Lewis Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but ultimately lost the World Championship today when teammate Nico Rosberg took second which secured a five point lead ahead of Hamilton and his title. Hamilton knew what was at stake and what he had to do which was somehow, someway keep his Mercedes teammate off the podium to push himself ahead in the final point standings.
This meant attempting to slow the field from his (Hamilton) position upfront in order to get someone to pass his teammate Rosberg behind him thus knocking off the podium.
📻"Lewis, this is Paddy. We need you to pick up the pace to win this race"
📻"I'm in the lead right now. I'm quite comfortable where I am" pic.twitter.com/CmepAo1Nrn
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 27, 2016
Hamilton’s actions didn’t sit well with everyone especially with racing legend Nigel Mansell who expressed his disapproval on Twitter.
I am a sportsman no I would not do this thank you
— Nigel Mansell CBE (@nigelmansell) November 27, 2016
However I’m not sure this even falls into the category of “bad sportsmanship” on the part of Hamilton. I mean did he put Rosberg into the wall or spin him out?
No, Hamilton he tried to do everything he could within the rulebook to try and win himself a Championship.
Sure, Formula One is a team sport. It takes an owner, pit crew and driver to get a care around the track and finish a race. However there’s a real conflict of interest when you add a second driver and second car to that team.
Today’s display in Abu Dhabi was an example of that conflict of interest. And there’s nothing wrong with that, on Hamilton’s end as well as Rosberg’s.
