"Never the correct decision": Four years on, fans still divided by the 2019 F1 Canadian GP

The 2019 Canadian GP is one of the most controversial races in the past decade in the sport as it took away the victory from Sebastian Vettel after his five-second in-race penalty and handed it over to Lewis Hamilton.

It had been a flawless weekend for the former four-time world champion but he made a costly mistake mid-race whilst defending his lead from Hamilton. After going on the grass, the Ferrari driver, in the eyes of the stewards, came onto the track dangerously.

They gave Vettel a five-second penalty which effectively handed the win to Hamilton. The German driver, along with many fans on social media, did not agree with the decision. Interestingly many fans are still divided about the decision as one fan claimed it was never a penalty, saying:

"Never the correct decision,"

Here are some reactions:

Lewis Hamilton reflects on his 2019 Canadian GP win

Despite all the controversy, Lewis Hamilton claimed that he pushed Sebastian Vettel into the mistake but did not agree with the manner of the win.

Reflecting on his Canadian GP win, the Mercedes driver said as per F1.com:

“Naturally, absolutely it’s not the way I wanted to win. I was pushing to the end to try and get past it. I forced him into an error, he went wide, I had the run on that corner and we nearly collided. It’s unfortunate, but this is motor racing. That’s his opinion of course. I took the corner normally. When you come back on track, you’re not supposed to go straight back on the racing line, you’re supposed to come back safely. I assume that’s why…

“Not towards the end I don’t think. I think we were all struggling with brake temps toward the end. The tires were good at that point where he made the mistake, so I was as close as I was ever going to be. I got that block and then the gap opened up. It’s very hard to follow here. It’s such a great track, and if it wasn’t for the fans, it wouldn’t be as great as it is.”

It still remains one of the most iconic moments in the Canadian GP history as well as F1 history.

The FIA made quite some changes post the 2019 Canadian GP namely it relaxed the interference of the stewards and the race director in wheel-to-wheel racing and handing out penalties.