The final race of the Abu Dhabi GP has generated quite a stir and remains a hot topic. Although the tests for the new season are approaching, it is still a great unknown if Lewis Hamilton will be in them and in the 2022 season.
“The Hamilton fans, like Hamilton and Mercedes itself, feel very aggrieved. On the Dutch side they are, of course, very happy with the result,” Damon Hill told Britain’s Sky Sports .
The 1996 world champion was asked for his opinion on whether he was satisfied with the way the 2021 title fight had ended, and he answered clearly: “Not the case. In my opinion, it was unfair. The decision meant that some cars might split with one lap to go and others might not. Clearly that’s not fair. The result was that the focus was entirely on the two title contenders. That’s no way to run a championship. The rules must be the same for all participants.
Hill went further and insinuated that, in a way, the result against that of Mercedes was decided deliberately. “To say there was manipulation is too much, but in a way I think it happened. Masi was under a lot of pressure to do that race between two drivers.
Hill thinks Masi deserves a second chance
Like Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko , Hill doesn’t think Masi should be removed from his role as race director immediately. However, the Briton does defend that the Australian must have help in his work.
Hill is no stranger to a controversial outcome to a title battle. He battled with Michael Schumacher in 1994 for the world championship until the last race in Adelaide. The German was driving for Benetton and was in the lead when he went off the track. Hill was immediately in front, but at the next corner the seven-time world champion slammed the door on him, causing a collision.
Schumacher retired immediately and shortly afterwards Hill had to park his Williams in the pits as a result of a broken suspension. With this, the German got his first championship.
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And with some believing Hamilton’s future in the premier class will depend on the outcome of the FIA investigation, Hill was asked if he had any problems returning in 1995.
“Not at all. I wanted to win the championship,” replied the former Williams driver, who is however aware that Hamilton is in a different situation: “Lewis already has seven. It’s a big difference. He is also nearing the end of his career. Still, I think that eighth title is very tempting. I’m sure he wants to come back and win it.”
