WATCH: Lewis Hamilton’s Prophecy About FIA Stewards in an F1 Interview

Lewis Hamilton suffered what is arguably the biggest heartbreak of his Formula One career in December last year when the stewards meddled with his title-winning hopes. The Briton was on course to winning his record eighth world championship title, having dominated most parts of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

However, then arrived the twist, or one might say ‘a miracle’! Max Verstappen, from lurking miles behind Hamilton amidst the impending chequered flag, found himself within a second behind the leading Mercedes driver in a span of one lap.

And the credits obviously go to the stewards. Michael Masi, the race director, decided to add a bit of spice to the evening at Yas Marina by tampering with the FIA rulebook. Consequently, Hamilton, with nothing but dead rubber on his hard tires, found himself defending against Verstappen, who was then on fresh soft tires.

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One lap was all that the Dutchman had in hand to try and steal the title away from Hamilton. But, instead, all he ended up taking was five corners. Verstappen dived onto the inside of Hamilton around turn 5, reclaimed the lead that he had lost on lap 1, and went on to win his first-ever championship title.

Lewis Hamilton blames the stewards

During an interview with Sky Sports, years before the 2021 controversy, Hamilton had admitted that the stewards were always a bit too harsh on him. Furthermore, he lashed out at the decision-makers by accusing them of trying to stop him.

When asked if the stewards’ punishments for him are excessive, Hamilton said, “Of course, it is [excessive]. But it’s to be expected. They are trying to stop me, aren’t they? But, it’s okay. I just need to keep my head down and stay focused and you know, let’s see what happens!”

Ever since Mohammed Ben Sulayem took over as the new FIA president, the Arab has often stressed that there will be a review into the Abu Dhabi GP incident. While there might not be any change in the results, it is quite clear that the FIA will look to make changes to the F1 rules.

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Hence, will the alleged unfair play against Hamilton come to an end amidst the dawn of a new era? Well, only time will tell.