Verstappen: F1 can't produce drama like Tottenham and Ajax game

Max Verstappen says Formula 1 can’t repeat the same level of drama that sports fans enjoyed in the Champions League semi-final between Ajax and Tottenham on Wednesday.

Spurs, who were 1-0 down from the first leg and subsequently lost another two in Amsterdam, pulled off a miracle by scoring three second-half goals via Lucas Moura, with the last coming in the 96th minute, to progress to the final on away goals. It has been hailed as one of the most climactic finishes to a match in the history of the European Cup or Champions League.

Verstappen, a PSV fan, admits he wanted to see Ajax in the final, but didn’t get too emtional when they were eliminated.

“I was having dinner and I was just following it on my phone,” he said. “I thought OK, that’s in the pocket.

“The final few seconds was a bit dramatic, between Ajax and Tottenham. The other one [Liverpool v Barcelona] I was flying but when I landed I saw the result.

“I’m a PSV fan but still I would have liked Ajax to win. I mean, I’m not crying, like some of my friends.

The #NoFilterUCL angle of Lucas Moura's winner is ? pic.twitter.com/rv358QNziy

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 9, 2019

“Some of my friends were very emotional after the game. One didn’t respond for an hour when I said to him ‘bad luck’. He came back to me and said he was not feeling too well, I’m not that devastated but it would have been great for Ajax to be in the final.”

When asked if he thinks F1 can find a way to replicate such drama, the Dutchman shot down the idea, saying they are two different sports.

“You can’t,” he replied.

“It’s basically like being three laps down and suddenly the guy wins the race. It’s just a different sport, different things can happen, the emotion as well. It’s like one that game is decisive for the rest of the championship. It’s different: We are doing 21 rounds.”

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