GP: Abu Dhabi
Date: 12 December 2021
Winner: Max Verstappen - Red Bull Honda
This was the race that would decide the title. Going into it, Verstappen and Hamilton were equal on points, but Max was ahead by virtue of having the most wins, nine to Lewis' eight.
By lap 52 of 58, Hamilton was ahead of Verstappen and at that moment, Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams and, with it stopped in a dangerous spot, what would happen next? A red flag?
No, race control opted instead for a Safety Car, a decision that certainly took things up a notch, given what was at stake: Hamilton had an eighth title within his grasp, while Verstappen could be crowned for the first time.
Max pitted for soft tyres, but Lewis stayed out.
The laps behind the Safety Car tick by and then, only a few of the lapped cars were let through to unlap themselves before racing resumed with just one lap to go. That was enough for Verstappen who barged his way past Hamilton and then fended him off.
The title went to the Dutchman but the controversy rages on to this day. In the aftermath, Race Director Michael Masi, no stranger to controversial decisions, would lose his job, but the deed was done.
As for Latifi, he left Formula 1 at the end of 2022 with 60 GP starts to his name, most of them spent in the shadows, except for this one, where he was centre stage.
In 2025 Pirelli will hit the 500 F1® Grands Prix mark during the season.
Legacy of Speed series looks back at the fifty most significant Grands Prix from Pirelli's time on the F1 World Championship trail.
