Max Verstappen’s controversial title win over Lewis Hamilton in 2021 left the Abu Dhabi GP’s safety car driver scratching his head

Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 Formula 1 title in controversial fashion. The events that unfolded on the final lap of the season's final race in Abu Dhabi left many astonished, including Bert Mylander, F1's safety car driver for almost two decades.

Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were locked in a tight battle for the F1 title heading to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Hamilton started the race strong, taking the lead on the first lap and controlling it for the most part. He was on course for his eighth F1 title when Nicholas Latifi, with just five laps remaining, hit the wall at Turn 14 and turned the script on its head.

With a crane needed to remove Latifi's car, a virtual safety car wasn’t sufficient and race control deployed the safety car. Hamilton didn't have enough lead on Verstappen to make a pit stop and he couldn't risk giving up track position as no one knew if the race would restart.

Red Bull, though, brought Verstappen into the pits and put him on a new set of soft tires which would be extremely quick once the race restarted. This, however, saw five lapped cars position themselves between him and Hamilton.

It was at this point that the race was engulfed in controversy.

Race control decided to let only the five cars between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to un-lap themselves, instead of allowing all lapped cars to do so. They then decided to bring the safety car in immediately, which Mercedes did not expect.

With fresher, quicker tires, the Red Bull driver drove down the inside of Hamilton at Turn 5 to take the lead, and with it his maiden F1 title.

Safety car driver Mylander, speaking to auto motor und, stated that he had to take some time to process the events that unfolded on the final lap in Abu Dhabi. He said:

"I walked through the hospitality area with my helmet on [my head] and sat down at the back of the harbor first. I had to be on my own first, think what just happened?"

---

Max Verstappen praised Lewis Hamilton after beating him to 2021 F1 title

After emerging triumphant in an astonishing season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, Max Verstappen called the seven-time world champion an “amazing” driver.

Speaking about his experience of going toe-to-toe with Hamilton, he said (via the official F1 website):

“I have a lot of respect for Lewis, but you know, I’m just very happy that I won in general because it’s been of course a very tough season fighting against Mercedes and Lewis. But I don’t want to sound... arrogant or whatever, to say that it’s a great satisfaction to win against him.”

He added:

“I just have a lot of respect for him, and I know he’s an amazing driver in terms of what he’s achieved but I’m just very happy that we won it.”