Since the Abu Dhabi GP in 2021, there has been a growing controversy surrounding the F1 title won by Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton fans have been petitioning for the title to be stripped from Verstappen and given to Hamilton, who seemed destined to win his 8th career title as he led in the race’s late stages.
However, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed, causing a safety car to be called onto the track. Verstappen drove into the pits and got fresh tires put onto his Red Bull. The move seemed futile as race director Michael Masi had instructed that cars that had been lapped could not overtake the FIA vehicle, as per F1 regulations. This should have meant there would not be enough time for competitive racing to start again, and Hamilton would win the title behind the safety car.
But after pressure from Red Bull boss Christian Horner, Masi changed his mind and allowed one lap of racing. Verstappen was able to get past Hamilton on his quicker tires and win his first title.
Mercedes instantly appealed the decision, but Mercedes principal Toto Wolff eventually dropped the objection. However, Hamilton fans have not been so quick to drop the case as a petition has gained traction.
Patel Gordon-Bennett started the petition on social media with the aim of getting the result overturned. On Tuesday morning, ‘Abu Dhabi Grand Prix’ was trending on Twitter following a link to the petition being tweeted. The document now has over 82,000 signatures on it.
While there is little chance of the FIA reacting, the controversy surrounding Verstappen’s first F1 title is far from over. The petition is evidence that Hamilton fans are still unhappy with the result and are determined to fight for justice. In the meantime, Mercedes will have to stay focused on the current F1 campaign.
