Paddy Power, a well-known bookmaker, has declared “justice is served” after paying out on bets on Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship.
Following Lewis Hamilton’s loss in the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, Paddy Power has decided to pay up to gamblers who bet on the seven-time World Champion adding to his score at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
Hamilton dominated the race until a late Safety Car allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take a chance on new tyres. With a lap to go, Race Control brought in the Safety Car to clear lapped cars out of the way of Verstappen, and Hamilton lost the race and the championship as a result, as Verstappen raced by on the final lap.
The race’s contentious conclusion generated outrage, with Mercedes filing protests in the immediate aftermath due to the way the Safety Car period ended. Both appeals were dismissed, with Mercedes opting out of the process.
Normally, such a turn of events would leave gamblers shaking their heads in disbelief, but Paddy Power chose to compensate both drivers after calling the season finale a “sporting injustice.”
“Max Verstappen needed a miracle to win, and one duly arrived in the form of a dodgy decision from the race organisers who appeared to rip up the rulebook and go rogue for the final lap of the race,” said a statement on their website.
“We have decided to pay out on both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to win the World Drivers Championship.
“And, for good measure, we’ve paid out on both Verstappen and Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix too.
“Consider justice served,” concluded the message.
