Guenther Steiner Claims Lewis Hamilton Deserved Eighth Title Amid 2021 Abu Dhabi ‘S*** Show

Guenther Steiner: Lewis Hamilton would have claimed eight titles if not for FIA controversy

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner described the 2021 F1 championship finale as a "catastrophic mess beyond belief."

Ex-Haas team principal Guenther Steiner contends that Lewis Hamilton would have secured his eighth Formula 1 world championship title if Charlie Whiting had remained the FIA race director until his passing.

Lewis Hamilton was set to win the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which would have secured him an unprecedented eighth world championship title. However, FIA race director Michael Masi mishandled the Safety Car restart, leading to a last-lap showdown.

This allowed Max Verstappen from Red Bull, who had switched to new soft tires, to make a stunning pass on Hamilton, who was on worn hard tires, during the final lap, securing both the race win and his first drivers' championship.

In his upcoming book ‘Unfiltered’, set to be published later this month, Steiner characterized the Abu Dhabi finale as a chaotic disaster of epic scale. He also mentioned that the controversy could have been avoided if Whiting, who passed away in 2019, had still been around.

"Regardless of where your allegiance stands on that matter (and yes, I concur, it was highly entertaining), from a regulatory perspective, it was an absolute disaster of epic scale," he commented.

“No matter what choice Charlie Whiting might have made if he were in Michael Masi’s role, the situation would have caused significantly less controversy and embarrassment."

“Darn it. We all understand what Charlie would have done. If he had been in charge, Lewis would currently be an eight-time world champion.”

Masi lost his position as F1’s race director following an FIA investigation that determined "human error" caused the incorrect application of rules during the 2021 championship finale.

Hamilton discussed the controversy earlier this year in an interview with GQ Magazine, stating that he is now "at peace" with the result.

Hamilton stated, "Clearly, I was robbed. You're familiar with what happened."

When questioned about whether the race still crosses his mind, the 39-year-old British man responded, "When I watch a clip of it, I can still feel the emotions, but I have made peace with it."

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