While fans are still recovering from last season’s shenanigans, there’s one wound still aching in the LH Army: that fateful night in Abu Dhabi. Despite Lewis Hamilton being the favorite for the 2021 title, the seven-time F1 champion’s dream was shattered after the season delivered one of the most dramatic twists in recent memory. Heading into the 2024 season, it looks like the wound is still fresh. But what might make the recovery time even harder for Mercedes and its fans is Christian Horner’s recent opinion on the Abu Dhabi ordeal.

The Red Bull boss sat down with the former captain of the British cricket team, Nasser Hussain, for the Secrets of Success podcast and took the viewers back to his journey throughout the 2021 season. When the topic turned to the title battle, Horner immediately pointed out how Mercedes had put Lewis Hamilton in an unfavorable position for the notorious safety car restart.

Did Mercedes cost Lewis Hamilton the 2021 title?

Leading up to the grand finale, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff showcased signs of cracking under pressure after he smashed his headset in response to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s clash at Jeddah. And focalizing the same reaction, according to Horner, ‘pressure permeates from the top’. This, however, became fairly evident after Mercedes chose to run a defensive strategy against Verstappen despite having a quicker pace.

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Even with Max Verstappen trailing him at the restart, if Lewis Hamilton was instructed to sacrifice track position for fresher tires, the battle would have been fairer by a long shot. Reflecting on what went wrong for the Brackley outfit, Christian Horner shared, “Mercedes went into that race and they were quicker than us in the Grand Prix. Lewis was able to manage the gap to Max pretty comfortably. But then they went very defensive, very conservative, and they left Lewis out on a set of tires that were 43 laps old.”

Lewis Hamilton was indeed a sitting duck on the restart; with only a handful of laps to go, all it would take was one overtake for Max Verstappen to shatter Hamilton’s hopes for an eighth world title. Horner further added, “So he was only ever, at a safety car, going to be hugely exposed. I think him being defensive their exposed themselves to the situation that unfolded.” Ultimately, Verstappen leapfrogged Hamilton after a fire turn and reigned supreme to bring home a controversial but well-deserved first title.

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The Red Bull boss, Christian Horner, as usual, didn’t lose a chance to pull any punches throughout the interview when it came to Mercedes’ shortcomings and failure to live up to a car worthy of an eighth driver’s title. However, he felt it was worth mentioning Lewis Hamilton’s nonchalant and impressive reaction to a shocking defeat at the hands of Verstappen.

Despite flaming Toto Wolff and Co., did Christian Horner just commend Hamilton on his ‘dignity’?

Picture this: You’re Lewis Hamilton, about to win a record-breaking and insurmountable eighth world title. Everything is going great, and the title is only a few laps away. But in a matter of a few radio messages, your worst nightmare just came true. Running on 43-lap old tires, Max Verstappen made it past all odds to slot right behind you with fresh rubber, and just like that, your title is gone.

After the result flips on its head, it’s only safe to assume your reaction would be similar to Toto Wolff’s outbursts, right? While that might be the case, it certainly wasn’t for the man who lost it all himself. Christian Horner chimed in to share his thoughts on Hamilton’s reaction: “And you know, the way Lewis handled the disappointment after the race, hats off to him because again, he would have been even more disappointed; you know, the record-breaking world championship has just disappeared from in front of his nose.”

Despite losing out on such a major milestone that year, Lewis Hamilton showcased the respect many have come to associate with Sebastian Vettel. Horner concluded by admiring Hamilton; he said, “But he handles himself with dignity and respect; you know, I shook his hand in the driver’s room after the race, and he had the good grace to say well done.”

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It’s safe to say Christian Horner wasted no time in pointing out Mercedes’ failure, but even the Milton Keynes boss couldn’t find fault with Lewis Hamilton’s demeanor. Perhaps he’s the LH Army’s G.O.A.T. for a reason.