Sir Lewis Hamilton has said that he does not want to be retroactively awarded the 2021 Formula One title even after Red Bull breached the budget cap.
The British sporting hero controversially lost last year’s championship to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the last lap of the last race of the season.
Hamilton was on course to win in Abu Dhabi and claim a record-breaking eighth title, only for then-race director Michael Masi to incorrectly apply the rules surrounding the safety car and hand Verstappen the title on a plate.
While all parties concerned had moved on from that incident, the recent news that Red Bull had committed a ‘minor’ breach of the budget cap for 2021, and therefore may have gained a competitive advantage over their rivals, has further called into question the legitimacy of last year’s outcome.
While Red Bull continue to deny any wrongdoing and intend to fight the FIA’s findings, other teams and drivers have called for them to be harshly punished, with McLaren boss Zak Brown reportedly claiming that Red Bull’s actions are equal to cheating.