Abu Dhabi 2021 Controversy Revisited as Insider Labels Entire… read more 👇
The dramatic finale to the 2021 Formula 1 season remains one of the most debated moments in motorsport history, but a fresh perspective has reignited discussion around the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. While most attention has always focused on the late safety car drama that handed his first world championship ahead of , F1 commentator Will Buxton believes the controversy actually began much earlier in the race.
The season finale at the saw Hamilton and Verstappen enter the final race level on points after an intense title battle throughout the year. Hamilton started the race determined to secure a record-breaking eighth drivers’ championship, while Verstappen was chasing his maiden title.
At the start, Hamilton managed to overtake Verstappen and seize the lead. However, the first major flashpoint came only moments later at Turn 9. Verstappen attempted to reclaim the position around the outside, forcing Hamilton to cut across the chicane in order to stay ahead. Although Hamilton retained the lead after leaving the track, race control chose not to instruct the Mercedes driver to hand the position back.
According to Buxton, that decision was just as controversial as the events that unfolded later in the race. Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, the F1 insider argued that previous rulings suggested Hamilton should have surrendered the lead after gaining an advantage by leaving the circuit.
Buxton claimed that if officials had followed earlier precedents consistently, the race would have developed very differently. Instead, Hamilton remained in front and controlled much of the Grand Prix, building a comfortable advantage over Verstappen during the middle stages.
The most famous controversy, however, arrived near the end of the race when crashed and triggered a late safety car period. With little to lose, Red Bull immediately brought Verstappen into the pits for fresh tyres, hoping for a final opportunity to challenge Hamilton.
At that stage, several lapped cars were positioned between the two title rivals, seemingly preventing Verstappen from mounting an attack once the race restarted. But race director made the controversial decision to allow only certain lapped cars to overtake the safety car and unlap themselves.
The unusual call effectively placed Verstappen directly behind Hamilton for a one-lap sprint to decide the championship. Armed with much fresher tyres, Verstappen overtook Hamilton during the final lap and claimed both the race victory and the 2021 world championship in dramatic fashion.
The fallout was immediate and enormous. Mercedes launched protests after the race, arguing that the procedures surrounding the safety car restart had not been correctly applied. Although the result ultimately stood, the FIA later acknowledged that “human error” played a role in the handling of the finale. Masi eventually lost his role as race director following the controversy.
Despite the fierce criticism surrounding the safety car decision, Buxton believes many fans overlook the opening-lap incident involving Hamilton cutting the chicane. In his view, the entire race was filled with inconsistencies in officiating rather than just one controversial moment at the finish.
Buxton argued that the race “wasn’t done to the book” from the very beginning and suggested that the opening-lap decision fundamentally shaped the outcome long before the safety car appeared.
Since that unforgettable night in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen has firmly established himself as Formula 1’s dominant force. The Dutch driver has finished ahead of Hamilton in every championship battle since 2021 and has gone on to win four world titles in the years that followed.
The statistics underline the shift in power within Formula 1. Verstappen has collected more than 50 Grand Prix victories since the Abu Dhabi showdown, while Hamilton has managed only a handful of wins during the same period.
Even years later, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix continues to divide opinion among fans, drivers, and analysts alike. Whether the defining controversy came on the opening lap or during the final safety car restart, the race remains one of the most disputed championship deciders Formula 1 has ever witnessed.