Lewis Hamilton says his “worst fears came alive” toward the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as he chased a record-breaking eighth F1 title.
The Mercedes driver was on course to achieve another World Championship before a late Safety Car restart turned the race on its head.
Title rival Max Verstappen was able to pit for fresh Soft tyres, while a controversial call from Race Control allowed only the lapped cars in between the two protagonists to unlap themselves.
Verstappen went on to overtake Hamilton on the final lap of the race to secure his first F1 title.
“You see things start to unfold and my worst fears came alive,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair.
“I was like, there’s no way they’re going to cheat me out of this. There’s no way. That won’t happen. Surely not.
“I don’t know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had. I do remember just sitting there just in disbelief and realising I’ve got to undo my belts, I’ve got to get out of there, I’ve got to climb out of this thing, I’ve got to find the strength. I had no strength.
“And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I’ve had in a long, long time. I knew what had happened. I knew what decisions had been made and why. Yes, I knew that something wasn’t right.”
An investigation took place in the months that followed, with the FIA concluding that “human error” led to the mishap.
Hamilton went into a period of silence on social media after the race, leaving some to question his immediate future in the sport.
The Briton admits that he was indeed contemplating if he wanted to carry on as a driver: “I, for sure, considered whether I wanted to continue,” he said.
Michael Masi, who was the Race Director at the time, soon after vacated the FIA and his role this year is being carried out in rotation between Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas.
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