THE EDITOR
“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go down as a day of infamy in F1’s recent history”
IN ARGENTINA THEY DO NOT TALK ABOUT Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal when discussing their team’s triumph in the 1986 football World Cup. Just like in this country we do not dwell on the umpiring error that awarded England an extra run and ultimately victory against New Zealand in the 2019 cricket World Cup. And it is safe to say that on the streets of Amsterdam, Dutch fans will not be unduly delayed in their celebrations by the fact that Michael Masi, the race director of the deciding grand prix of the season, made what can euphemistically be called an almighty cock up that gifted the race and therefore Formula 1 world driver’s title to Max Verstappen.
Such is the nature of sport – like war, its history is written by the victors.
But for the record we can say here that Lewis Hamilton was denied certain victory and with it his coveted eighth world title not through any shortcomings on his part or his team’s, but by an official who misinterpreted the rules. To be clear, the travesty that played out in front of the billionaire yachts moored trackside at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go down as a day of infamy in the sport’s history. It was billed as the ‘Decider in the Desert’, but turned into the Muddle in the Marina. To understand how that decision was made please read Mark Hughes’s brilliant piece on page 80.