LEWIS HAMILTON’S father Anthony was not bitter in defeat as he graciously congratulated Max Verstappen for beating his son to the F1 world title.
Anthony was seen sharing a handshake with Verstappen and a hug with his father Jos after a dramatic Saudi Arabian GP.
A touching moment as Max and Jos Verstappen are congratulated by Lewis Hamilton's father, Anthony #AbuDhabiGP
#F1 pic.twitter.com/5n2uaLrfr2
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021
Verstappen took the chequered flag after it looked for much of the race that Hamilton was cruising to a record eighth world title.
The Dutchman landed the world title after most unimaginable drama unfolded…
Anthony though made sure to congratulate the Verstappen family in the immediate aftermath of the race, remaining truly gracious in defeat.
That was BEFORE news broke that Mercedes were appealing the race result on two counts.
A late safety car as a result Nicholas Latifi’s smash five laps from the end was the catalyst for an incredible sequence of events.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff fumed at race director Michael Masi who initially said ‘any lapped cars will not be allowed to overtake’ while the safety car was out.
But on the penultimate lap, Masi CHANGED his mind and allowed five cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to unlap themselves.
That put the Dutchman right behind the Brit, and with one lap left to race he used fresher tyres to his advantage to take the race lead.
Wolff’s appeal was rejected though, as was his protest that Verstappen overtook Hamilton before the safety car had left the track.
It meant Verstappen and Red Bull could finally celebrate a four-hour battle to have the result changed – although the drama is still far from over.
Mercedes are set to appeal against F1 bosses’ decision to reject their protests, with the saga set to rumble on.
