"I know I won" - Max Verstappen says he doesn’t look back at the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP

Max Verstappen recently claimed he does not rewatch the moment he won the 2021 world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen said he does not revisit the event because he is aware of the result: that he won the race and the world championship.

The Dutchman told De Telegraaf:

"No, I don’t watch that back. I know I won. Usually it’s friends who enjoy watching that back again. I don’t have much to do with it now. Maybe later, when I have stopped."

Max Verstappen won his first world championship, beating Lewis Hamilton during the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, in 2021.

The two drivers were equal on points when the race started, and it seemed that Hamilton was going to win his eighth Formula 1 title. However, a late safety car turned things around as Verstappen pitted for fresh tires and the lapped cars between the two were allowed to unlap themselves.

Lewis Hamilton leads from the safety car followed by lapped cars during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

The two drivers went head-to-head when the safety car returned to the pits and racing resumed on the final lap. Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton and won the race, and with it the world championship.

Steward Micheal Masi's decision was met with widespread criticism, and he was later fired from the post. The title still remains a topic of debate.

Verstappen added that he did go back a few times to witness it but now only looks forward.

"In the months after that race in Abu Dhabi, I did look back a bit, but at some point I only look forward," he said. "This season it might all look easy for the viewer, but then I am completely in that focus and am only concerned with the next race."

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Max Verstappen talks about routine changes in F1

Formula 1 has been trying to make the races more interesting for fans, regularly introducing new weekend formats and changing the already existing ones. There have also been reports that the use of DRS might be banned during qualifying to close the grid up further.

Max Verstappen said he understands why these changes are made, but expressed his frustration with the change in the qualifying format. The Red Bull driver feels that something like the qualifying session, which is almost perfect, should not be modified so much regularly.

He added that not all of the decisions that F1 takes should be for money.

"It's not that I'm completely against changes, as is sometimes claimed. But they should be adjustments that benefit Formula 1. Why change certain things if they're working well? I think a traditional qualifying session, as it is, is well-structured. It shouldn't all be about money," Max Verstappen said.

Verstappen will hope to continue his dominance this season when the F1 returns next weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix.