Lewis Hamilton 'stronger' after F1 break but Toto Wolff still can't forget Mercedes pain
LEWIS HAMILTON is back stronger than ever after the winter break says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Toto Wolff says he will ‘never forget’ the injustice of Abu Dhabi. The Mercedes boss claimed Lewis Hamilton ‘destroyed’ the field in the final race of last season only to be denied a record-breaking eighth world title when he was passed by Max Verstappen after a controversial decision from the race director.
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FIA race director Michael Masi allowed some cars to unlap themselves under a late safety car, allowing Verstappen, on fresher tyres, a decisive run at Hamilton.
“We have to move on but we are not going to forget it because that is simply not possible,” said Wolff on Friday after the unveiling of Mercedes' 2022 car.
“Nothing was fixed... it was circumstances and decisions that were unprecedented and how they came about - certainly for us - was a shock.
“Three laps to the end we got a message that said the cars were not allowed to unlap themselves.
“And three to four minutes later, there were two messages that came out of nowhere - obviously we now know what happened in the background, unknown to us.
“And then the championship was gone, literally within half a minute of the decision-making process and that’s unprecedented.”
What happened in the background was that Masi was vehemently lobbied by Red Bull chief Christian Horner and seemed to change his mind, giving Verstappen his overtaking chance.
It was a crushing blow to Hamilton and there were fears it might prompt the seven-time world champion to walk away, disillusioned, from the sport.
But Wolff claims the scandal has done the opposite and that Hamilton will be more driven than ever in 2022.
And the Mercedes team principal thinks Hamilton will respond in the same way he responded to being disqualified from the sprint qualifier in Brazil in November.
Hamilton went on to win in Brazil and then won in Qatar and Saudi Arabia before being outrageously denied in Abu Dhabi.
Wolff said: “The disqualification in Brazil created the situation for him where the determination to do the talking on the track was enormous.
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“And from then on, there was no looking back. Lewis destroyed the competition in every single race going forward … and also on the Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
“I think that adversity has always made him stronger, more resilient and more determined - and this is the attitude I feel in him right now.
“And this is the mindset I see in the team. I think what Lewis did - to take himself away - was absolutely right.
“The adversity that has been thrown at him will make him stronger and, as he said, now... it is attack mode.”
