Ex-F1 Driver Levels Major Accusations on Valtteri Bottas for Lewis Hamilton Failure

Ever since Lewis Hamilton lost what was only his second championship in 8 years, there have been quite a lot of blame games going around. Yes, the stewards played a hefty role in handing Max Verstappen the championship title whose hopes of winning it remained well beyond bleak until the very penultimate lap of the Abu Dhabi GP.

However, former Renault driver, Jolyon Palmer, isn’t too keen on assigning blame on Michael Masi for the Yas Marina turmoil. Instead, the Frenchman reckoned that Valtteri Bottas’ poor show may have cost his teammate the championship.

Palmer blames Bottas for Lewis Hamilton defeat

As reported by Motorsport, Palmer opined that Hamilton needed Bottas more than ever during the race in Abu Dhabi, and he wasn’t there. The Finn could’ve been right there in the mix if not for the poor qualifying, where he managed a mere P6.

Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 12, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during the race REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Then followed an under-average performance from Bottas on Sunday where he found himself stuck in the mid-field, which consequently blew up a massive gap between himself and Verstappen.

“If Bottas had been in Verstappen’s pit-stop range, Verstappen wouldn’t have been able to pit comfortably. Yes, he’s had solid races in the past but when it mattered he couldn’t help his teammate, maybe cost him his championship,” Palmer felt.

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Mercedes needed a Sergio Perez in Abu Dhabi

This is the truth! Mercedes desperately needed a teammate like Sergio Perez, who gave it everything to hold up Verstappen’s rival; one of the crucial moments of the Abu Dhabi GP.

Unfortunately, Mercedes had Bottas, who just couldn’t get going over the weekend. Let us assume Bottas was within the pit-stop range of Verstappen. This mostly would’ve forced Red Bull against pitting the Dutchman, leaving them with a rather straightforward 1-stop strategy.

Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 12, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton looks dejected after finishing second in the race and the world championship Pool via REUTERS/Kamran Jebreili

Hence, even with the bizarre safety car moment, Hamilton and Verstappen would have raced with equally old tires on the final lap, which mostly would have gone in favor of the race leader.

Nevertheless, that did not happen in reality, and hence, it was Verstappen who stole the championship title in the dying moments of the finale. So, let’s hear it from you – Was Bottas partially to blame for Hamilton’s championship defeat?

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