The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP is one of the most defining races in the history of the sport. The epic finale of one of the most exhilarating seasons in the sport’s history filled one driver with ecstasy and another with misery. Much has been talked about, written, and speculated about the emotions and aftermath of the heavyweight bout between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. However, today, let us reveal the raw emotions witnessed and experienced firsthand from the night in Abu Dhabi.

Fans often revisit the wounds from Abu Dhabi in either conversation or scenarios that invoke the conversation. The 2022 Italian GP is among many that dug the old grave. However, we have hardly heard the account of the entities that were present on the track and were alongside Hamilton. So today, let us reveal the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi GP from the lens of then-teammate Valtteri Bottas.

“I had a headache the next day. Aftermath, it was painful! The whole team was really suffering. Lewis was down, Toto was down even though we won the constructors but you know when you lose the driver’s title like that, on the last lap, it was unreal. Just big big disappointment for everybody and took a while to recover for everyone in the team and not great. It wasn’t my greatest memories and just that atmosphere,” revealed Bottas on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

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The Finn could not help but feel the pain of his teammate despite winning the collective goal. The Abu Dhabi discussions are never-ending so much so, even the 2023 Australian GP invoked the conversation.

Peter Windsor discusses the heartbreaking Abu Dhabi outcome for Lewis Hamilton after the latest Australian GP

Williams‘ former team manager Peter Windsor drew some parallels between the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP and the chaotic 2022 Australian GP. The start-stop race eventually finished behind the safety car, a practice that should’ve been followed in Abu Dhabi as well, according to the Australian.

“In Melbourne, they finished behind the Safety Car. Does that evoke anything?” He asked and continued, “In Abu Dhabi 2021, they should have finished behind a Safety Car, and I still feel very angry about that. I think it still sucks that they ruined that incident and that Lewis Hamilton’s eighth title was taken away in a single incident.”

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What’s done is done and no one can strip Max Verstappen of his first and extremely hard-fought championship. These are the margins that exist in Formula 1 and all drivers are aware of that. This is exactly why Hamilton is moving forward from the incident, even if his fans aren’t, and looking for another opportunity to add another championship to his collection.

Will he be able to do it anytime soon is another story.