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2021 will always be a blot in the annals of F1 history. Even though many would argue that Max Verstappen was the deserving winner of the 2021 championship, Toto Wolff would contend that the best man on the night of the Abu Dhabi GP didn’t win. It’s pretty evident that the infamous night in Abu Dhabi and, in hindsight, the entire 2021 season, will always be a pain point for Lewis Hamilton & Co. But that isn’t going to stop Christian Horner from exploiting it!

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On many occasions in the past, the topic of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP has come up. But there was a sinister prelude to it, too. During the penultimate race of the season, in Saudi, Verstappen seemingly forced Hamilton out of contention. While it may seem to be a two-year-old affair, the wounds are still fresh for the Silver Arrows. But it’s Red Bull‘s team principal who can be attributed to scratching the wound open this time.

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Christian Horner slams Toto Wolff for Saudi Arabian antics

Emotions were understandably running high in the Mercedes garage during the Saudi Arabian GP. As Verstappen allegedly brake-tested, the Brit, Hamilton, and Wolff realized how a shot at a historic 2021 championship triumph was slipping away from under their noses.

That’s exactly when Wolff slammed his $229 worth Bose headset in agony and anger on his desk. It’s taken two years since for Horner to deliver his verdict on that particular event. Motorsport.com quoted him as saying, “I would never have had such a reaction.” [translated via Google Translate]

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Read More: Lewis Hamilton Accused of Shattering Red Bull Outcast’s Confidence After Controversial Collision

While Horner has his own set of opinions, the Austrian billionaire had his own reasons.

Toto Wolff opens up on the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP

Being at the helm of a dynasty such as Mercedes had created wasn’t all fun and games. In 2021, Wolff had the extra pressure of preserving it from the clutches of the Bulls and an eager Max Verstappen. But what transpired in the final few laps of the race may have been too much to take for Wolff.

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With Hamilton needing to win in Saudi to keep his championship hopes alive, Verstappen almost doomed them. Express UK quoted Wolff explaining his reaction in the aftermath of it all. He said, “We knew we had to win every race in order to win the world championship, so when Max brake-tested Lewis and it looked like we’d lost a front wing, I couldn’t believe that he’d just done that. That’s where that reaction came from.”

WATCH THIS STORY | F1 Stars Max Verstappen & Lando Norris Go Wild With Their Girlfriends in Monaco

Do you think Lewis Hamilton is the rightful winner of the 2021 F1 season?

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Anirban Aly Mandal

1,126 Articles

Anirban Aly Mandal is a senior F1 writer at EssentiallySports, with over 1000 articles published on the platform. Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 while playing on his computer, and he has since then dived deep into the world of motorsports. Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to F1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim-racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. He's also a fan of the PES series and other sporting and non-sporting games. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature, music, and Anglo-Saxon history.

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Varunkumaar Chelladurai

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