The F1 driver whose crash inadvertently triggered world title pandemonium says he has been sent death threats and 'extreme' abuse

• Nicholas Latifi, whose crash triggered the chaotic end to the F1 season, says he's been sent death threats.
• Latifi crashed close to the end of the season finale, inadvertently upending the F1 title battle.

Formula One driver Nicholas Latifi says he has received death threats after his crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix led to Max Verstappen winning the world title in controversial circumstances.

The Williams driver crashed after battling Mick Schumacher with five laps remaining and Lewis Hamilton leading.

A safety car was deployed as marshals cleaned the wreckage, which allowed Verstappen to pit for fresher tires and ultimately overtake Hamilton on the final lap after race director Michael Masi made the contentious call to allow the five lapped cars between the two racers to unlap themselves.

Having previously apologized for his role in the season finale, Latifi said in a statement on Tuesday that he has since received "a lot of hate and abuse."

"Going back to the race weekend, as soon as the checkered flag dropped, I knew how things were likely to play out on social media," he said.

Latifi said in his statement that he immediately decided to delete Instagram and Twitter from his phone after the race finished, something he said tells us "all we need to know about how cruel the online world can be."

"The ensuing hate, abuse, and threats on social media were not really a surprise to me as it's just the stark reality of the world we live in right now. I'm no stranger to being talked about negatively online, I think every sports person who competes on the world stage knows they're under extreme scrutiny and this comes with the territory sometimes.

"But as we've seen time and time again, across all different sports, it only takes one incident at the wrong time to have things completely blown out of proportion and bring out the worst in people who are so-called 'fans' of the sport.

"What shocked me was the extreme tone of the hate, abuse, and even the death threats I received. To the people who don't understand or don't agree with that, that's fine with me. You can have your opinion. But to use those opinions to fuel hatred, abuse and threats of violence, not only to me, but to those closest to me as well, tells me these people are not true fans of the sport."

In the aftermath of the race, Hamilton's Mercedes team lodged twos protests against the outcome.

The first related to Verstappen allegedly passing Hamilton under the safety car, while the second was against Masi's decision to allow five lapped cars to unlap themselves immediately before racing resumed for the final lap.

After the protests were rejected, Mercedes said it was going to appeal, but eventually backed down, confirming Verstappen as world champion for the first time.

The team didn't provide a specific reason for withdrawing its appeal, however it was reported by the Daily Mail that it had done so at the wishes of Hamilton, who reportedly didn't want to seal a record-breaking eighth title in the courts.

Latifi will remain at the Williams F1 team for the 2022 season, partnering the returning Alex Albon, who previously raced alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.