Chief Honda engineer Shintaro Orihara has named the deeply controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as his favourite moment in Formula 1.
Orihara made the admission in a Honda Racing F1 video, singling out the final lap of that infamous season finale as his most cherished memory with the manufacturer.
“The best moment is 2021,” Orihara said. “Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, final lap.”
“We won the championship, finally, after five or six years of hard moments,” he continued, adding: “So that was the best moment for me.”
From Honda’s perspective, the sentiment is entirely understandable, with Max Verstappen delivering the manufacturer their first drivers’ championship since 1991 behind the wheel of his RB16B.
However, for a significant portion of the F1 world, Abu Dhabi 2021 remains one of the most disputed moments in the sport’s modern history.
Lewis Hamilton had been cruising to an eighth world title on lap 53 of 58 when Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed heavily at turn 14, triggering the safety car.
Verstappen and Red Bull immediately pitted for fresh tyres, losing no track position, while Hamilton stayed out front on worn rubber, having no realistic alternative without surrendering the lead.
Race director Michael Masi then made the highly contentious decision to allow only the lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to unlap themselves, before immediately restarting the race with one lap remaining.
With Verstappen on fresh soft tyres and Hamilton on old hard compounds, the Dutchman performed a divebomb into turn five, claimed the lead, and went on to win the race and the championship by just eight points.
The restart decision ignited enormous debate across the paddock and among fans worldwide, with many feeling the outcome had been manufactured rather than earned on pure racing merit.
Michael Masi subsequently left his role as race director ahead of the 2022 season, as the FIA moved to address the widespread criticism that had followed the controversial finale.
Verstappen has since gone on to add three further world championships to his name, claiming titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024 to cement his status as one of the sport’s dominant forces.
Hamilton, meanwhile, continues his pursuit of a record-breaking eighth world championship at Ferrari, having left Mercedes at the end of 2024 after over a decade with the team.
Orihara’s comments serve as a reminder that even the most disputed moments in Formula 1 history carry a very different meaning depending on which side of the garage you were standing on that evening in Abu Dhabi.