“Maybe when Hamilton was younger” his Abu Dhabi reaction would have been angrier

The Mercedes driver’s hopes of an all-time record eighth F1 title vanished due to the incorrect application of a Safety Car rule from race director Michael Masi, allowing Max Verstappen to take advantage.

Hamilton resisted the urge to complain too abrasively.

“The way Lewis handled it was fantastic,” ex-F1 driver Coulthard said. “Maybe when he was younger it would have been more difficult to do that.

“But he’s in his late-30s, he’s done a few laps. I think with age comes maturity.

“The benefit of youth is you don’t know, so you’re not scared of anything. As you get older, you start to understand the consequences. But that maturity I think enables you to deal with different situations.

“I would have kicked off! I would still be complaining to the European Court of Appeal!”

Coulthard was asking if some of the pricklier drivers from F1 history would have been as sportsmanlike as Hamilton: “It’s a great question. Because all of these different drivers, all of these greats that have been multiple world champions, have had very different personalities.

“I would like to believe, though, in my romantic motorsports heart that there was enough competitive respect. Because even when you had Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at their worst or Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell, there was always a handshake.

“It’s like a boxer. They beat the hell out of each other and then they shake hands at the end, because there’s an underlying understanding of what it’s taken to get to that point.”

Hamilton’s opportunity at true revenge could come in 2023 if he is able to return to the championship picture and end Verstappen’s reign.