WATCH: Fresh F1 Footage Reveals Max Verstappen Potentially ‘Crashing’ Into Lewis Hamilton at Abu Dhabi

2021 produced one of the greatest championship battles in the history of Formula 1, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen taking it to the very final lap of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

There have since been debates swirling around the entire racing community over the stewards’ intervention that turned things around for Hamilton. The 7-time world champion was on course to secure his record eighth title if not for the one questionable decision from the stewards that crushed his hopes.

Verstappen snatched the lead from Hamilton on the very final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP, consequently restoring his lead in the championship fight.

A minute later, curtains fell over the electrifying season with the Dutchman lifting his first-ever world championship title while Hamilton stood there, absolutely bewildered how he lost the championship.

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And unsurprisingly, what followed was a wave of criticisms targeting the FIA. Moreover, there was a lot of hate towards Verstappen too, as many alleged he did not deserve to lift the championship trophy. Now, two weeks later, the talks have subsided and the forthcoming 2022 season is looking to take the spotlight.

But, let’s have one final look at the Abu Dhabi GP fight before kicking off the new year, shall we?

Did Max Verstappen crash into Lewis Hamilton?

One might reckon, it’s time to move on from the controversial finale amidst the impending F1 season. But, before doing so, here’s a fresh video of Verstappen’s move on Hamilton over the final lap of the race, recorded by a fan from the stands.

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While on live TV, it did not seem much as if Verstappen collided with Hamilton. However, this particular video has a contradicting angle. As Verstappen takes the inside line and late-brakes into turn 5, it is quite clear that he crashed into Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Of course, that wouldn’t have been Verstappen’s intention, as he was eyeing to break the Briton’s line instead so that the Mercedes wouldn’t have a chance of coming back to haunt him at the entry into turn 6. And, his strategy did pay off well in the end.

But, did Mercedes and Hamilton fail to take note of the incident? Had they reported this incident to the stewards, would they have handed Verstappen a penalty for causing a collision? Well, we’ll never know the answer, will we?