Mercedes formula 1
Mercedes chief Wolff says Hamilton 'robbed' of title
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said Sunday's controversial climax to the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi had "robbed" Lewis Hamilton of the world championship.
The 36-year-old was recognised in the New Year Honours list for services to motor sport following a year in which he eclipsed Michael Schumacher's all-time tally for Grand Prix wins and emulated the German by winning a seventh world title.
The man in their sights is race director Michael Masi and his controversial decision to withdraw the safety car for the final lap.
Mercedes star Hamilton, the reigning world champion, had cut the deficit in the race to under a second on the penultimate lap but could not find a way through the Dutchman's impressive defence.
The Mercedes driver, who is seeking a record-increasing sixth win at the Circuit of the Americas to overhaul Dutch rival Max Verstappen's six-point lead with six races to go, said he was taking the title run-in one race at a time.
Lewis Hamilton was accused of being 'dangerous and disrespectful' in reviving his Formula One title defence by winning the British Grand Prix on Sunday after a first lap crash that left championship leader Max Verstappen complaining he had been 'taken out'.
The seven-time champion and the defending champion team were well beaten in both Monte Carlo and Baku, losing their long consecutive points-scoring records of 54 and 55 races respectively as Red Bull took command with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez claiming victories.
Grosjean's Haas will be back on track after his car broke in two and burst into flames after it crashed into a barrier at 220km/h on the first lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix on November 29.
On a beautiful blue-skied day back at the track where Red Bull had dominated pre-season testing, the Dutchman continued where he had left off with an imperious late lap of 1:31.394 to finish top of the pile.
After reeling off seven consecutive constructors’ championships – and seven 'doubles' of team and driver titles - Hamilton’s 'black arrows' are under serious threat and both he and teammate Valtteri Bottas know it.
The attempt to land a drivers' crown that would move the 36-year-old Briton above Michael Schumacher to become the most decorated driver in the sport's history will go hand-in-hand with the issue of his future in Formula One.
The British driver, 36, will be bidding to win an unprecedented eighth world title when the season gets under way in Bahrain next month.
Lewis Hamilton has been recognised following a record-breaking year in which he eclipsed Michael Schumacher's all-time victory tally and emulated the German by winning a seventh world title.
Hamilton missed last Sunday's Sakhir GP but the FIA and Mercedes both confirmed that he had passed a number of negative COVID-19 tests after completing a 10-day quarantine period in Bahrain.
For 'The Daily Telegraph', the 'Marmite' factor (love him or loathe him) stems from the fact that 'Hamilton's tastes may not always sit perfectly with the traditional motor racing community'.
The Briton needs only to prevent his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas outscoring him by eight points to retain his crown and, in the eyes of many including former Ferrari rival Felipe Massa, move on to become the most successful in F1 history.
The six-time champion capitalised on teammate and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas's misfortune to notch up his 93rd career success and extend his lead in the drivers' title race.
Lewis Hamilton added that he was aware of speculation about his future and said it was a matter of timing for his negotiations, but stressed his commitment to Mercedes was unwavering.
Hungary is also a favourite for Hamilton, who has won there seven times and can equal Schumacher’s feat of winning the same grand prix eight times.