The most explosive Formula 1 World Championship of the last decade was decided in Abu Dhabi in an anthological way in favor of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, who rebelled against the overwhelming inertia that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton had established and that put an end to an era of dominance until now incontestable. The British’s first title, the one in 2008, emerged out of nowhere at that crazy Brazilian Grand Prix. Seven crowns and 13 years later, Hamilton already knows how Felipe Massa felt, absolutely devastated. In one of the wildest races in history, Verstappen and Red Bull never stopped believing in a bullshit that 10 minutes before it was all over looked like a real nutty. Not even the priceless collaboration of Checo Pérez, the best of the squires – he stopped Hamilton so that his neighbor in the workshop came closer – seemed enough to turn a highly decanted scale. However, the emergence of the safety car revitalized the options of the team of the red buffalo and his child wonder, forced to play against, knowing that this time they were not the fastest on the track.
In an unforgettable last lap, Mad Max took a slice of the new tires with which he had just fitted his car to pass over his rival, completely disarmed and at the mercy of the enormous voracity of the great protagonist of the year. With this victory, the tenth of his locker in this 2021, Verstappen becomes the first Dutchman to win the champion crown, and incidentally returns the glory to Red Bull, which celebrates its fifth Drivers’ World Cup after the four consecutive that chained Sebastian Vettel (2010-2013). The second position in the Yas Marina circuit went to Hamilton, while Carlos Sainz completed the podium, the best way to close his first exercise clad in the Ferrari jumpsuit: ahead of Charles Leclerc, his neighbor in the workshop in the Scuderia. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, finished the eighth.
Given the tremendous level of tension that has flown over the paddock In the last months, and the ingredients that coincided in the last stop of the calendar, the outcome could not be flat. A week ago, the referees rolled up their sleeves and stepped forward in Saudi Arabia, where they swelled to impose sanctions, especially on Verstappen. Overhangs were made in Abu Dhabi in one of the most decisive moments of any Sunday: the start. The Red Bull driver got stuck in the pole while his opponent shot out and took the lead. The last redesign of the circuit emphasized the relevance of the sixth corner of the track, the point chosen by the Hasselt boy to throw the car into the inside of the turn. The play forced Hamilton to go off the line and cut the second part of the variation to his heart’s content. That activated all the machinery of the energy structure, which by radio tried to influence the decision of the commissioners, unalterable this time.
With the first of the Silver Arrows leading the way, the safety car teamed up with Red Bull, who called their buffalo up to twice to bring him back on the road with charged batteries. The strategic advantage played against the leader (Hamilton) and in favor of the pursuer (Verstappen), who could decide knowingly which way the other had taken. And so they both presented themselves at the decisive moment of the championship, when the safety freed the beasts just one lap from completion, plenty of time for Verstappen to study how to launch the final attack on Stevenage’s runner, completely defenseless, unable to prevent the overtaking of this competitive animal, the best and bravest of all. competitors this course. “This is brutal. You look back and you remember all the kilometers you have done in your life. [Pienso] in all the friends who have helped me and who have been able to come to encourage me here. That it is resolved like this is incredible ”, summed up the new champion, 24 years old, who with his alirón denies Hamilton (36) the eighth wound, the one that would have placed him in a unique plane, above Michael Schumacher.
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