"That's all about letting them race"
Interlagos 2021
After starting the Sprint in dead last and Sunday's race in P10, Lewis Hamilton had already made up 8 places as he took on his world championship rival, Max Verstappen, for the lead.
After chipping away at his advantage Lap 48 saw the big move. Chasing the Red Bull down the Reta Oposta, he attempted to dance his black Mercedes around the outside at the Descida do Lago. Max defended with all his lack of finesse and, once again, sent both of them off track, keeping his position in the process.
The political war between the garages erupted instantly, as both sides argued their case for or against a penalty.
Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley infamously claimed: "Michael, that's all about letting them race", while Mercedes argued he gained a lasting advantage by pushing Lewis off.
Upon review, Max was let off without punishment by the stewards, not for the first time that season. When informed of the decision, Lewis Hamilton sarcastically exclaimed: "Of course, man". Martin Brundle ominously proclaimed that Max now knew that he could just do it again.
The tension during the next laps was more than palpable. An unprecedented title fight was reaching its climax.
In the end, quality prevailed as Lewis teed up his young rival through the Senna Esses, giving him no chance down the following straight and, under the roar of a Sรฃo Paulo home crowd, Lewis took what he'd later call his "most special victory to date".
Ironically it was the standard set by the FIA on that very day which would come back to bite Red Bull in the Abu Dhabi Finale.