Verstappen recognizes luck in the final test and reports incredible sensation with title

Max Verstappen, 24, said with emotion that he was lucky at the Abu Dhabi GP, whose victory earned him the title of the 2021 F1 season. The Dutchman overtook Lewis Hamilton, with whom he was fighting for the title, in the last lap of the competition.

“It’s just crazy. My goal, when I was little, was to become a Formula 1 driver. You wait for victories, you hope to be on the podium and you hope that when they play the national anthem it will be yours. you’re world champion, it’s something amazing and special,” he said.

The Dutchman acknowledged that some circumstances of the race benefited him. Hamilton looked to have victory in the race and the season underway, but towards the end of the race an accident forced the safety car onto the track.

Verstappen, then, was able to get closer to his rival and, with the tires in better condition, made the overtake on the only available lap after the restart. “Finally, I got a little lucky today. My team knows I love them, and I want to do this with them for the next ten or 15 years.”

The champion praised his main opponent during the season, with whom he had several moments of tension.

“Lewis is an incredible driver, an incredible competitor. He really made it very difficult for us, and everyone loves to see that. It’s emotion, everyone wants to win. For sure, we’ll try again next year and hopefully do it all over again,” he said.

Hamilton congratulated the champion and defended the work of Mercedes throughout the year.

“Congratulations to Max and his team. I’m very proud of my team and very grateful to be a part of this journey with them. We gave everything in this last part of the season and we never gave up, that’s the most important thing,” said the runner-up.