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Lewis Hamilton verbally lashed out and claimed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had been 'manipulated' after being defeated at the death by rival Max Verstappen, and surrendering the championship title as a result.

Verstappen won the race in the most controversial of circumstances, pipping Hamilton on the final lap after having been allowed to make up a window of time following a confusion over the rules regarding a safety car.

After the race Hamilton was gracious in defeat and offered kind words to his Dutch rival, but footage has since emerged showing that he was far less understanding on the team radio. 

Lewis Hamilton verbally lashed out after being defeated at the death by rival Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Hamilton could be heard shouting into his radio: 'This has been manipulated, man.'

Hamilton's message was not broadcast on television's world feed but was aired on the in-house F1 TV channel, and has since gone viral on social media.

Fellow racer Lando Norris appeared to hold similar views, and admitted that the tense showdown was likely engineered for the cameras.

Following the thrilling showdown in Abu Dhabi, he told reporters: 'It was obviously made to be a fight - it was for the TV, of course, it was for the result.

'Whether or not it was fair is not up to me to decide.'

The highly controversial finish first began its snowball effect when Williams driver Nicholas Latifi slid off the track and hit a wall on the closing lap, leading to a safety car being required. 

Verstappen's fresher tyres allowed him to dive down beyond Hamilton and then win the title

It was that safety car which turned out to be the fateful event as it closed the gap between race leader Hamilton and the chasing Verstappen.

The decision to restart the race while several cars were not allowed to unlap themselves garnered criticism and questions.

FIA rules indicate that any and all lapped cars that line up behind a safety car are allowed to overtake and un-lap themselves while the safety car is out on the track - yet this was not seen in Abu Dhabi. 

After being knocked back in an initial appeal against the outcome, Mercedes are reportedly considering scrapping their plans to launch a further appeal against the controversial nature of Verstappen's win.

Race director Michael Masi had originally said that the lapped cars would not be allowed to unlap themselves but after a word from Red Bull chief Horner, Masi changed his mind, allowing the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves, wiping out the Brit's 13-second advantage.

Hamilton was unable to defend, given he was on much older tyres, while Verstappen was on fresh, new soft tyres after he pitted during the safety car, leading to the Dutchman pulling off a dramatic overtake and winning his first ever world title.