Max Verstappen does not believe his 2021 F1 title win was overshadowed by controversy

Max Verstappen firmly believes he deserves his first F1 world title, despite the controversial circumstances surrounding his triumph. The Dutchman overtook title rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to seal his win in a miraculous fashion.

When asked if he felt his title was overshadowed by controversy during a post-season interview with The Guardian, Verstappen said:

“Not at all. I had a very good season and I think I really deserved it. I have been really unlucky as well. People always remember the last race but, if you look at the whole season, the championship should have been decided way earlier.”

After a closely contested season, Max Verstappen arrived at the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on points with rival Lewis Hamilton. While Hamilton dominated for much of the race, Verstappen pulled off an incredible last lap overtake on his rival to snatch away the victory.

While the Dutchman admits that he was lucky in Abu Dhabi to get a safety restart late in the race, he argues that it “balanced out” with several instances of misfortune that he experienced earlier in the season.

For instance, he crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a tire blowout, while leading the race. In Hungary, his race was severely compromised after Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas misjudged his braking and took out nearly half the field.

The Red Bull driver, however, was potentially handed an advantage by race control when they allowed five lapped cars between him and Hamilton to unlap themselves. This allowed Verstappen to directly attack the Mercedes driver during the restart, which was considered grossly unfair by many.

The FIA is currently investigating the events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is set to publish its findings a week before the start of the 2022 season. Max Verstappen believes there is little chance of his title being stripped away, regardless of the FIA’s findings.

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Max Verstappen opens up on “painful” Silverstone crash

Max Verstappen has opened up about the “painful experience” he underwent after crashing out of last season’s British Grand Prix. Verstappen spun out of the high-speed copse corner after making contact with title-rival Lewis Hamilton and smashing into the barriers.

Speaking to The Guardian, the reigning world champion said:

“It was the most painful one of all. It was tough points-wise but literally, it was very painful. My neck, my back, my shoulders. I’m quite tough and I can take quite a hit but it’s not good for your body or your brain to have an impact like that. I got home and for four days I was not watching TV or doing any sim racing because your brain has to rest.”

The onboard telemetry on Verstappen’s car measured the impact at a whopping 51G – one of the highest ever recorded. While he got out of the car on his own after the impact, he was nevertheless taken to the hospital for a thorough check-up.

Meanwhile, Hamilton went on to win the race, despite a time penalty for causing a collision. Verstappen later criticized his rival for his lack of “respect” after the latter celebrated his victory while the former was still in the hospital, undergoing treatment.