"The stopwatch never lies" - Toto Wolff's scathing remarks about controversial F1 2021 season finale

Lewis Hamilton's loss to Max Verstappen at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is still weighing heavy on the Briton and his Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport in Germany, Wolff spoke about how the race director's decisions in the final laps of the 2021 F1 season finale broke the fundamental principle of fairness in the sport. He said:

"It runs very deep. Lewis (Hamilton), I and the whole team are disillusioned. We love this sport because it's honest. The stopwatch never lies. But when we break the fundamental principle of fairness and the stopwatch is no longer relevant, then you doubt this sport."

Wolff added:

"About the fact that all the work, blood, sweat and tears can be taken away from you. It's going to take a long time to digest that. I don't think we'll ever get over it, especially Lewis as a driver. We can at least try, together with the FIA, to do better in the future."

After initially protesting and appealing the results of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes withdrew their appeal when the FIA announced an internal investigation into the matter.

The FIA investigation will determine the fate of race director Michael Masi in the sport. Reports also suggest Hamilton will decide on his F1 future based on the outcome of the investigation.

"Max Verstappen is a worthy champion" - Toto Wolff

Although Hamilton produced some of his finest driving performances in 2021, Verstappen was a worthy champion, according to Wolff.

The Mercedes team principal lauded Hamilton's title rival from Red Bull during an interview with racingnews365.com, where he said:

“We will never forget that. What happened to (Lewis) Hamilton there is just wrong. Hamilton was unbeatable that day, until the race committee lit the fuse by disregarding the regulations up to three times.”

Wolff went on to add:

“What happened will always be difficult to understand, it will always haunt us. But looking at the whole season, Max Verstappen is a worthy Formula 1 world champion. However, on that one day, one driver was better than the other, but the better driver did not win that day.”

Hamilton is expected to return to fight for a record eighth world title in 2022. The 37-year-old's current contract with Mercedes runs until the end of 2023.

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