Former tennis star Serena Williams has caused a stir on social media by claiming Lewis Hamilton should have nine F1 titles.
Next month will mark the second anniversary of the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Hamilton lost a record-breaking victory to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances Won the world championship for the eighth time.
Hamilton dominated from the start of the race, but due to the FIA’s race director’s failure to properly follow F1 safety car procedures, Hamilton started a one-lap shootout with Verstappen on the new tyres.
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Verstappen overtook his rivals to win the championship, having won 33 of the last 43 grands prix since the start of the 2022 season. Hamilton, meanwhile, has not won a race since.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed last week that “personal anger” drove him to help Hamilton win an eighth title, and Williams, a personal friend of the British driver, made his feelings clear.
Responding to Wolfe’s remarks in the comments of the Instagram post, Williams wrote: “He should have had 9 already. But… let me (sic) be quiet.”
As of this writing, Williams’ comment has received 1,266 likes, with many fans replying to the 23-time Grand Slam champion. One encouraged Williams to “speak loudly to the people in the back,” while another simply said: “It would be better if you kept playing tennis.”
While 2021 Abu Dhabi is explicitly mentioned, another missing title Williams could be referring to is 2007, when Hamilton and McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso both lost out to Ferrari by a single point. Kimi Raikkonen.
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2007 was one of the most impressive debut seasons in Hamilton’s F1 history, with him finishing on the podium in his first nine races and winning two of them at Montreal and Indianapolis victory.
2007 was a highly politicized season, with the sport rocked by the infamous spygate scandal between Ferrari and McLaren, which culminated in the latter being fined a record $100 million.
Hamilton had a chance to clinch the title with two races remaining, but his hopes were dashed by a series of mysterious errors from McLaren.
During a rain-affected race in China, Hamilton’s car got stuck in the gravel at the pit entrance after a late pit stop in dry conditions.
In the title race two weeks later in Brazil, Hamilton was hampered by a brief gearbox failure early in the race before a three-stop strategy (where the other cars only pitted twice in a race) hampered his recovery, leaving him He took the checkered flag as race winner Raikkonen took the crown.
Asked in 2012 by respected F1 journalist Mark Hughes if he knew what exactly happened in 2007, Hamilton said: “I didn’t know then. But I do now. “It’s not something I can talk about. matter. “
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