Next Sunday (12), Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will decide this year’s F1 title at the Abu Dhabi GP. The two are tied on points, both at 369.5, but the Dutchman has an advantage over his rival in the number of victories. So, if the two don’t score, the Red Bull driver will be the champion.
The possibility of the championship ending in this way has made some fans of the category remember decisions made by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990, defined after accidents.
Senna used to say that “each driver has his limit” and that his was “a little above the others” when confronted with crashes he would have caused throughout his career. When compared to the three-time champion in this aspect, the leader of the current season rejected similarities between him and the Brazilian.
“I find it hard to compare myself to anyone. Of course you always remember quotes from other drivers, but each one is different, you know? This is a season where we’re fighting a lot and because we’re so close I think it’s all relative “, said Verstappen, this Thursday (9).
Even so, the possibility of the championship being defined in an unsportsmanlike manner has been a reason for concern for the FIA ​​(International Automobile Federation), which threatens to take points away from anyone trying to define the title with an attitude contrary to sports ethics.
“I know what’s in the sports code. Nobody needs to be reminded of that. Nothing new added for this weekend,” said the Red Bull driver, before demonstrating confidence in the victory. “The whole season has been like this, sometimes I’m doing really well, sometimes he’s doing really well.
In 1989, two races from the end of the championship, Ayrton Senna needed to win the Japanese GP and the Australian GP to take the title from Prost. In the stage disputed on the Suzuka circuit, however, close to opening lap 47, the Brazilian Senna tried to overtake his rival in the chicane that precedes the main straight, but the Frenchman closed the door, delayed his braking and the two collided at the entrance to the curve, leaving the track.
At that moment, Prost would be the champion. Senna then asked the stewards to push his car and managed to get back into the race. Even with a pit stop to repair his McLaren, he managed to recover in time to seek victory.
After crossing the finish line first, however, the Brazilian was eventually disqualified after the stewards considered that he “cut off the path” by returning to the track after the accident with Prost. In this way, the Italian Alessandro Nannini got the victory, while the French celebrated the title.
On the internet, there is a video dating from 2019, in which some current drivers watch the start of the 1990 Japanese GP, when Senna would have changed the French, after causing an accident right after the start, taking the title, in a situation similar to the previous year.
Verstappen watched the video with his then-partner Pierre Gasly and asks when he sees the move: “Why not?”, before releasing a smile.
Throughout this season, the Dutch and the English Lewis Hamilton have already been involved in several accidents. In the first, the Mercedes driver rear-ended his rival at Silverstone, taking the opponent out of the race, which he later won. In Monza, it was the Dutchman’s turn to beat the Briton and the two left the race.
The most recent incident, however, took place in the last stage, at the Saudi Arabian GP. When forced to return his position to Hamilton, Verstappen suddenly braked and provoked a collision with his rival. The Dutchman was punished with a loss of 10 seconds, but even so he came in second, with the Mercedes driver in first.
“As a driver, you don’t think about these things. You try to do your best to win as a team. The media talks about these things, but I try to be well prepared,” said the Dutchman.
The possibility of a new accident in Abu Dhabi deciding the championship has been the main topic of conversation in the F1 paddock on the eve of the decision on Sunday at 10:00 am (GMT).
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