Toto Wolff is adamant that Lewis Hamilton “not driving as fast” due to Abu Dhabi 2021 is a flawed theory.

The 2021 Formula 1 season will be remembered as an all-time classic as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen went into the Abu Dhabi title decider level on points, with Verstappen coming out the other side as World Champion, though it was a race shrouded in controversy, with the actions of then race director Michael Masi directly influencing the outcome.

Toto Wolff insists Abu Dhabi 2021 did not slow down Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton therefore missed out on an eight World Championship which would have moved him ahead of Michael Schumacher in the all-time F1 title standings, while 2021 also marks the most recent season where Hamilton has been in title contention, with three further Mercedes campaigns failing to produce a fresh shot at title number eight.

F1 2024 – while featuring highs like returning to winning ways at Silverstone and Spa – also brought with it painful lows like Qatar for Hamilton, who was able to end what had turned into a painful Mercedes swansong on a high in Abu Dhabi as he recovered to P4, with a new career chapter at Ferrari on its way from F1 2025.

However, Wolff does not believe Hamilton suffered a lasting hangover from Abu Dhabi 2021.

Asked during the Beyond the Grid podcast about Hamilton’s ability to bounce back from that disappointment, Wolff replied: “The ending of 2021 is something that’s going to be with us forever when it comes to our professional lives.

“But, I don’t think that the ending of ’21 had any whatsoever correlation to not driving as fast anymore, or any of that.”

On the contrary, Wolff believes Hamilton got better still from that point on.

“Overall, as a human being, professional and outside of the car, he’s getting more complete every time,” Wolff believes.

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Another critical race in the 2021 title fight was Brazil, where Hamilton – starting last for the sprint due to a DRS inconformity and demoted five places on the Grand Prix grid for taking a new engine – was still able to battle through the pack and ultimately pass Verstappen to take victory.

Wolff opened up on the emotions within the Mercedes team at that race, feeling they had been wronged, with Hamilton delivering at a time in the title fight when there was zero margin for error.

Put to him that Brazil ’21 is surely ingrained in his memory, Wolff replied: “So, Brazil ’21 was great, yeah.

“Because we got disqualified for the sprint race, and it was really nothing, and that was just not right.

“And I think what it triggered is such a momentum in the team of ‘now we show them’, and that’s what happened.

“We knew we need to win every single race to win the championship. And he climbed back in the sprint in a great way, and then in the race itself, albeit all the defence, clean and less clean, he won the race. That was the best.”

2021 marked the final Constructors’ title claimed in Mercedes’ record-breaking streak of eight in a row.

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