Wolff rejects claims that Abu Dhabi 2021 hindered Hamilton’s speed, insisting the seven-time champion evolves steadily, growing ever more complete after adversity.
Toto Wolff is adamant that the theory claiming Lewis Hamilton “is not driving as fast” because of what happened in Abu Dhabi in 2021 is mistaken.
The 2021 Formula 1 season will be remembered as a classic, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen arriving at the Abu Dhabi finale tied on points, and Verstappen emerging as World Champion, even though it was a race surrounded by controversy, as then-race director Michael Masi’s actions directly influenced the outcome.
Hamilton thus missed out on an eighth World Championship title that would have placed him ahead of Michael Schumacher in the standings, while 2021 is also the most recent season in which Hamilton was in title contention, with three subsequent campaigns for Mercedes being far more lackluster.
Asked during the Beyond the Grid podcast about Hamilton’s ability to rebound after the 2021 disappointment, Wolff replied: “The end of 2021 is something that will stay with us forever in terms of our professional lives.”
“But I do not believe that the end of 2021 had any correlation with not driving as fast, or anything of that sort.”
On the contrary, Wolff thinks Hamilton has improved even more since that moment.
“Overall, as a human being, a professional, and away from the car, he is becoming more and more complete each time.”
Another crucial race in the 2021 title fight was Brazil, where Hamilton—starting last for the sprint due to a DRS anomaly and dropped five places on the Grand Prix grid for taking a new engine—still managed to work his way through the field and ultimately overtake Verstappen to take the victory.
“Brazil in 2021 was great, yes.”
“Because we were disqualified for the sprint race, and it was really for nothing, but it just wasn’t good on our side. And I think what was triggered was a momentum in the team to say, ‘now we show them,’ and that’s what happened.”
“We knew we had to win every race to take the championship. And he fought back in the sprint in a formidable way, then in the race itself, despite all the defending—fair and less fair—he won the race. It was the best.”
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Lewis grows stronger more complete after Abu Dhabi loss Lewis grows stronger more complete after Abu Dhabi loss
