Hamilton blesses Mercedes-Verstappen potential deal? 'He's not to blame for 2021'

The 2021 F1 season has gone down in the history books as one of the most rivetting of all time, with the titanic season-long battle that ensued between Hamilton and Verstappen reaching new heights amid a rather complicated championship.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still in the background, and the financial impact it had on the teams, the season that year unfolded amid a fierce political and sporting strife between Mercedes and Red Bull, with the kerfuffle trickling down all the way to the mechanics even.

On track it was a knife-between-the-teeth fight as Hamilton and Verstappen traded poles, wins and blows with Silverstone, Monza and Saudi Arabia serving as some of the most intense moment of the season between the pair.

As Hamilton looked primed to win his 8th world title following a rather dominant outing for the Briton in this Mercedes W12, successor to the ever-dominant W11, Nicholas Latifi found the barriers on the outside of Turn 14, prompting a history-changing Safety Car.

Former Race Director Michael Masi made decisions that Mercedes team boss and CEO Toto Wolff believed to have 'robbed' Hamilton of his 8th world title, as Verstappen pitted from P2 for fresh rubber with his British rival staying out clearly favouring track position.

After only certain lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves, Masi, no longer serving as Race Director, called the Safety Car back into the pits on that same lap.

A last lap shoot-out was triggered as the field roared past the main straight with Verstappen making full use of his fresh soft tyres against the worn hards on Hamilton's car. At turn 5 the Dutchman made his indeleble mark on the championship that year with an overtake that would seal the fate of the race.

Unable to come back at Verstappen, Hamilton finished the race in P2, the same position in which he closed his championship charge that year, behind the Red Bull Racing driver.

With rumours pointing to a potential Verstappen transfer to Mercedes from Red Bull Racing, Hamilton was asked if it such a switch was at all possible given the way Mercedes viewed the events that had taken place in 2021.

Hamilton said to media at Silverstone, as quoted by Sky Sports: "Max didn't do anything. He did what he needed to do in terms of winning, so I don't think it would be a problem."