When Hamilton DID what Verstappen DIDN’t in Abu Dhabi!

TL;DR

In Abu Dhabi 2016, Hamilton deliberately slowed down to let cars pass Rosberg, trying to cost him the championship title.

Key Points

• 1.The stakes: Rosberg led Hamilton by 12 points (367 vs 355) going into the final race; Hamilton needed to win AND Rosberg needed to finish off the podium.
• 2.Hamilton's tactic: He intentionally drove slowly to bunch up the field behind Rosberg, hoping Vettel or Verstappen would overtake him and drop him out of podium position.
• 3.Why it failed: Even if Vettel had passed Rosberg, Verstappen wasn't fast enough to also get past him, making Hamilton's slow pace ultimately pointless — Rosberg still clinched the title.
• 4.Rosberg's 2016 title: He won after leading the championship for 16 rounds, then shockingly retired just 5 days after becoming champion — the second son of a world champion to win (his father Keke won in 1982).
• 5.The 2025 parallel: Verstappen chose NOT to try the same tactic against Norris in Abu Dhabi 2025, knowing McLaren would simply swap Piastri and Norris anyway, and likely wanting to avoid further controversy after 2021.