moment Verstappen crossed home in P1, Russell took to social media to admit that the decisions made by the stewards in the race were unacceptable.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE,” he wrote on Twitter. Soon, he came up with another tweet. “Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we’ve just seen,” he added.

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Do you agree with Russell’s frustration? On the outlook, it does look like the decisions made late in the race completely favored Verstappen. But, there is also the fact that Red Bull made better strategic decisions right from the start of the Grand Prix.

And, Hamilton and Mercedes did not. Although Mercedes had a lot of windows to pit the 7-time world champion, they did not, and rather opted to play safe. Well, ultimately, it came back to haunt them. The race director and the stewards make the decisions that no one, including the teams and the drivers, can oppose.

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Hence, we feel it was fair play, but let’s hear it from you – Do you think the stewards’ decision was fair? Was the championship title stolen away from Hamilton?

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Written by:

Rohit Kumar

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Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing.
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