The grand finale of the 2021 Formula 1 season will go down in history as the great battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, united by the controversial decisions made by race director Michael Masi.
In Abu Dhabi, what triggered an unimaginable and inexplicable epilogue was the accident with Nicholas Latifi as protagonist, who crashed five laps from the end of the Grand Prix on the Yas Marina track.
The Canadian lost control of his Williams while trying to wrestle with Mick Schumacher’s Haas, crashing hard into the low wall and stopping in the middle of the trajectory with a tide of loose debris.
Involuntarily he thus became the protagonist of the entry of the Safety Car, when by now the games seemed to be made in favor of Hamilton; many recalled the figure of Timo Glock, who in 2008 – in the famous Brazilian GP with a final downpour – was the last driver overtaken by the Englishman having chosen to stay on track with slick tires, effectively giving him the title.
This time Latifi’s uncomfortable position gave Verstappen the opportunity to catch up with Hamilton by mounting the soft tires and, at the restart from the Safety Car, put the rival who became World Champion on the last lap.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I was fighting with Mick at turn 9, he went wide and so did I, dirtying the tires. A similar thing happened in F2, but with the Pirellis in those conditions the grip lost in the following corners”, Latifi explains.
“These things happen, unfortunately I made a mistake and crashed. But honestly I was not aware of the race situation at that moment.”
The 26-year-old from Montréal could not help but admit his faults, but dismissing any hypothesis of conspiracy, which absurdly someone raised after the race.
“Obviously, I certainly had no intention of influencing the outcome of the title fight, even if in fact it happened unintentionally.”
“Unfortunately it was my mistake and I ruined my race, that’s all. I didn’t have a preference between Lewis and Max, so it’s useless to talk about it. I hit the barriers, thankfully at low speed.”
“Then I got out of the car and saw the next laps, but not the last one. Am I like Glock in 2008? I understand the situation and any similarities, but I repeat that it was not my will to get in the way and create opportunities for someone, or deny them to others. I only apologize for the mistake, because it is what it was. “
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