"Nothing to do with Max" - Lewis Hamilton absolves Max Verstappen over Abu Dhabi fiasco

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has no hard feelings towards Max Verstappen for the way the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix played out.

Having had a long time away from the sport to digest the facts, Lewis Hamilton has nothing against Verstappen and feels he did what any driver in that position would do. The seven-time world champion said:

“This has nothing to do with Max [Verstappen]. Max did everything a driver would do given the opportunity he was given. He is a great competitor and we will go into another battle like we did last year and conduct ourselves... we will obviously grow from our races and experiences we had last year also this season.”

The Briton was on the precipice of winning a record-breaking eighth world championship with a handful of laps to go at the Yas Marina Circuit. A late crash by Nicholas Latifi brought the safety car out and allowed Verstappen to pit for fresher, soft tires.

The move turned out to be pivotal for the Dutchman when Michael Masi bent the rules to essentially set up a one-lap dash between the two title protagonists.

The 37-year-old went on to add, saying:

“[I have] no issues with him. I don’t hold any grudges with anybody. I don’t think that is ever a good thing to carry around with you so I move forwards. I don’t dwell on the past and as I said before, I feel fresh, I feel centered and fully focused. I don’t have anything holding me back this year. Not that I did last year but I am not letting that experience be one of those.”

---

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes focused on ultimate goal of winning championships in 2022

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he and Mercedes have their sights set firmly on the world championships in the 2022 F1 season.

Speaking during the unveiling of the new Mercedes W13, the Briton was asked about his goals for the upcoming campaign. Hamilton said:

“...Going into this year, I haven’t really set any goals. Initially, I think naturally every single individual in this team has worked towards the ultimate goal: winning the world championship and again, raising the bar and doing something no one has ever done before. We’ve done eight [constructors’ championships]. Now, we’ve got to move on to the next one.”

Hamilton was also incredibly proud of all the hard work Mercedes had put in and was pleased to see them still focused and hungry to win more.