Wolff is done with it: 'Stop it, Verstappen is the deserved champion'

A year after the denouement of the 2021 title race, it is still about that questionable moment. Lewis Hamilton appeared to be on his way to world title number eight, but a safety car and the early entry of that car played into Max Verstappen's hands. The FIA acknowledged afterwards that mistakes were made in Abu Dhabi, but the world title is in Verstappen's name.

Abu Dhabi 2021

In the Beyond the Grid podcast of Formula1.com, Wolff is asked about the impact it has had on the team and whether that will still carry over into 2022. ''Abu Dhabi 2021 is going to affect us for a long time, forever maybe,'' the Austrian replied. However, he does believe everyone should put it behind them and get on with business as usual.

''I think we moved on. Max is a deserving champion, so was Lewis. On that day it was same points, may the best man win. That wasn't the case,'' Wolff said. Mercedes' frustration lies mainly in the fact that the rules about bringing in the safety car and letting 'lapped' cars pass were not fully respected.

Verstappen is the rightful world champion

''It is sealed. The championship is sealed and done, we shouldn't continue to drag on. I am talking with you again on a podcast, so I'm guilty but only because you asked. You should stop it, Max is a double world champion, a deserving world champion. mistakes were made, the FIA acknowledged it and we've got to move on. It doesn't mean those moments won't come back into my mind. Sporting fairness is important. The stopwatch never lies but maybe on that day it did a bit.''

Hopes of striking back in 2022 could also soon be forgotten for Mercedes. Mercedes' W13 proved not as strong as its predecessor and it took until the Brazilian Grand Prix for the Germans to win a race. In 2023, the team will want to continue the upward trend of the second half of the season in order to be back in the fight for the title.