For a long time, I thought the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix hurt because Lewis Hamilton lost what would have been his 8th world title.
Today, I see it differently.
It hurts because Formula 1 failed to take responsibility for the weight of its own decision.
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This was not Max Verstappen’s fault. It was not Lewis Hamilton’s weakness. And it was not “just another race”.
It was a decision that disproportionately influenced the championship outcome — followed by a quiet rule rewrite, instead of openly admitting: a line was crossed here.
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There was an elegant alternative.
A genuinely sportsmanlike one.
No retrospective punishment. No title taken away. No legal gymnastics.
Simply this:
Two world champions in 2021.
Not to dilute the sport — but to put the human dimension back where it belongs.
Lewis — for his performance across the season, and for the dignity and resilience with which he carried the shock and injustice caused by that decision.
Max — for his performance across the season, and for making full use of the opportunity created by that decision.
Both of them — for making the 2021 season unforgettable.
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This would not have been weakness.
It would have been moral maturity.
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The real question is not about Lewis or Max.
It is this:
Can a sport acknowledge when the letter of the rules defeats their spirit?
In 2021, Formula 1 could not.
That is why we still talk about it. Why it never truly closed. And why this is not “just Hamilton fans complaining”.
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What the sport needs is not revenge. Not redistribution.
But backbone.
Because a sport becomes great when it dares to take responsibility for its own decisions. ❤️