Daniel Ricciardo knows the crucial moment Lewis Hamilton lost F1 title to Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton's controversial loss to Max Verstappen in the F1 2021 season finale was seen by the entire world at the time but no one had a better view than McLaren man Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo was immediately behind a group of lapped cars that were allowed to unlap themselves on the penultimate lap on the instruction of Michael Masi. When the race resumed, the Australian watched on as Hamilton attempted to fend off Verstappen but only in vain.

The 32-year-old has now revealed he knew the exact moment when Lewis Hamilton was beaten on the final lap. During an interview with ESPN, Ricciardo said:

“It was (wild) and it’s funny because, you know, there was not only one lap to go but my race was... I wasn’t in the race. It wasn’t a great Sunday for me. So, I was really a spectator at that last lap and even going through Turn 2 and 3, I could see Max [Verstappen] was kind of close and I was like, ‘Is Lewis [Hamilton] going to defend? What’s going on?’ and I’m pretty sure I saw his light flash like he was clipping. And I was like, ‘Why is he clipping on the last lap?’ You’d figure he’d have all the battery to use and that’s when Max went for the pass and I was like, ‘How is this happening?’”

Ricciardo went on to compare the situation to Hamilton's maiden F1 World Championship win back in 2008 at Interlagos. He added:

“I was watching as a fan in 2008, you know, the last lap drama unfold with (Felipe) Massa and Hamilton and it was a lot to process and I was just like, ‘Man, how would you feel if you were Hamilton right now?’”

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Lewis Hamilton had 'one hand tied behind his back' during 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, feels Mark Webber

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber has sympathized with Lewis Hamilton after his controversial loss to Max Verstappen at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Australian believes F1 fans were denied the chance to witness a fair fight between Hamilton and Verstappen because the Briton had 'one hand tied behind his back'.

During an interview regarding the incident, Webber had this to say:

“Both of them deserved to lift that trophy, but we did not want it to finish like that at all. We wanted a straight fight, a clean fight, and unfortunately there was one guy with his hand tied behind his back. Of course in hindsight they would all agree we could have done something different, what happened wasn't the ideal scenario.”

Many Hamilton fans have reportedly been petitioning online to have the final lap of the race voided, but it doesn't seem as though that will have any impact on the fate of the 2021 championship.