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Max Verstappen has stated that he experienced the most intensity in his career during the 2021 Formula 1 season, the year he won his maiden drivers' championship.
Heading into the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen was locked in a tight battle with Lewis Hamilton for the title. He had to beat the Mercedes driver if he was to deny the Briton an eighth F1 title while sealing his maiden crown.
Hamilton started strong at the Yas Marina Circuit, taking the lead on the first lap and controlling it for the most part. Just as he looked on course to defend his title, Nicholas Latifi hit the wall at Turn 14 with just five laps remaining and turned the script on its head.
With a crane being needed to remove Latifi's car, race control decided to deploy the safety car instead of a virtual safety car. Hamilton didn't have enough of a lead on Verstappen to make a pit stop and he couldn't risk giving up track position as it wasn't clear if the race would restart.
Verstappen, on the other hand, made a pit stop to take a new set of soft tires which would be extremely quick once the race restarted. This, however, saw five lapped cars position themselves between him and Hamilton.
With Latifi's car cleared and race control looking to avoid finishing the Grand Prix behind a safety car, they decided to let only the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen un-lap themselves. They then decided to bring the safety car in immediately, which caught both Mercedes and Hamilton by surprise.
With fresher, quicker tires, Verstappen drove down the inside of Hamilton at Turn 5 to take the lead, win the race and clinch his maiden F1 title.
Looking back at that season, the Dutchman stated that he has not felt the same level of tension again in his life and that he has learned from his experiences during that campaign. He told AS:
"No not at all. 2021 was also my first option to win a title. I knew I had to make everything perfect. It's the most intense I've ever felt, fighting every weekend. Now I am much more relaxed. But I want to do more. Past experiences help."
"Not for now" - Max Verstappen on Fernando Alonso being in a title fight in 2023
While praising Fernando Alonso for his skill and achievements, Max Verstappen has stated that he does not see the Aston Martin driver as a potential title rival this year.
Speaking to AS ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing driver said:
"Not for now. I think his car is very good, but not at the level of ours. Although maybe this weekend they will have a good chance to take pole position or win the race, who knows."
The Dutchman also stated that Alonso should've won more races and F1 championships in his career. He opined:
"I know that Fernando thinks that here he has the opportunity to do it and, honestly, I would love to see Fernando win. He should have won a lot more races than he has and he should have won a lot more titles than he has. Fernando is very good. He is still showing it, he is 41 years old and it is crazy to see him still at this level."
He added:
"I have a lot of respect for Fernando. When I was younger and followed Formula 1, he no longer had the best car, in the Ferrari years, but still he fought for the title only because of his driving level, or because of how he positioned himself in the first round."
