"They managed to keep it clean" - Carlos Sainz on the Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen F1 championship battle

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen managed to have a clean battle this season, according to fellow F1 driver Carlos Sainz. The Ferrari driver told Autosport that he believes the 2021 championship outcome was the result of a clean battle minus any on-track drama.

Speaking about the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, Sainz said:

“For me, the important thing is that nothing dirty, or nothing strange happened on track today and they both kept it clean.”

The Spaniard believes there were lot of uneasy expectations from the clash between the two title protagonists during the final race in Abu Dhabi. Sainz felt the final lap between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen was a clean wheel-to-wheel battle. This was in contrast to some of the races where the two drivers have had contact, leading to further off-track drama.

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No title finale on-track conflict between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Carlos Sainz believes many possibilities arose going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Both title protagonists were expected to collide or crash after their edgy battle the weekend before in Jeddah.

The Ferrari driver, however, felt Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s championship had a fulfilling outcome after a clean on-track battle.

Describing the character of the on-track battle between Hamilton and the new F1 world champion, Sainz said:

“I actually believe that the championship had a good outcome in sight of all the possibilities that there were coming into this race... I think, personal opinion, it was a great battle up front and they managed to keep it clean, no crashes, no contact.”

The outcome of the title battle might have been controversial for several reasons from an audience and fan perspective. Nevertheless, the on-track battle between the two title contenders wasn’t a point of scrutiny in terms of driving, according to the viewers or audience.