Norris on the incident of the last lap: “It was for TV”
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had a eventful ending in the last laps, overturning the situation and crowning Max Verstappen as the Formula 1 world champion. However, the decisions concerning the last safety car are sparking a lot of discussion.
This Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021 will go down in history, and for good reason, due to controversial decisions during the very last laps of the race. The two championship contenders were separated by 5 cars at the start of the safety car period, and the FIA quickly indicated that the order would remain as it was.
From that point on, Verstappen found himself behind 5 cars and Hamilton. But, a twist of fate, the FIA changes their mind and instructs the five cars between the two drivers to overtake Hamilton. A decision that has sparked a lot of discussion, considering that this ruling only applied to the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen.
(I) I don’t know what decisions were made based on what the stewards said initially. If this [decision to maintain order] then pushed Lewis or Mercedes to make the decision not to pit, but later they suddenly said they were now allowed to overtake, then I suppose that is not acceptable, explains Lando Norris.
This decision led to a Hollywood-like ending with a final lap to determine who will be the world champion between Hamilton and Verstappen. For Norris, these choices were only meant to bring entertainment for television.
(I) I don’t know exactly what was said or what was done or so on, but a controversial ending, that’s all I can say. So, it was obviously meant to be a fight. It was for television, of course. It was for the outcome. Whether it was fair or not, it’s difficult for me to decide. (F), Norris concluded.
A very intriguing decision that didn’t fail to provoke reactions from other drivers and create a huge misunderstanding. George Russell reacted on Twitter by saying it was “unacceptable,” and Daniel Ricciardo added, “I’m glad I’m not part of this, whatever just happened. It looked like nonsense.”
A very controversial decision, especially since Carlos Sainz, who could have fought for second place with Verstappen, was not able to benefit from the same treatment. The Spaniard found himself behind cars that he had already passed before, far behind Verstappen.
