"Avoid situations with doubts" - Nico Rosberg on Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen F1 2021 season finale drama

Former world champion Nico Rosberg commented on the final lap fiasco between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The German felt the FIA must take steps to ensure there is no ambiguity regarding the rules and that all regulation-related doubts must be erased.

Max Verstappen narrowly beat Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a late safety car restart turned the odds around on the Briton. Race control initially ruled that cars lapped by the safety car would not be allowed to overtake but, at the very end, they changed their minds. This allowed Verstappen to close up on Hamilton and overtake him on Turn 5 of the final lap of the race.

Nico Rosberg commented on the incident, saying the FIA needs to improve over the winter and must avoid any such ambiguity in the future. He said:

“Of course, Formula 1 is a difficult situation because they fight and do everything to the limit and the FIA also now has to calibrate and adjust. They have to do a good job in winter to improve and make everything more square because we have to avoid situations with doubts.”

Rosberg claimed Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were 99% sure they'd win the world championship and dubbed the decision by the FIA as "strange". He said:

“They were 99% sure that they would win the World Championship until there were three laps to go. After losing it, and losing it in a fight like that, in which there was nothing I could do because the tires had 50 laps, an incredible pain. It is a pity that the FIA ended up with a somewhat strange decision.”

Nico Rosberg retired from the sport in 2016, immediately after winning his maiden world championship title.

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Lewis Hamilton reportedly felt "disillusioned" after controversial championship loss

Lewis Hamilton has vanished from the public eye after losing out to Max Verstappen at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was apparently "disillusioned" by the events that occurred at the end of the race, as per Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. The Austrian executive told the media:

“Lewis Hamilton and I are disillusioned at the moment. I would very much hope that the two of us and the rest of the team can work through the events with the FIA, together with F1, to improve the sport going forward. But we will never overcome the pain, the distress caused on Sunday.”

The Briton's silence has sparked rumors of his retirement from the sport, but many fans and experts believe the seven-time world champion will be back in 2022.

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