Safety car phase shortly before the end in Monza: This brings back memories of the controversial World Cup final in Abu Dhabi 2021. Also for Lewis Hamilton, who narrowly lost to Max Verstappen at the time.
Numerous supporters of Mercedes superstar Lewis Hamilton are still convinced that their champion in Abu Dhabi 2021 was robbed of the chance of the eighth world title. They seem just as dogged as many Republicans in the USA, who cannot be dissuaded from believing that Donald Trump would have won the presidential election in November 2021, not Joe Biden.
The trigger for the whole Formula 1 mess was the last few minutes of the World Cup final in Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2021, when the then race director Michael Masi did not follow the safety car protocol 100 percent and the chaos ultimately gave Max Verstappen the opportunity opened up to throw himself at Leader Hamilton. The Dutchman did not miss this opportunity and became Formula 1 World Champion for the first time with his victory.
As a result, the world auto racing association FIA ousted the Australian Masi, who even received death threats.
Shortly before the end of the Italian GP in Monza, there was another safety car phase: this time not because of Nicholas Latifi as on the island of Yas, but because of Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren that had stopped. The new race director, Niels Wittich, gave the go-ahead for the Grand Prix just before the checkered flag, de facto the World Championship race came to an end under yellow – whistles and boos from the grandstands.
The Abu Dhabi 2021 sting is still deep with Lewis Hamilton, as his words show after the Monza GP, in which the Brit finished fifth: “I would have liked to have fought a little more, but in the end it was right, like that was handled. Of course it brought back memories and this time the regulations were applied correctly. Only once did that not happen, and that time it changed the World Cup result. But that’s the way it is.”
Italian Grand Prix, Autodromo Nazionale Monza
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:20:27,511 h
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +2,446 sec
03. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +3,405
04. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +5,061
05. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +5,380
06. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +6,091
07. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +6.207
08. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, +6,396
09. Nyck de Vries (NL), Williams, +7.122
10. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo, +7,910
11. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +8,323
12. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas, +8,549
13. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +1 Rde
14. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +1 Rde
15. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, +1 Rde
16. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 Rde
Out
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren, engine trouble
Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, Energy Recovery
Fernando Alonso (E), Alpine, water loss, engine overheats
Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin, energy recovery
Championship status (after 16 of 22 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 335 points
02. Leclerc 219
03. Pérez 210
04. Russell 203
05. Sainz 187
06. Hamilton 168
07. Norris 88
08. Ocon 66
09. Alonso 59
10. Bottas 46
11. Gasly 22
12. Magnussen 22
13. Vettel 20
14. Ricciardo 19
15. Schumacher 12
16. Tsunoda 11
17. Zhou 6
18. Stroll 5
19. Albon 4
20. DeVries 2
21. Latif 0
22. Nico Hülkenberg (D) 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 545 Punkte
02. Ferrari 406
03. Mercedes 371
04. Alpine 125
05. McLaren 107
06. Alfa Romeo 52
07. Haas 34
08. AlphaTauri 33
09. Aston Martin 25
10. Williams 6