If you went back in time and asked any Formula 1 fan if they thought Max Verstappen would become a Formula 1 World Champion, there is a high chance they would say yes. Formula 1 history was made over this weekend, and the changing of the guard from old to new was handed over to the Dutchman named Max Verstappen. This season is poles apart from any other previous Formula 1 seasons we have seen. Everyone was expecting another Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes domination, but once the 2021 season started, Verstappen saw this as an opportunity that he may never have gotten. After being called too immature, too young, too aggressive, not ready yet, or too angry, Verstappen's evolution and growth since his Formula 1 debut in 2014 at only 17 years old has been enormous. The youngster has learned a lot, and the perfect time has come to crown him as champion.
When it's the perfect time, it is meant to happen. Mercedes and Red Bull have been throwing punches after punches this season, both Hamilton and Verstappen have been going at it, physically in their cars, and mentally. With his teammate Checo by his side and Red Bull always having Max's back, the nicknamed Lion has found a new certainty and confidence in his skill. His consistency has always been there, but now he has unlocked his full potential, with more to come. With 10 wins under his belt this season, Verstappen has extended himself out there more than Lewis, and that is not a jab at the 7-time World Champion, because the season Lewis has fought this year is more than just commendable. Although Max knew who he was up against, he analyzed Hamilton's weaknesses and took advantage of every little mistake Mercedes would make. He did everything he could to make his dream finally come true.
Through all the dejection and adversity, whether it was the online hat r the collisions between both drivers, the 24-year-old was able to cope with pressure and rise above his fierce rivals who haven't had a pure rivalry since 2016. Both teams were put under such immense pressure that hasn't been seen before, and most people haven't seen a fight like this in all of Formula 1 history. It went down to the absolute wire, the fight was hanging by a thread till the last race in Abu Dhabi. The collisions, the words said between the team principles, the penalties, the wins, the change between who was leading or not was just thinning out the thread more and more until it finally snapped. As Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the last weekend of the season, at the Yas Marina track, they were tied. Two championship contenders have not been tied since Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni in 1974, the tension was building and building until it came to a halt.
It was lights off for the last time and Lewis Hamilton got the better start, you might think that Max's chance of getting the title slipped right through his hands, but the Dutchman did not back down, and the lion in him came out. At a circuit where it is relativity hard to follow behind and to overtake, Verstappen would push flat out on every lap to get closer and closer to the Silver Arrow. Regardless of how much Max pushed his RB16B, it was his teammate Sergio Perez who gave him that last push. The Mexican became into a brick wall and would not let the Briton pass, every time the Mercedes driver looked ahead of Perez, Checo would slam the door back on him. This closed the gap between Lewis and Max, giving the then-bound Champion the opportunity to catch Hamilton one last time. It is safe to say this season has been nothing but drama, excitement, and controversy. And this moment will be forever engraved in the book of Formula 1. Nicholas Latifi lost the rear end of his Williams and crash into a barrier, this brought out the safety car, and on the last lap, the stewards decided to actually let the lapped cars pass the safety car before it ended.
This left Max and Lewis wheel to wheel on the last lap, this caught Hamilton by surprise, and on the last lap, during those last corners, Max Verstappen lunged past the leading Lewis Hamilton to become the first-ever Dutch Formula 1 World Champion in that controversial and unbelievable finish. A little boy who watched his father thrash Formula 1's cars, a little boy who would kart through sunshine and rain, that same little boy has stunned everyone to become an F1 Champion, and it is well-deserved after that diligent season. The crown was always in his hands, he just finally put it on his head.
After the jaw-dropping race that left everyone out of their seats. Max Verstappen was able to find a couple of words to explain his emotions…
“Sometimes miracles happen,” he said. “Lewis is an amazing driver, an amazing competitor. They made it really, really hard for us, and I think everyone loved to see [the rivalry]. Of course, the two teams ran up against each other and we had some tough times, but I think that’s all part of the sport and its emotion. Everyone wants to win, and it could have gone either way, of course, today.”
A day after the astonishing race, Max did an interview with SkySports F1 and divulged that Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff congratulated him over text for his maiden Formula 1 world championship title and told him that he deserved to win it.
“Toto sent me a text [saying] congratulations on the season, I deserved to win it,” said Verstappen. “That was nice of him of course, emotions ran very high through that last lap from both sides of both teams.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN
The now 1-Time World Champion also praised Lewis' maturity and sportsman-like behavior for being able to deal with such a heart-stabbing defeat like that. The highs are the highest in Formula 1, and the lows are some of the lowest. This season has treated us well, on to the next one…
Keyword: Max Verstappen On Becoming A Formula 1 World Champion