SUMMARY
- Max Verstapppen and Lewis Hamilton had an intense battle for the Championship during the 2021 seaosn.
- Verstappen won the Championship on the last lap of the last race.
The 2021 season was one of the most entertaining Championship battles in F1 history. There are only a couple of other Championship battles that can be compared to it. The 2021 season’s Championship battle involved Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
For the last 7 years before the 2021 season, F1 was dominated by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. However, in 2021, Red Bull and Max had finally caught the pace of the silver arrows. This sparked an intense rivalry and battle between the Dutch driver and the Briton Champion. During the last race, The #33 Red Bull driver was able to come out on top.
Max Verstappen shows empathy for rival Lewis Hamilton
There was a lot of tension between Max and Lewis during and after the 2021 season. However, the 2 drivers have a lot of respect for each other for what they have been able to accomplish. In a recent interview, Verstappen admitted to having felt for the 7-time Champion after his loss in 2021.
“Everything was looking great for him, and then something like this happens. It’s tough.” Max said
“The only thing I said to myself at the time was: He’s won seven titles and won one of them when it looked like he was going to lose – and then the situation turned around again on the last lap.”
“So I hoped he would understand. But yes, I felt for him. Of course, there were moments when we clashed, but I’ve always respected him, and I think we had a great duel.”
Max Verstappen admits he felt sorry for Hamilton after Abu Dhabi 2021:
“Everything was looking great for him, and then something like this happens. It’s tough.”https://t.co/yydrFgNDQ0
— formularacers (@formularacers_) December 2, 2022
During the finale of the 2021 season, Hamilton had one hand on the Championship trophy already. He was clearly the faster car and had built over a 10-second gap to Max Verstappen. However, in the final 5 laps of the race, there was a safety car which had brought Max right behind Hamilton. While Lewis still had the track position, Max had fresher tires that gave him the advantage.
Although Max did win the race and Championship, he couldn’t help but feel a bit for Lewis. At the end of the day, both of the drivers had fought hard the entire season and deserved to win the Championship. Being a competitor, Hamilton also felt sad but congratulated Max for his accomplishment after the race.
Does Lewis Hamilton resent Max Verstappen for 2021 title defeat?
Lewis Hamiton is nothing if not a great athlete and a sportsman. He has had his fair share of victories and losses over his long and successful career. While he has won 7 Championships, he has lost to Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, Nico Rosberg in 2016, and Max Verstappen in 2021.
After his loss at Abu Dhabi in 2021, Hamilton went over to congratulate the Dutch driver for his 1st Championship. Even after the 2023 season, Lewis acknowledged and respected Max for his incredible performance during the year.
Lewis Hamilton in an interview said this when asked about how he felt about losing the 2021 @F1 title to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi gp-
“When I got to know it, at that moment my world collapsed . I couldn’t compute quite what had happened, I couldn’t compute the emotions… pic.twitter.com/4hhBlkwMTK
— The Striver (@bluntwallflower) December 22, 2023
Lewis does not resent Max for the events that happened in 2021’s season finale. However, he does feel that the FIA wronged him as they did not follow the proper procedures while ending the safety car during the final laps. This eventually led to Verstappen’s first Championship.
Since the 2021 season, Lewis has been trying to win another Championship but Mercedes has not been able to provide him with the right car. Despite this fact, Lewis Hamilton has decided to extend his contract with Mercedes until the 2025 season. He has also refused to go to Red Bull even if the opportunity arises in the near future.
They will be hoping to do so in 2024 as they decided to go for a completely new concept for the car. Even if they are not able to challenge Red Bull in 2024, the team will be hoping to set up their canvas to develop the car into a Championship contender in a few months.