The controversial ending to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix three years ago still occupies space in Toto Wolff's mind – while Lewis Hamilton instead focuses on the heartfelt moment he shared with his father post-race.
Formula One's infamous season finale in 2021 saw the Brit battle it out with Max Verstappen, with the Drivers' Championship on the line. The closing laps of the race descended into chaos after a late safety car brought the drivers closer together.
However, controversy ensued when FIA race director Michael Masi allowed several lapped cars between leader Hamilton and Verstappen to un-lap themselves, which ultimately set up a single-lap race to the finish between the two title challengers.
Masi's decision heavily favoured the Dutchman who was on fresher tyres as the Red Bull star took advantage and breezed past the seven-time champion to win his first championship and deny Hamilton of what would have been a record-breaking eighth title.
Three years on from the shocking incident, Verstappen, 27, has already been crowned champion for the fourth year running ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi this weekend. It will be 39-year-old Hamilton's 246th and final race for Mercedes before joining Ferrari next year. And Wolff admitted on the High Performance Podcast that the infamous decision that still haunts Mercedes from three years ago – which he branded a "sporting tragedy" – remains part of him to this day.
"I felt angry, not depressed or sad, just angry that an individual was able to take away an eighth championship from the best driver in the world by a bad decision," Wolff explained.
"But you have to put it into context, there are dictators around the world and politicians that cause so much pain that it is in no way comparable to Lewis losing the eighth title or for us as a team.
"The anger of that moment of a person… But even Lewis learned to manage his emotions very strongly and after a few days was in an okay space. It still goes with us because of the unfairness that happened on this particular day."
While Hamilton has failed to break his title tie with Michael Schumacher, who both remain on seven titles, he's opted to take a positive outlook on what happened in Abu Dhabi despite admitting that he was "robbed".
"Was I robbed? Obviously," Hamilton said in an interview with GQ Magazine earlier this year. "I mean, you know the story. But I think what was really beautiful in that moment, which I take away from it, was my dad was with me. And we'd gone through this huge roller coaster of life together, ups and downs."
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Hamilton famously embraced his father following the heartbreak of losing the title by eight points and congratulated Verstappen. He spoke of the importance of being a gracious role model for kids watching the post-race fallout.
"And the day that it hurt the most, he was there, and the way he raised me was to always stand up, keep your head high," he added. "And I obviously went to congratulate Max, and not realising the impact that that would have, but also I was really conscious of, like, there's a mini-me watching.
"This is the defining moment of my life. And I think it really was. I felt it. I didn't know how it was going to be perceived. I hadn't, like, visualised it. But I was definitely conscious of: these next 50 metres that I walk is where I fall to the ground and die – or I rise up."