Lewis Hamilton's private reaction to Abu Dhabi 2021 controversy revealed by Valtteri Bottas

Lewis Hamilton suffered brutal heartbreak in the decider of the Formula One 2021 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the greatest season we’ve seen for a while ended under a cloud.

Heading into the race level on points with Max Verstappen, who was on pole for the final race, everything was set for an epic conclusion.

The Brit got the perfect start, getting ahead and ultimately pulling away, with only a personal error or mechanical failure standing in the way of the title and Hamilton, two hands were firmly on his eighth world crown.

Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barrier with a handful of laps remaining, bringing out a Safety Car. Verstappen jumped into the pits for fresh soft tyres to give him an advantage should there be any more racing, although the rules suggested there wasn’t enough laps remaining.

Michael Masi then appeared to interpret the rules to allow a lap of racing and with fresh soft tyres vs old hards, there’s only one winner, ending such an incredible season controversially, outraging vast amounts of fans around the world, which ultimately led to Masi leaving Formula One.

An inquest into what unfolded deemed Masi to have acted in good faith, adding that ‘human error’ was the reason for his actions.

When the race had finished, despite admitting it had been ‘manipulated’ on his team radio, Hamilton was exemplary in his public appearances, including on the podium and with his rival, Verstappen.

After that and Mercedes’ failed appeals, he went off-grid, not even posting on social media for months, sparking retirement rumours, although they’re now way behind the seven-time champion.

The people closest to Hamilton following the controversy were his family and colleagues, who have the best knowledge of how