Lewis Hamilton claims he was 'obviously' robbed of F1 title as he bares all about the most controversial race ever

Candid Lewis Hamilton claims he was "obviously" robbed of an eighth world title back in 2021 as he bared his scars over the sport's ultimate title battle.

The British superstar was on the verge of securing another crown before a series of unfortunate events put paid to his hope as then young pretender Max Verstappen snatched it at the death. The Dutchman has won three on the spin since the incorrect use of the safety car by race director Michael Masi cost him his job and left Hamilton crestfallen.

And now the 39-year-old – set to swap Mercedes for Ferrari in F1 next season – has gone into the details of his most controversial moment. Speaking to GQ, Hamilton said: “Was I robbed? Obviously. You know the story. If I see a clip of it, I still feel it. But I’m at peace with it. “But what was really beautiful in that moment, which I take away from it, was that my dad was with me. And we’d gone through this huge roller coaster of life together, ups and downs. And the day that it hurt the most, he was there, and the way he raised me was to always stand up, keep your head high.”

He added: “And I obviously went to congratulate Max, and not realising the impact that that would have but also I was really conscious of there’s a mini-me watching. This is the defining moment of my life. And I think it really was. I felt it. “I didn’t know how it was going to be perceived.

'I hadn’t visualised it. But I was definitely conscious of: Those next 50 metres that I walk is where I fall to the ground and die – or I rise up.”