The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix witnessed one of the most chaotic and controversial title showdowns in the history of Formula 1. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was en route to winning his eighth title to continue his unparallel dominance in the sport and it clearly looked like he was inches away from realizing it. However, things took a complete turn in the last lap and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won both the race and the championship.

Recently, Toto Wolff made a statement, saying he has a personal anger and drive to make Hamilton win the eighth title as he deserves it. Tennis legend Serena Williams, who has been a longtime Lewis Hamilton fan, commented on ESPN’s post related to this and claimed that Hamilton deserves not eight but nine titles.

He should have 9 already. But…lemme be quiet.

The tennis legend was clearly indicating the controversy of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP.

Talking about the controversy of the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton was in complete control of the race until Nicholas Latifi crashed and hit the wall at Turn 14 and things took an unexpected turn. The car had to be removed by a crane and thus the race control could either use the red flag or restart and they decided to do the latter as there were 5 laps left.

📰: Serena Williams asserts that Lewis Hamilton should already have nine titles to his name as she holds her peace, reacting to Toto Wolff's comments on getting Hamilton's eighth title.#F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/3jd6PirOEy

— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) November 20, 2023

Due to the decision, Verstappen started the final lap directly behind Hamilton with fresher, quicker tires and DRS was disabled due to the restart. All things considered, Max Verstappen won the final round and, with it, the championship, despite protests from Mercedes. Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, had asked to reinstate the final lap, but their protests fell on deaf ears.

Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams enjoy a relationship of mutual respect 

Hamilton and Williams have been friends for a long time and they are both big fans of each other. While talking about Serena once, he said that it’s really lonely at the top and thus it feels good to be in touch with people who are at the top of their respective fields as well. Thus, he is on great terms with global icons like Tom Brady and Serena Williams.

Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams (Source: CNN)When you’re talking to Serena, you’re like — yeah, I know Williams, I know what you’re talking about. So, it’s pretty unique and a privilege to have those conversations. Hamilton via PEOPLE

He said Serena and him talk a lot about sports and competition and about the struggles or the successes of their respective lives and sports. Their relationship is so good that they recently made a joint contribution of $26 million to Sir Martin Broughton’s bid to buy Chelsea FC in 2022 when it was up for sale. Unfortunately, Broughton lost the bid to Todd Boehly.