"Was he lucky in Silverstone?" - Jean Todt comes out in support of Max Verstappen

Outgoing FIA president Jean Todt has come out in support of Max Verstappen regarding the controversy surrounding the Abu Dhabi race. The former Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari admitted Verstappen got lucky at the Yas Marina. However, Todt feels Verstappen has worked hard all season and was deserving of his fortune on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Speaking at the pre-etiquette press conference at the FIA prize-giving ceremony in Paris, Todt said:

“It is true that he was very lucky in the last lap. But you should see the whole season; Was he lucky in Silverstone? Was he lucky in Azerbaijan? Was he lucky in Budapest? He was not. So, at the end of the day, all season and of course last race, the same number of points, you will have had another expectation, but you know very often Maxi says: ‘it is what it is, I will take it’ and I think he is right by saying that.”

Max Verstappen dominated the first half of the 2021 season. The Dutch driver had built a massive lead over Lewis Hamilton by the month of August. However, over the course of the year, Verstappen has also lost a plethora of potential points through no fault of his own.

Verstappen and Hamilton collided on the first lap of the British Grand Prix, which caused the Dutch raver to DNF. In Azerbaijan, the left rear tire on Verstappen’s Red Bull blew up. He was leading the race comfortably at the time but had to DNF there as well.

Verstappen could only salvage P9 in Hungary after his car sustained severe damage due to a collision between McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.

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Jean Todt says Max Verstappen deserved to win the 2021 title because he was “the best driver this season”

Jean Todt feels that Max Verstappen deserves the F1 world championship because he was the best driver on the grid throughout the course of the season.

Todt said:

“We have to admire and congratulate what happened this year. On one side, you have the best team that is Mercedes, and on the other side you have Max – the best driver this season.”

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a resurgence in form late in the season after taking a brand-new engine from Brazil. The new engine allowed Lewis Hamilton to dominate three consecutive races and cancel Verstappen's lead at the top. Both racers came into the final race, level on points, something that has happened only once in the history of F1.

Hamilton got the better of Verstappen for the majority of the final race and would have finished first with a comfortable lead in Abu Dhabi. However, a safety car period late in the race neutralized Hamilton's advantage. It gave Max Verstappen a final chance at clinching the title. Verstappen, on soft tires, made the most of the opportunity and grabbed his first F1 title.