Horner praises Hamilton’s response after 2021 Abu Dhabi title loss

Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Lewis Hamilton’s response to losing the 2021 world title showed the character that impressed him: Hamilton congratulated Max Verstappen on the Abu Dhabi podium, Horner recalled.

Verstappen passed Hamilton on fresh soft tyres on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 12 December 2021, securing his first world title. Hamilton stayed out of the public eye for almost two months afterwards, then reappeared at the presentation of Mercedes’ W13.

Horner revisited the scene on the Up to Speed podcast with David Coulthard while discussing his book *Drive*, due to be published in the Netherlands on 22 October. He said he had included the moment because Hamilton’s response impressed him. Horner described the loss as devastating for Hamilton, yet said he still had the character to acknowledge and congratulate Verstappen. Horner said it must have been an exceptionally difficult moment for Hamilton.

Horner also said Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’s father, congratulated Horner after the race, as did several team members. He acknowledged the stewards’ controversy that followed, but said the ending could hardly have been better.