What a season it has been. This is probably what Formula 1 fans all over the world could all agree on after the controversial finale in Abu Dhabi where Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen clinched the drivers’ world championship.
Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen [Photo: Honda]
Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix equal on points, making the final race of the 2021 F1 season a winner-takes-all drama. Of note, this scenario was last seen in F1 way back in 1974 courtesy of the duel between Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni.
Verstappen started the race on pole position but Hamilton had a great start and has managed to snatch first place during the opening stages of the race. The said maneuver was deemed controversial by fans since Hamilton allegedly gained an advantage by running wide to take the lead from Verstappen. Regardless, Mercedes-Benz’s Hamilton pushed on, distancing itself from rival Verstappen.
Red Bull decided to call Verstappen to box in Lap 13 for hard tires. Mercedes-Benz responded quickly as Hamilton did the same, which placed Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez in the lead. Perez is driving on soft tires and has yet to make a pit stop.
The Mexican F1 driver tried his best to slow down Hamilton’s momentum as he kept the British driver at bay. This allowed Verstappen to close the gap, and keep the hunt for the championship alive.
Lewis Hamilton [Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas]
Hamilton soon passed Perez, and engaged the infamous “hammertime” to increase his gap to Verstappen. From then on, Hamilton is poised to bag his eighth world championship. Not until Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed with six laps remaining, resulting in the deployment of the safety car.
F1 race director Michael Masi then decided that the lap cars in front of Verstappen overtake the safety car, which brought the Red Bull driver in striking distance to Hamilton. With only one lap remaining, it was a final season duel between Verstappen and Hamilton.
Max Verstappen driving through his first-ever world championship
Then, the flying Dutchman Verstappen drove his Honda-powered Red Bull F1 car to snatch the lead from Hamilton into Turn 5. Verstappen’s pace is quicker than Hamilton’s since the Red Bull driver was on fresher soft tires. In the end, Verstappen crossed the line first, clinching his first-ever F1 world championship.
“It feels incredible to be World Champion and I couldn’t have asked for a more insane last race of the year. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, from not really having a chance of winning until the last lap. I kept saying to myself, I am just going to give it my all and I have until the end and that is what we did,” Verstappen said.
Max Verstappen is among the youngest-ever F1 world champions
“I want to say a big thank to Checo, because of his performance today, I won the Championship, he was driving his heart out for this Team. Today showed exactly what great teamwork is, he's an amazing teammate,” Verstappen added.
Max Verstappen is among the youngest-ever F1 world champions, which includes the roster of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Verstappen’s win gave Honda its first F1 world championship since Ayrton Senna in 1991. The victory is a perfect curtain call for the Japanese automaker as it bids goodbye once again to F1 after making its comeback in 2015. From 2015 to 2021, Honda won 17 of 141 races with 13 poles and 49 podium finishes.
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