F1 champion Max Verstappen issues surprising Lewis Hamilton take with Abu Dhabi 2021 admission

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen talk after Abu Dhabi 2021 GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen v Lewis Hamilton

Verstappen issues surprising Hamilton take with Abu Dhabi 2021 admission

Verstappen secured his maiden world title in controversial circumstances at the final race of the 2021 campaign

Kevin McKenna

Saturday 21 June 2025 17:59

Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has made a surprising admission regarding his controversial battle with Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

That campaign finale ended in spectacular fashion, with former race director Michael Masi controversially breaking with safety car precedent to set up a last-lap title showdown between the pair.

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On fresher tyres, Verstappen was able to pass his rival in the closing stages to seal his maiden title, much to the fury of everyone associated with Mercedes.

It would go down as one of the most shocking moments in F1 history, but despite the drama and ill-feeling still associated with it, Verstappen insists it was one of his best days in the sport, making a surprise admission about the season as a whole.

The Dutchman praised Hamilton and Mercedes for the 'beautiful' season, suggesting that seeing two teams making so few mistakes across the season was a 'special' achievement.

"I don't need to experience that Sunday again myself, rather not, because then I fear a heart attack in myself," he told Formule.nl.

"The whole season was very intense with a denouement on the last lap of the last race.

"Well, I don't need to see myself back in the cinema later. But that whole season was very intense, with two teams going to extremes. And that is something you have to admire and which is good for the sport.

"Two teams that made so few mistakes for a whole season, that was surely very beautiful and special."

Max Verstappen is chasing his fifth consecutive world title

Verstappen triumph sparks dominant era

Verstappen's triumph would signal a changing of the guard in F1, with the Dutchman clinching the next three championships in succession, while Hamilton has fallen far down the pecking order.

The 40-year-old endured three frustrating years at the Silver Arrows before making the switch to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 campaign.

But that move hasn't gone according to plan, with Hamilton yet to secure a podium finish for the Scuderia over his first 10 outings with his new team.

Verstappen, meanwhile, is facing an uphill battle to clinch a fifth straight drivers' championship, with the Red Bull star behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ahead of next weekend's Austrian GP.

George Russell - Hamiton's former team-mate at Mercedes - has also put himself firmly in contention thanks to an impressive win in Canada last time out.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Sergio Perez Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Michael Masi