Hamilton was on course for his eighth world title when, five laps before the end, the safety car came on the track and the field collapsed again. When race director Michael Masi decided to remove all stragglers between Hamilton and Max Verstappen and gave the duo one more lap to race, the Dutchman took full advantage of his fresh tires and overtook Hamilton. With the win in the Grand Prix, Verstappen became the first Dutchman to conquer the world title.
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That defeat hit the Brit so hard that he hasn’t been heard from on his social platforms since.
‘Title stripped’
He even left out a Christmas message. “He had the world title, until that last round. Then from one second or the other he was taken away from that title. Of course you then lose confidence because you cannot understand what happened,” explains Wolff.
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Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone even thinks Hamilton will retire and not return to Formula 1 next year. Wolff said nothing about the Briton’s future plans. Shortly after the race, the team boss expressed the hope that Hamilton will continue. “Because he is the greatest driver of all time.”
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