It is hard for any Formula One fan to forget about the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In that year, Mercedes had already won the constructor’s title as usual. Lewis Hamilton was gearing up for the final race in Abu Dhabi to win the eighth coveted title. It was the era of the hegemony of Mercedes, but who knew it had come to its end in Abu Dhabi? The fans were excited about the competition between the seven-time champion and the challenger back then, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman needed to win the Grand Prix to seal the deal.
However, Lewis Hamilton was not looking to back down. The Briton was eagerly running toward the ultimate championship. But as it turns out, it was not meant to be his year after all. The stewards made some highly contentious decisions that led to the disaster of Mercedes and Hamilton’s legacy. The challenger won his maiden title after he won the Grand Prix, narrowly beating the seven-time champion. Furthermore, luck and everything denied Hamilton his dream of winning the eighth title in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
Guenther Steiner Believes, “It’s Important To Move On”
Of all the latest discussions on the 2021 controversy surrounding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the newest entry is Haas Principal Guenther Steiner. The Haas principal mentioned, “I don’t have any opinion on the controversy because I was too focused on my team.” The Russian driver from the Haas team had a DNF in that race. Meanwhile, the German driver was holding the 14th position. However, Steiner remembers the orders of Michael Masi were confusing for everybody. He could not figure out what was happening there. But the Haas Principal later admitted to laughing out loud while watching Toto Wolff losing his mind and almost having a heart attack. Steiner said, “That was pretty entertaining.”
However, Steiner ended his comment on the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, asserting that whatever happened is in the past and everybody should just move on. Haas Principal added that both teams should be happy after the 2021 season was over. Mercedes won the constructor’s title, and Red Bull won the driver’s. According to Steiner, that is a win-win situation for both because he would give anything to win either of those two championships. In 2023 Guenther Steiner must be really happy to see his team scoring some points to climb up a little higher than before.
The Impact Of The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
However, fans did not take well those decisions of the stewards. The whole atmosphere of F1 turned out to be very toxic and polarizing back then. The F1 race director back then, Michael Masi, got fired due to the controversy. Even today, experts and fans discuss on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
And why not, considering the significance of that Grand Prix controversy? Since then, Max Verstappen has been the unbeatable two-time back-to-back champion. Currently, Red Bull is the reigning constructor’s and driver’s champion. On the other hand, Mercedes has lost its place as a title contender.
