Former Red Bull F1 star gives cheating verdict on Abu Dhabi 2021 scandal

max verstappen, christian horner, david coulthard, red bull — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Former Red Bull star gives cheating verdict on Abu Dhabi 2021 scandal

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is one of F1's most controversial races

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 25 May 2026 15:56

How you feel about the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix probably depends on whose camp you're standing in.

Firmly with Max Verstappen, he won fair and square. In Lewis Hamilton's, you're more likely to believe something untoward was at play.

When then race director Michael Masi ordained one last lap of racing, enough for Verstappen on fresher tyres to overtake Hamilton to take the race victory and therefore the championship, alarm bells rang regarding foul play.

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Nevertheless, the FIA investigated the Abu Dhabi 2021 race afterwards, where they deemed there was a 'human error' involving Masi but the results from the race and championship were 'valid'.

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Coulthard on Abu Dhabi 2021 legality

In a recent episode of the Up to Speed podcast, Jolie Sharpe, Will Buxton and David Coulthard were asked by a fan about their favourite F1 scandals, using Abu Dhabi 2021 as an example.

Coulthard responded: "I just want to clarify if we're going to pick one to debate on because I see a scandal as something that is cheating.

“So Crashgate, Spygate. I don't see, you know, that sort of sporting, ‘Did Schumacher put Hill into the wall and did he crash into Villenueve?’ I see that as the sporting side of the sport and the sporting ethics. So for me, if you've knowingly cheated, that's a scandal.

Sharpe then asked: “So, what's your view on 2021? You wouldn't see that as a scandal.”

Coulthard replied: “No, it's controversial but nothing illegal was done. If it was, it would have been undone.”

“So I'm not getting into whether you know, we all know Lewis was the fastest guy all afternoon and was going to win that grand prix and until what happened, happened, that’s clear for us all. But that was nothing that was unsporting in terms of the FIA breaking the sporting regulations, scandal for me is outright cheating.”

Abu Dhabi 2021 'Hand of God' moment

Returning to the conversation as Sharpe maintained it was a scandal, Buxton said: “It's Formula 1's hand of God moment when Diego Maradona scored by punching the ball into the goal, the first goal against England in Mexico World Cup.

“When you look back on it, it was patently unfair. At the time it wasn't seen and the result went the way that ultimately it did and it's still debated and discussed to this day, when the whistle went, the result stood. And that's the same as Abu Dhabi. That's not going to change.

"But it was a scandal. It will be debated. And Jolie, I'm with you. It's a brilliant scandal and it's been massive for the sport in terms of bringing people in and creating discussion."

F1 David Coulthard Abu Dhabi 2021