Max Verstappen refutes claims that his 2021 title win over Lewis Hamilton is IMPURE, says ‘It was a 50-50 chance and it fell his way’
Max Verstappen never imagined to equal Sebastian Vettel's record.
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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP podium (Credits: IMAGO)
The 2021 Abu Dhabi race stands out as Formula 1’s most contentious event. Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed his eighth world title on the final lap, crowning Max Verstappen as champion. It was Verstappen’s first title, and he’s now gunning for his third this season. The race still sparks debates, but Verstappen insists it was a coin toss and it favored him.
Heading into the final race of the season in 2021, both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were level on points and the championship was on the table. It was a winner’s takes it all, and Lewis Hamilton was leading the race ahead of Verstappen until a late safety car that was triggered by Nicholas Latifi. This swung the favor into the Dutchman’s hands as he capitalized by pitting under the safety car and passed Hamilton on the very last lap to snatch the trophy.
The incident was marred as a ‘human error’, and the then race director, Michael Masi was terminated from his position. Hamilton recently inked a new deal of £50 million-a-year with Mercedes that will keep him with the team until the end of 2025. Speaking about the deal, the Briton acknowledged that he had some ‘unfinished business,’ referring to the eighth championship.
Ahead of the Italian GP, Max was questioned about whether his championship had been tainted, and he outright refused it. He said, “It was not like it was given to me. I still had to do it.…It was a 50-50 chance and it fell my way.” He criticized people for having selected memories about only the final race.
Discover: Max Verstappen insists he will not stay in F1 as long as Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso
Max Verstappen said he never imagined he would equal Sebastian Verttel’s record
Verstappen added that the 2021 season was a momentous one with two titans going at it. However, he acknowledges that “you will always have a winner, and you will always have a loser. That is how this sport works, and I was also ready to lose.” He downplayed others’ opinions, prioritizing his inner circle. Consequently, he adopts a nonchalant ‘whatever’ attitude towards external judgments or writings.
The following year, Max triumphed again and is now poised for a historic third consecutive victory, dominating the 2023 season with 11 wins out of 13 races. In his latest triumph at Zandvoort, he joined Sebastian Vettel in the elite club of nine consecutive race wins. Speaking about this, Max said, “I never thought I would get to nine. I remember watching Seb do it, and I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, that is extremely difficult’, and now I am here and it is amazing.”
Max Verstappen is on the cusp of making history at Monza by potentially securing a record-breaking ten consecutive wins, surpassing Vettel’s decade-old milestone. Verstappen’s determination shines through as he gracefully dismisses criticism. His deep passion for Formula One fuels his relentless pursuit of victory, emphasizing the importance of effort over recognition. He and his team’s adeptness at overcoming challenges, as seen in the recent Zandvoort race, underlines his remarkable success.
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Rohit Bhaskar
(727 Articles Published)