Neerlandé overtook Briton Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to win what is considered the best World Cup in history.
Newspaper AS of Spain detailed what was the title of Max Verstappen, who snatched the crown from Britain’s Lewis Hamilton in the final minutes of the test in Abu Dhabi.
On its website, as.com, it details that, “You can change the story, whoever says otherwise did not see the Abu Dhabi GP. A five laps to go, Hamilton led a sleepy peloton en route to his eighth title after a Verstappen error at the start. But the canadian Nicholas latifi it was Glock, crashed his Williams under the hotel and unleashed the safety car that would make champion Mad Max. Red Bull decided to stop him and fit new soft tires. “
Mercedes left the Englishman out, because they did not think there was enough time to resume the race. There was time for a complete lap of pure competition, five tremendous kilometers in which Verstappen hounded Hamilton and overtook him at the hairpin that precedes the straights. I do not need them. He threw the car at him, inside the track, hard but clean. He ripped the stickers off the fastest rider of the day because they had left him unable to defend himself. And against all odds, hours before, history changed. Max dethroned the seven-time champion. Long live the new king.
But suffered, sweated, and lost, before winning his first World Cup. From pole, the Dutchman’s start was poor, without mitigating, and Hamilton passed him too easily before turn one. Max tried to hit himself and threw the car at him on the back straight. The Mercedes shortened on the inside and regained the position, when the Red Bull had not exceeded the line, but the FIA considered that there was nothing to judge there. A week ago they said otherwise.
The crown was slipping away, although they still kept a couple of cards: Verstappen stopped first and forced Lewis to do the same. Checo stayed out, brave, to try to stop an unstoppable Mercedes. When the Brit caught up with him, the Mexican grew up with some rubber bands on the canvas for a round and a half, with a hardness rarely seen on his part. Max cut seven seconds! Then Pérez walked away and let the boss do his job. But as soon as they were both in clean air, the Hamilton advantage skyrocketed.
There was a penultimate virtual safety car that allowed Verstappen to change tires, tough new, and chasing Hamilton with wheel advantage. It was useless, he barely stayed about twelve seconds in front of a car that was faster in any circumstance. The chronicles were already written and the Dutch fans were hiding under the flag. The World Cup had ended with Verstappen’s bad start and the commissioners’ failure to review. Nothing could change
until Latifi, five laps from the end, collided with violence against the protections in the third sector while chasing Mick Schumacher. The safety car was essential, although it seemed likely that the race would end after him, because there was little time to clean up the mess. If Hamilton stopped, he would come after Verstappen. It did not. Max yes switched to red tires hoping the race would relaunch with enough time to launch. One try would do the trick. The clock ran, he also counted laps, and Masi reported at a lap and a half from the end that the safety car (car insurance) would leave, that the World Cup would end on the track. Toto Wolff roared over the radio, the Australian replied: “This is car racing.”
The rest is Formula 1 history. Verstappen stuck in the wake of Hamilon and passed him before the straight. He defended himself by meandering before the chicane and gave no option to the ban. Now yes, the World Cup was over. With tears, he took some time in silence in front of Red Bull to celebrate a title that no one took for granted. Hamilton accepted defeat. He is, without a doubt, the best runner-up this sport has known. To beat the driver who has destroyed all the statistics, something else had to be done. Max did it, congratulations.
Sainz’s big podium
Inevitably overshadowed by what happened ahead, Carlos Sainz did a three-in-one at the Abu Dhabi GP with another memorable weekend crowned in the race, spectacular too, to achieve the fourth podium of the year and certify the fifth place in the World Cup, the first of the rest. He started fifth, ate Norris at the start and placed fourth, in clean air. Behind, the problems were primed with Leclerc (tenth with two stops) and Norris (seventh after a slow puncture). Later, Checo abandoned due to mechanical failure and put the third drawer on a carat podium, with the champion and the legend on a platter. There was the Ferrari, with the two best drivers of the year. What a great season finale for Sainz! !What an epic epilogue for the F1 World Cup! (D)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
