Lewis Hamilton brought up by fellow F1 star after furious Liverpool VAR row
Liverpool’s VAR woes has reignited debate over the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongfully ruled offside during Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after a “significant human error” from the VAR team.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has drawn comparisons between the officiating blunder and the cruel circumstances in Abu Dhabi that led to Lewis Hamilton being denied his eighth F1 world title after a controversial ruling by former race director Michael Masi swung the race and ultimately that year’s championship in Max Verstappen’s favour.
“The Liverpool [situation] was a bit of a surprise and definitely a talking point of the weekend,” Gasly, an avid PSG fan, told Sky Sports. “We had a conversation last night and there were comments made about Abu Dhabi 2021.
“It’s sport – referees also make mistakes. It’s tough to swallow when you’re on the wrong side of it. But it’s sport, even though it shouldn’t happen sometimes, it does.”
Hamilton and Verstappen were tied on points heading into the final race meaning whoever finished ahead of the other would clinch the title. Hamilton overtook Verstappen early and led up until the final five laps when a safety car was deployed.
Masi made an error when he ordered certain cars to unlap themselves allowing Verstappen a free run to overtake Hamilton on fresh tyres and secure his maiden crown.
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There were multiple calls to overturn the result – similar to how there has been a push for Liverpool and Tottenham’s game to be replayed.
However, the result remained unchanged. “Ultimately that feeling never really truly leaves you,” said Hamilton when recalling the injustice.
“It’s like when you think about your first love, it will always be that first love and first heartbreak. Abu Dhabi, the scar is there and there will always be that memory. Even though I reprogrammed my mind, I think it still took me the whole year to really push through it because we were straight back into work. It wasn’t a quick thing.”
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