Verstappen and Hamilton went into the final event of the season tied on the leaderboard, and Latifi's crash ultimately opened the door for Verstappen to close a gap on the track and pip Hamilton late.
It saw Latifi draw both support and ire from fans around the world and, in a statement on his website, he revealed he has even received death threats.
"I've been trying to figure out the best way to go about handling this. Do I ignore it and carry on? Or do I address it and tackle the bigger issue that is sadly a reality when you use social media?
"This isn't some scripted statement, but rather me speaking my mind in the hope that this maybe sparks another conversation about online bullying and the drastic consequences it can have on people. Using social media as a channel to attack somebody with messages of hate, abuse and threats of violence is shocking – and something I am calling out," Latifi said.
As something of a reflection of the world today, the 26-year-old Canadian said he knew exactly how things were going to play out for him on social media after he was forced out of the race, and said he felt it would be best if he deleted those apps from his phone for at least the days immediately after the race.
"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.
"People will have their opinions, and that's fine. Having a thick skin is a huge part of being an athlete, especially when you are constantly in a position to be scrutinised. But many of the comments I received last week crossed the line into something far more extreme. It concerns me how somebody else might react if this same level of abuse was ever directed at them. No one should let the activities of a vocal minority dictate who they are."
It brought a sour end to the Canadian's second season on the grid, in which he earned seven points for the struggling Williams team. He will again drive for the team in 2022, however will have a new teammate, with former Red Bull driver Alex Albon replacing George Russell. Russell will drive for Mercedes next season alongside Hamilton.
