Hamilton and Verstappen arrived tied for the Abu Dhabi title decider, where one final lap turned the season upside down.
The final lap begins before the cars accelerate again. Hamilton is leading, Verstappen is right behind him, and their tyres tell different stories: Hamilton’s have done 44 laps; Verstappen’s are new softs. An entire championship narrows to the short stretch of track between them in Abu Dhabi.
A season on a collision course
In 2021, Hamilton and Verstappen turned the title fight into a rivalry that followed them across the calendar. At Silverstone, they collided at high speed, and Verstappen was taken to hospital. At Monza, Verstappen’s car climbed over Hamilton’s; the halo shielded the Mercedes driver’s head. In Saudi Arabia, a week before the finale, there was another clash, penalties, and accusations from both sides.
On 12 December, the rivals arrived in Abu Dhabi level on 369.5 points each. At 24, Verstappen was chasing his first title. Hamilton was going for an unprecedented eighth. There was also a cruel detail in the arithmetic: if neither scored, Verstappen would take the championship because he had more wins that season.
Hamilton made the better start and took the lead. At Turn 6, Verstappen lunged down the inside. Hamilton ran wide, cut the chicane, and rejoined in front. Red Bull asked for the position to be handed back, but the stewards did not investigate. After that, Hamilton pulled away. Verstappen’s team tried to close the gap with Sergio Pérez, who had not yet pitted. Pérez held Hamilton up for almost a lap, and the gap shrank. Hamilton pulled clear again.
The race changes pace
A virtual safety car on lap 36 gave Red Bull an opening. Verstappen fitted new tyres; Hamilton stayed out. The stop was not enough to change the pace. On lap 52, Hamilton had a lead of almost 12 seconds. His eighth title looked within reach.
Then Nicholas Latifi crashed on lap 53, bringing out the safety car. Verstappen pitted for new soft tyres. Hamilton stayed out: stopping would have meant giving up the lead. The safety car brought the cars together and wiped out Hamilton’s advantage. Five lapped cars separated the two contenders. Race control first said they would not pass; then only the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed through.
The decision came at the end of lap 57. The safety car entered the pits, leaving the rivals to face each other on the final lap: Hamilton on heavily worn tyres, Verstappen on new softs. At Turn 5, Verstappen passed Hamilton. He won the race and the championship.
The result and what endured
Mercedes lodged two protests that night and lost both. The team argued that, under Article 48.12, all lapped cars should have been allowed through and that the safety car should have returned to the pits only at the end of the following lap. In Mercedes’ view, following that procedure would have left Hamilton in front to win both the race and the title.
In February, Michael Masi lost his role as race director. In March, an FIA report identified human error but upheld the result. Hamilton congratulated Verstappen after getting out of his car. Verstappen went on to begin a run of four consecutive titles. Hamilton’s eighth title was one lap away. Abu Dhabi did not end the argument over that night; it made a final lap one of Formula 1’s most enduring images.
