Australian Formula 1 great Mark Webber says there’s still “scars that need healing” as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton prepare to renew their rivalry in 2022.
Last year’s world championship ended in controversial circumstances, with Verstappen passing Hamilton on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to claim the title, after a safety car restart that is still being debated.
Such was Hamilton’s fury at the way the race panned out that he threatened to walk away from the sport, with team boss Toto Wolff saying he was unsure if his “disillusioned” driver would return in 2022.
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The 37-year-old appears to have put that rumour to bed in recent days, breaking his social media silence to proclaim he’s “back.”
With an overhaul of the rules for 2022, there’s no guarantee Red Bull and Mercedes will be neck-and-neck at the front as they were last season.
“It’s hard, I think we need a year off. They need a year off. There’s still some old scars there that need some healing,” Webber told Wide World of Sports.
“That might be done after their careers, they can have a red wine together. But while they’re racing against each other they’ll be big rivals, and that’s what we want in the sport.”
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Hamilton came within half a lap of an eighth world title, something never achieved in the history of the sport.
He has a new teammate this year, with young gun George Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes, and Webber noted that the Englishman will need to reset for 2023.
“It was a really tough finish for him mentally, at the end of last year,” Webber explained.
“He led 99 per cent of that race, to lose it the way he did, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s a big pill to swallow.
“He felt he was robbed on the last lap, because he couldn’t fight. He had nothing to fight with, and it wasn’t through his own doing. He was fighting against something that was an outside force.
“When it’s Max Verstappen on fresh tyres it’s a real challenge.”
An FIA inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Abu Dhabi finale is ongoing, with the future of race director, Australian Michael Masi, still up in the air.
Mercedes remain furious at the way the restart was handled, with the usual safety car procedures not followed.
Masi said at the time it was to ensure the race, and the championship, didn’t finish under caution, allowing the drivers to race to the flag.
Various options have been floated, such as a red flag should a similar situation occur in the future.
“For the sport we were all disappointed it ended like that, it’s not how we wanted it to end. Both of them deserved to lift that trophy, but we did not want it to finish like that at all,” Webber said.
“We wanted a straight fight, a clean fight, and unfortunately there was one guy with his hand tied behind his back.
“Of course in hindsight they would all agree we could have done something different, what happened wasn’t the ideal scenario.”
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