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Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been at each other's throats for almost the entirety of this roller-coaster 2021 Formula 1 championship season.
Both drivers are in absolutely no mood to yield at any point to win this championship.
With the way the penultimate race of the season played out, it makes everyone wonder the extent to which a driver can go to win this championship. The question on every fan's mind at the moment is whether a 'gentleman's agreement' exists in F1.
What happened in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
Chaotic, hectic, borderline disastrous, engaging — these are just a few adjectives to describe the first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Drivers and fans alike, everyone shared these emotions throughout the race.
The drama for this event unfolded much before the actual race. Max Verstappen and Red Bull were aware of the challenges going into this Grand Prix with Mercedes' pace evident in Qatar. The significance of qualifying ahead of Hamilton would not have been lost on Verstappen.
By going a little too aggressive, Max Verstappen lost his claim to an almost certain pole position during qualifying, by binning a blazingly fast lap with a crash in Q3. Regardless of his relegation to P3 on the starting grid, his reactions post-qualifying and prior to the race showed that the Dutchman was ready to bounce back.
So when the opportunity presented itself in the final standing start, Max Verstappen made a brilliant restart. By Turn 2, he had snatched the lead from both Hamilton and Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon, who were fighting for the same position as well. From there, it was a race to the checkered flag for Verstappen, with a win guaranteeing an extended lead in the championship.
Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton left no stone unturned in their battle with their inch-perfect drives. The pace differential between Mercedes and Red Bull, coupled with the degrading tires on his car, became too substantial for Verstappen to fend off till the end.
As Hamilton overtook him, Max Verstappen pulled off the Brazil-esque defense — going off track and rejoining ahead of Hamilton. Race Director Michael Masi immediately advised Red Bull to get their driver to give the lead back to Hamilton. The way the events turned out from then on proved that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are ready to push to any lengths to win this championship.
A race that seemed calm for the first 10-odd laps then went through two red flags, three standing starts, multiple yellow flags and VSCs, with a confetti of debris on the track for the remainder of the race.
Has the pressure of the championship got to Max Verstappen?
Max Verstappen, abiding by team orders, played a clear strategy to let Lewis Hamilton by and then retake the lead as soon as possible — a fair plan as per the rules. It was the execution of the plan that was concerning. He enacted his play by slowing down in the middle of the track, almost causing Hamilton to crash into the back of his RB16B.
Had Hamilton crashed and been forced to retire, Max Verstappen would have been the world champion, provided he finished on points.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said of the incident:
"I don't know if Lewis didn't want to pass before the DRS zone, but it was very strange to have him drive straight up the back of Max."
Initially stuck behind Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen realized the difficulties of passing the car ahead. He took his chances on the second standing restart, trying to go beyond track limits and stay ahead of Lewis.
As Hamilton got closer, Verstappen deployed the final piece of the plan from his armory to push the race to the point of crashing his championship rival. The pressure of outscoring the reigning champion was evident in the aftermath.
F1 history is replete with instances where drivers have pushed beyond all agreed limits to win the championship. Michael Schumacher did the same with Jacques Villeneuve and Sebastian Vettel with his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. Even Lewis Hamilton and his then-teammate Nico Rosberg had a whole series of such incidents.
These instances may tend to bring out the dark underbelly of the sport, but it only goes on to show that drivers are human too. Redemption lies in rising above these incidents and racing firmly but fairly.
Max Verstappen's race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could hold the key to a championship victory, and possibly his redemption too.
