LEWIS HAMILTON had ‘one hand tied behind his back’ and was denied a ‘clean fight’ against Max Verstappen, according to his former Red Bull rival Mark Webber. But race director Michael Masi’s decision to rip up the rulebook and bow to Red Bull’s demands saw Verstappen overtake Hamilton on the final lap of the season to snatch the crown. “We wanted a straight fight, a clean fight, and unfortunately there was one guy with his hand tied behind his back. “Toto Wolff cannot demand that a safety car should not come, and Christian Horner cannot demand that the cars have to lap back.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•