Lewis Hamilton was about to clinch his record 8th world championship title, but one decision by Michael Masi was all that it took for the Briton to lose his hold on the title right on the cusp of the finish line in Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, Max Verstappen became the first non-Mercedes world champion since 2013.

Hence, the Dutchman received his championship trophy last night at the FIA Gala Awards in Paris. There were celebrations and festivities all around the Louvre Museum as Verstappen received the massive trophy. Outside the museum though, there were disheartened fans lending their support to Hamilton.

Fans support Lewis Hamilton

There were quite a few words circulating around the social media following Verstappen’s controversial race victory at Yas Marina, some being ‘Robbed’, ‘Rigged’, and many more along the same lines. As days passed, these words turned into hashtags.

Hamilton and Mercedes fans, and pretty much anyone who felt that the Briton deserved to win the Abu Dhabi GP, joined a hashtag that is currently going viral around Twitter.

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#IStandWithLewisHamilton

Right outside the Louvre museum was an advertising black van with a screen on all 3 sides portraying a slideshow of images starring Lewis Hamilton and the trending hashtag at the bottom of it.

Did Max Verstappen deserve the F1 title?

Many reckoned Verstappen did not deserve to win the Abu Dhabi GP. Fair? We certainly wouldn’t want to touch upon that subject. However, looking at the season as a whole, Verstappen is very much a deserving candidate to lift the championship title.

Verstappen clocked insane statistics over the 2021 season, which makes it look quite obvious that he performed much better compared to Hamilton. Securing 10 wins, 10 pole positions, 6 fastest laps, and 18 podiums are not common numbers, even for champions, especially when you’re up against a rival like Hamilton.

Yet, Verstappen showed his class, and well, though the season ended bitterly, he certainly has done his part to be deservedly called a world champion.

Overall, a champion is chosen not from one race, but from an entire season. And, in that case, the Dutchman has won the trophy fair and square.

Let’s hear it from you too. Who do you think deserved the championship more?

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