Sachin Tendulkar consoles Lewis Hamilton after F1 title loss, tweet goes viral

Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (Source: Twitter)

Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Red Bull's Max Verstappen for his Formula One world championship title victory in Abu Dhabi, even as he offered his sympathies to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton who was leading in the race till the very last lap.

In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton was leading comfortably in the final few laps till Nicholas Latifi of Williams crashed towards the end. This saw the safety car being brought in, which allowed Verstappen to close the gap and eventually win the maiden title. He also became the first-ever Dutch driver to secure the world championship.

"What a race! Congrats to Max for becoming the World Champion for the 1st time & there will be many more. However, my heart goes out to Lewis. What a season he's had too. If not for the safety car, the trophy would've been his. Sheer bad luck. All the best for the next season," Tendulkar wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

What a race!

Congrats to Max for becoming the World Champion for the 1st time & there will be many more.

However, my heart goes out to Lewis. What a season he’s had too. If not for the safety car, the trophy would’ve been his. Sheer bad luck. All the best for the next season. pic.twitter.com/pYPLoin4gO — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 12, 2021

India's ODI and T20 captain Rohit Sharma gave a cricketing twist to Abu Dhabi Race.

"1 ball 6 required and guess what, Max Verstappen hits it. Unbelievable win #AbuDhabiGP #F1TitleChampionship," Rohit Sharma wrote on social media.

1 ball 6 required and guess what, Max Verstappen hits it. Unbelievable win #AbuDhabiGP #F1TitleChampionship — Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) December 12, 2021

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja too reacted over Verstappen's title win.

"That is the biggest mistake in F1 history," Australia batter Usman Khawaja felt.

Verstappen won out a title decider over rival Lewis Hamilton under the lights at Yas Marina while Mercedes clinched a record eighth consecutive constructors' championship on a historic day.

The Dutchman lost the lead at the start but he passed seven-times champion on the very last lap of the race after a Safety Car emerged for Nicholas Latifi's crash five laps from the end of the 58-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Earlier, Hamilton had looked the most likely to take that all-deciding win, enjoying a comfortable lead over Verstappen having commanded the race until the safety car emerged.

Red Bull then called Verstappen into the pits and fitted him with soft tyres. Hamilton did not pit and remained on 38-lap-old hard tyres. The race resumed with one lap to go, with Verstappen holding a significant tyre advantage. He caught and passed the Mercedes driver to take the victory.

The Dutchman is now his country's first world champion, Red Bull's first since 2013, and Honda's first since Ayrton Prost in 1991.