Daniel Ricciardo confused by ‘weird’ Michael Masi decision on final lap of Abu Dhabi GP

Max Verstappen prevails in world title shoot-out

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Daniel Ricciardo was closer than anyone to the title-deciding sprint between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the final lap on Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And yet, he still cannot properly explain all the chaos that took place in that dramatic final twist to the 2021 season.

Just as it looked as though Hamilton had done enough to secure his eighth world title, Nicholas Latifi crashed and the safety car sprung into action.

That allowed Max Verstappen to close the gap to his title rival and give him one last chance to secure his first crown – if officials would allow one more racing lap.

They did. Race director Michael Masi made that controversial call to bring the safety car in so that the drivers would be allowed to overtake during the very final lap of the Grand Prix.

Verstappen got the overtake he needed and won the race and the championship.

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But that was after some racers were allowed to unlap themselves and other weren’t, which Mercedes took exception to and which forms the basis of the Silver Arrows’ pending appeal against the result.

Ricciardo was one of those who missed out on the chance to move past the safety car early, and said afterwards that he was confused as to why Masi had made the “weird” call.

But it did leave him with the unique opportunity to watch on as the title race literally unfolded in front of his eyes, as he was directly behind Verstappen and Hamilton during that final lap.

“I don’t want you to ask me – I want to ask you. Tell me, tell me what happened,” Ricciardo joked after the race, describing it as a “crazy, crazy, crazy final”.

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He continued: “At the end it was kind of weird, they said cars can’t pass, the lapped cars, then some of them did, but then I wasn’t allowed to.

“We did a one-lap restart, I’m sitting right behind Lewis and Max, like, why am I here? I don’t know. It was very interesting.”

He was forced to stay behind the safety car as team-mate Lando Norris, Alpine duo Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin ace Sebastian Vettel were given permission to race past.

It constrained him to a 12th-placed finish and eighth in the overall standings – a solid result for his first season with McLaren.

While Verstappen took the drivers’ title and Mercedes won the constructors’ championship, it was McLaren who had the honour of securing the only one-two finish of the season.

It came at Monza, where Ricciardo won his first race in three years and Norris finished close behind in second after the title race protagonists crashed out.

That win was the main high point in a year which has been difficult at times for Ricciardo, but his message to fans was optimistic with just three months until the start of a new season.

“A lot of up and downs this year,” he added. “Thanks for riding with me, with the team, and we’ll see you in a few months.”

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