Max Verstappen has opened up to Sky Sports F1 about the extraordinary drama and emotions of his “miracle” last-lap title win at last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, admitting he sympathizes with Lewis Hamilton for how his “great” battle for the championship ended.
The exclusive interview, which can be seen during Sky Sports F1’s build-up to the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP from 11.30am today, with lights out at 1pm, sees Verstappen go through the championship finale with detail, from resignation to defeat to ecstasy. of an advance in the last lap and a first world title.
Verstappen also reveals how he felt about Hamilton amid the controversial finish, when the Dutchman was only given the chance to stop the dominant Mercedes driver from claiming an historic eighth crown due to a rules misapplication by part of FIA race director Michael Masi.
“Of course, everything was fine [for Lewis]” Verstappen tells Sky Sports F1’s David Croft from the stage of the dispute, the Yas Marina circuit. “And something like this happens… it’s tough.
“You know, there would always be a winner and a loser. If you’re on the losing side, it’s going to be bad no matter what. And also no matter how, if you lose, you lose. And that’s terrible when you’re so close, right?”
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Relive some of the fiercest fights between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen last year
Relive some of the fiercest fights between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen last year
Verstappen adds: “All I said to myself at the time was he’s got seven world championships. And he’s also won one where it looked like he was losing, and then at the last corner, he didn’t. [referencing the 2008 Brazilian GP]. So I hope I could understand at least a little bit about the difference in emotion.
“But yeah, I felt for him and mostly, you know, we had our moments when we got together that year, but I always respected him and I think we had a great battle.
“And finally, we had two teams fighting for a championship. I really hope we get to appreciate that one day.”
Verstappen and Hamilton had contrasting seasons in 2022, with Verstappen taking his second crown with four races to spare. Hamilton, meanwhile, enters today’s race looking to avoid the first winless season of his career.
Verstappen on the Abu Dhabi drama: Accept defeat
“The first few times it gave me goosebumps, for sure,” Verstappen tells Crofty as he recalls watching what is surely one of the most remarkable finishes of any sporting season.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1, he reflects on it again.
He says he had already accepted defeat to Hamilton, who led 57 of the 58 laps after taking pole, Red Bull.
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He was on board with Max Verstappen as the Dutchman pipped Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to pole in Abu Dhabi.
He was on board with Max Verstappen as the Dutchman pipped Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to pole in Abu Dhabi.
“We didn’t have that rhythm like they did,” he admits. “And yeah, it didn’t look good. We tried a different strategy as well, but it just didn’t stick enough, you know, to close that gap.
“At that point I said, OK, we might not win it, but I’ll still remember this year as an incredible season. I mean, what we’ve done as a team, you know, to overcome that deficit. Over the years , I think we can be very proud of it.
“But I also said to myself, ‘I’m still going to give it everything I’ve got, every lap until the end.'”
Even the ever-optimistic team boss Christian Horner seemed to be in the same boat when speaking to Sky Sports F1 from the pit wall. “Christian even mentioned it on TV, didn’t he?” says Verstappen. “We need a miracle right now. And we have it.”
Verstappen on controversial Abu Dhabi rules
Cue Nicholas Latifi crashing into the barriers with eight laps to go, meaning a Safety Car – and the closing of the pack erasing Hamilton’s huge lead – seemed inevitable.
“This guy needs to move as fast as possible,” Verstappen remembers thinking. “We have to compete. Yeah sure, that was my only chance.”
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After Williams announced that Nicholas Latifi is leaving the team, look back at perhaps his most infamous F1 moment: the crash in Abu Dhabi that led to last-lap world title drama between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
After Williams announced that Nicholas Latifi is leaving the team, look back at perhaps his most infamous F1 moment: the crash in Abu Dhabi that led to last-lap world title drama between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull put Verstappen on soft tyres, with Mercedes keeping Hamilton out and believing the race would not be restarted due to F1 regulations on safety car restarts and rolled cars.
The drivers were first told that the lapped cars could not get rid of themselves, before a lap later Masi decided that only the cars between Verstappen and Hamilton could do so. The race was then given the green light for one final lap, much to Mercedes’ surprise, with the FIA stating that F1 stakeholders were in agreement that they did not want the championship to finish behind the safety car.
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Watch the incredible conclusion to the Abu Dhabi GP from the cars of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on board and listen to the team radios, including Hamilton saying the race had been ‘rigged’.
Watch the incredible conclusion to the Abu Dhabi GP from the cars of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on board and listen to the team radios, including Hamilton saying the race had been ‘rigged’.
“I think it’s always difficult to please everyone,” says Verstappen. “Because we raced here, then in Monza [in 2022], we didn’t. And then people complain too. So what is right, no running or running?
“It’s always the loser who complains that it’s wrong, not the one who benefits. That’s how it works.
“Just crossing the line under the safety car always feels a bit of a shame, really.”
Verstappen on the last lap: the ramp, the overtaking, the celebrations
Then Verstappen remembers doing the last lap with the most inopportune problems.
“I’m nervous, there were a lot of nerves,” said Verstappen. “This was the most important lap of my career up to that point … it will be a world championship or not.
“And then the worst thing that happened was that I crossed the line [for the final lap]and it gave me a cramp in my right leg.
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Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in Abu Dhabi to win the 2021 F1 Championship!
Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in Abu Dhabi to win the 2021 F1 Championship!
“It was the most nervous lap of your life and then also facing a ramp struggling to stay on full throttle. I couldn’t control my leg! It was terrible.”
Verstappen, on fresh tyres, caught Hamilton and others by surprise with a daring overtake at turn five.
“My dad didn’t expect it, Christian didn’t expect it, nobody expected him to do it there because they thought it’s such a long course on the two straights.”
Verstappen, battling a cramping right leg, held off Hamilton through those straights and crossed the line as F1’s fourth-youngest world champion.
“It was the biggest emotional outburst of my life,” he says. “People were going crazy, people were crying.”
Today he will make his first lap at Yas Marina, from pole position.
Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1, with warm-up at 11.30am before the race kicks off at 1pm.