Ralf Schumacher hits out at Lewis Hamilton over his decision to snub the F1 end-of-season gala after his controversial world title defeat in Abu Dhabi, insisting Brit’s no-show was ‘not at all fair’ to champion Max Verstappen
- Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the world title in controversial fashion
- Hamilton was upset with how the final race finished and snubbed the F1 gala
- Ralf Schumacher thinks Hamilton’s absence was disrespectful to Verstappen
Ralf Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton was wrong to not attend the end-of-season Formula One gala last month.
Hamilton came desperately close to winning his eighth world title in Abu Dhabi in December, which would have moved him clear of Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in the sport’s history.
However, he lost out to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances on the final lap of the season.
Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to win his first world title last month
Hamilton was visibly devastated after missing out on his eighth world championship
Mercedes appealed the result, having been left aggrieved that FIA race director Michael Masi handed Verstappen the opportunity to overtake Hamilton on a fresh set of tyres by allowing the Dutchman to move through the field by unlapping only some of the cars while the safety car was deployed in the latter stages of the race.
Their protest was rejected, but the team were clearly angered by the way that the race played out, leading to Hamilton opting to skip the gala four days later.
Ralf Schumacher, the younger brother of Michael, feels that Hamilton’s no-show was not a good look, and hinted that the 37-year-old should have been at the gala to congratulate Verstappen on his victory.
‘It’s not at all fair to Max Verstappen to skip the gala,’ he told Sky Sports Germany.
Christian Horner (left) and Verstappen (right) attended the gala, but Hamilton skipped it
Ralf Schumacher thinks Hamilton not attending the gala showed a lack of respect
An investigation is currently taking place to determine if any mistakes were made in Abu Dhabi, but the findings will not be revealed until the opening day of the 2022 season in March.
In the meantime, Hamilton’s future is still uncertain as he remains disappointed by how his 2021 campaign ended.
If Hamilton decides to call time on his glittering career, Schumacher has suggested that his fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel could be a suitable replacement.
‘He has the experience, he still has the speed, and above all he knows the Mercedes car – or the engine. I think the Aston Martin concept is very close,’ he said.