F1 pokes fun at Lewis Hamilton’s expense as chiefs profit from ‘manipulated’ ending | F1 | Sport

F1 has made light of Lewis Hamilton missing out on his eighth world title as chiefs profit from the controversial ending of the 2021 campaign. Toto Wolff’s famous radio message from the closing stages of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been immortalised in a new mug.

The black cup shows the team radio graphic with Wolff’s hilarious remark: “No Michael, No.” The Mercedes team boss made the infamous remark as race director Michael Masi restarted the race.

The message was the Austrian’s realisation that Max Verstappen would start directly behind Hamilton for the final lap showdown on new soft tyres. Verstappen eventually got through just a handful of corners later to secure the win and his first world title.

Team radio released after the race uncovered that Hamilton had claimed the race was “being manipulated” as Verstappen passed. The seven-time champion has since doubled down on his stance as he suggested losing the titles in 2007 and 2022 were different experiences.

He said: “No, it was different, it was different because this one wasn’t manipulated by anybody. Someone made a decision for that result to be the way it was basically.”

Masi was eventually axed by the FIA for his role in the finale after the governing body held an investigation. After looking into the drama, it was determined human error was to blame as Masi did not follow guidelines around lapped cars properly.

He was replaced with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas for the 2022 season but Verstappen kept his title. It could prove costly for Hamilton who is struggling at Mercedes and may never get another chance at batting for an eighth Drivers’ Championship.

The mug is available for sale at the Formula 1 Exhibition which opened on Friday, March 24 in Madrid. Other mugs available for purchase include one referencing Carlos Sainz’s “smooth operator” message.

He regularly sang the song when he was at McLaren in 2019 with team radio messages at the British, Hungarian, Russian and Brazilian Grands Prix. The event is being hosted at the IFEMA MADRID and has been “officially developed” in association with F1.

The museum takes around 90 minutes to walk around and features five purpose-built rooms dedicated to the sport. The carcass of Romain Grosjean’s Haas involved in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix fireball is one of the main attractions.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali explained: “I am delighted to be here in Madrid to officially open this spectacular exhibition. I am particularly excited that our passionate Spanish fans will have the opportunity to first experience this breathtaking show.

“I am grateful to everyone who has helped capture the heart and soul of the sport we all love in this exhibition. It celebrates Formula One’s history in such innovative and engaging ways – I know our fans around the world will love it!”