Abu Dhabi GP (F1)
Here is all you need to know about the number of people who have signed a petition to overturn the wrong done to Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
F1 fans and more specifically ‘Mercedes fans’ still can’t get over the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi, 2021. Lewis Hamilton went into the final race of the 2021 – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points with Max Verstappen.
Hamilton and Verstappen were level on 369.5 points with the Red Bull driver ahead thanks to his nine GP wins compared to Hamilton’s eight. The Mercedes driver was 11 seconds ahead with six laps to go but then things changed drastically. A controversial decision by race director Michael Masi saw Max Verstappen make the most out of it, darting past Hamilton to win the championship.
The overall feeling among everyone was that Hamilton was ‘robbed’ and it led to a lot of controversies eventually resulting in the sacking of Masi. A petition to rectify the error was circulated back then by Hamilton’s ardent fans which has now gone on to receive an incredible 100,000 signatures.
The petition was created by Patel Gordon-Bennett back in 2021 on the change.org platform and if it crosses 1,50,000 signatures, it will become one of the top signed petitions on the platform.
Since the controversial season-ending race in 2021, Hamilton hasn’t been in the best form with Mercedes. His future at Mercedes also seems to be uncertain as both parties haven’t yet extended their contract which expires at the end of this season.
However, Hamilton has made a decent start to the season, earning 38 points from three races so far but is still far off from the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Perez. The seven-time Champion registered fifth-place finishes in Bahrain and a Saudi Arabia before an impressive second-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Lewis Hamilton has been associated with Mercedes for close to two decades and if he departs at the end of the season, it will certainly be the end of an era.
The British driver’s F1 career began with McLaren in 2007 but he was roped in by Mercedes as a 13-year-old, giving him his first major exposure in junior racing. In an incredible span of 16 years in his F1 career so far, Hamilton holds the record of winning the most number of races in Formula 1 history. The Brit’s seven World Championship titles as a driver is the joint-highest along with Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has gone down into sporting folklore as one of the greatest motor racers ever and arguably the greatest ever Formula 1 driver.
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