By now the news has gone around the world: Max Verstappen is the World Champion of the 2021 Formula 1 season. A victory sought, desired, desired more than anything else by the young Dutch driver, arrived after a crazy race as crazy was the whole season, with an all-out challenge against one of the greatest drivers of all time, the voracious Lewis Hamilton which escapes the eighth title, that of records. A deserved triumph, that of Verstappen? Or did it come dirty and nasty? Let’s see what happened yesterday, and how Max Verstappen reached his first world championship joy.
What happened to Yas Marina yesterday? The latest challenge between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton
The world is divided, between those who rejoice and those who protest. The reality, in my opinion, is that Max Verstappen 100% deserves his first world title, the first in a long series (Red Bull permitting). The climax of an incredible final to a crazy World Cup, perhaps unrepeatable, however, was soiled by confusing and summary decisions taken by the Race Direction, from that Michael Masi to which never as in recent weeks his ears will be whistled to the sound of opinions about him. But let’s go in order, and let’s see how Max Verstappen has won one of the most hard-fought, hard-fought and doubtful Formula 1 World Championships until the last lap in the history of this sport.
After 21 races, yesterday the two title contenders, for the first time since 1974, reached the last race on equal points. On the one hand, at 369.5 points, Max Verstappen su Red Bull. 24 years old, Dutch, supported by a country that has rediscovered itself as a lover of F1. Determined, strong, decisive in overtaking, willing to go to the limit of the rules and sometimes even to overcome them. On the other hand, at 369.5 points, Lewis Hamilton his Mercedes. 36 years old, Englishman of Stevenage, absolute record holder of victories (103) and Pole Position (103), winner of 7 world titles. A shared record, like the great Michael Schumacher alone. After a season of fighting on and off the track, after 21 tense, hard-fought and often debated Grands Prix due to the extreme maneuvers of both riders, everything is decided in Yas Marina.
A circuit hated and criticized by all fans becomes, for scarce two hours, the center of the world of motors. After an incredible season, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton arrive in Abu Dhabi not only on equal points, but also on equal chance. Whoever arrives in front, in fact, wins the World Cup. In the event of an accident or an off-point of both, the title would go to Verstappen. The credit goes to the major victories obtained this season, 9 against Hamilton’s 7. Verstappen, who chose to start with the softest tires in order to get a better start and escape from the Englishman, starts from pole position. The Dutchman, however, does it badly, very badly. Hamilton, even with the hardest tires, passes it without the possibility of replication. During the first round, Verstappen knows that Mercedes, with the hardest tires, flies: they must pass it as soon as possible.
Try a rash, debated, questionable move after the first straight. Hamilton is forced off the track, cuts the chicane between the two long straights and remains first. The race direction decides not to intervene, e for the next 50 laps everything seems to be decided. Hamilton flies, Verstappen suffers and fails to recover his rival. Not even the defense of a super Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, who manages to slow Hamilton down by more than 5 seconds in one lap, allowing Max to catch up with Lewis again. Today, however, there is no history. Hamilton has more. The title now seems to be directed towards Brackley, towards that catch-all Mercedes and that hungry and determined driver, who continues to be hungry after 7 World Championships.
Constance, talent, speed and top team: Max Verstappen deserves the title of World Champion
But everything changes on lap 53, when the honest Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi, who this year with his Williams scored his first career points, he decides to become the decisive and unexpected protagonist of the 2021 season. After a fight for 15th and penultimate place with Haas driver Mick Schumacher, Latifi loses control of his Williams FW43B, which ends its race against the barriers. The Race Direction declares: Safety Car. In this way (and we will return to this discussed Safety Car shortly), Verstappen manages to catch up with Hamilton thanks to the compacting of the group, and after stopping for the last time in the pits for a last surprise stop, he has thegolden opportunity. He, with a very fast car in the straights, mounted some red tires, the softest, brand new.
Hamilton, on the other hand, was left out, and still has the hardest white tires that he rode over 40 laps earlier. On paper, by now, the result is written: if the race were to restart, Hamilton would have to do a miracle to keep Verstappen behind. And in fact, on the last lap after an at least unprecedented restart procedure, Verstappen gives life to a crazy last lap, like crazy this season has been. The Dutchman overtakes Hamilton at Verstappen: at an unexpected point on the track, at the last second, with malice, determination and talent. Hamilton tries to hold on, tries an impossible overtaking on the outside on the last possible occasion, but now Fate has decided: the title goes to Holland. It goes to Max Verstappen, who overtook the unbeatable Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the last race. Netflix will be rubbing its hands for its next Drive To Survive.
The 24 year old Dutch driver, son of art, of that If former mid-level F1 driver, who since he was a child shaped him to be a World Cup car, he made it. For the first time, Max and Jos Verstappen were moved, they got caught up in emotions, as you can see from the splendid photo that opens this article. The new idol of an entire country, which has created one Orange Sea that follows him in every race in every corner of the world, beat the old lion. He, Hamilton, never indomitable, never beaten, who up to the last corner did everything to resist the young rampant. Verstappen, however, did not win the World Championship in Yas Marina. Max Verstappen was crowned Formula 1 World Champion after a memorable season.
A season in which he beat for Pole Position the rider who in history started in front more than anyone else. A season where he fought tooth and nail, proving a immense talent, impressive determination and hunger and willingness to do anything to win. Removed the ninth position of the unfortunate GP of Hungary, Verstappen has only achieved three results this year. Either first, or second, or withdrawn.
Thanks to a Red Bull RB16B, daughter of the immense talent of Adrian Newey, very fast that allowed him to fight on all tracks. Also thanks to the Honda, who after announcing his retirement wins a sensational world title, in the most classic Honda style of abandoning just when the project is right. Thanks to a wall box that did little or nothing wrong (as opposed to Anglo-German rivals). And finally, thanks to his speed and sometimes impressive talent, Verstappen managed to rise to the level of Lewis Hamilton. The two, this season, have made a void. Where they have not “taken”, they have always separated by dozens and dozens of other drivers, even their respective teammates. They played a separate championship, leaving all the others only the crumbs. They created an unforgettable, incredible world championship, which we will certainly not forget easily.
In an attempt not to decide the fate of the World Championship, the FIA has made a sporting disaster: the bitter taste of that final
The only real drawback to a World Championship this way the FIA put it, in the form of that Race Direction which, for the umpteenth time, made a real mess. For weeks, the mantra of Michael Masi, the FIA Clerk of the Course, was only one. “We don’t want to decide the fate of the World Cup.”. Well, this continued fear of influencing the world struggle has had one result: to influence the world struggle. It happened in Jeddah, in the penultimate race, where Hamilton and Verstappen raced without rules, as in a Far West duel, with a Race Direction unable to keep track of the situation, which has now degenerated. And it obviously happened to Yas Marina too.
The fear of seeing the same scene again in the UAE came true almost immediately. Hamilton cuts the chicane, it would be penalized or in any case an intervention by the FIA would be needed. But from the control room, everything is silent. After a linear race, almost too much for such a crazy world championship, with 5 laps to go, Masi & Co have one final task in this World Championship: deciding how to manage the race in a dangerous situation. After the Latifi accident, the Safety Car enters the track: a sacrosanct decision. But then, everything gets confused. First the race seems to have to end under the Safety Car regime, giving the World Championship to Hamilton, in that first moment. Then, the Race Direction chooses not to split the doubled drivers, one lap behind, to avoid having to waste time.
Finally, with the exception of a lap and a half from the end, we decide for a solution that is nothing short of bizarre: it only split the riders dubbed between Hamilton and Verstappen. I’ve never seen this, Marc Gené would say, and what’s more, the Race Direction decides to improvise. Although in fact article 48.12 of the F1 Sporting Code establishes that, after giving the lapped cars the possibility to return to the lap of the leaders, it is necessary to wait at least one lap before restarting the race, the communication arrives: Safety Car in this Lap, la safety car rientra in questo giro.
In this way, Verstappen and Hamilton have the opportunity to fight in the last lap of the race under the green flag. The right way to end this world championship, but arrived in the most wrong form possible. The FIA has changed its mind several times within a few laps, demonstrating an evident state of total confusion. The fear of influencing the world championship petrified Masi and his companions, who first reveal themselves to be immobile, then make and undo their own actions. With 5 laps to go, there was time to do everything.
The race could be stopped, as happened in Baku, to then allow the drivers to restart for a mini-race from a handful of laps. You could decide to split the drivers in time, without going against the rules. In short: the FIA has made yet another mess. As spectators, the challenge of the last lap for the World Championship seemed to have been constructed, put together in a workmanlike manner. A huge…