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Verstappen, Jos, Abu Dhabi

Why Verstappen wasted no time with championship-winning Hamilton pass

Verstappen, Jos, Abu Dhabi — Photo: © LAT Images
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Why Verstappen wasted no time with championship-winning Hamilton pass

Verstappen passed Hamilton at turn five on the final lap to become F1 world champion

Max Verstappen has explained he would not have been "fully in control" had he not lunged quickly on Lewis Hamilton in the last-lap shootout in Abu Dhabi.

A late safety car and the controversial ending of the period put Verstappen on Hamilton's gearbox with one lap remaining of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

On soft tyres, Verstappen held the upper hand over his rival and struck under braking at turn five in what transpired to be the championship-winning move.

Talking in a CarNext video, Verstappen's father, Jos, revealed he had thought: "Why there? Why there?

"Because then you have two straights after that. So I was thinking he was lining him up to pass at the end of the straight but then it happened there. I think a lot of people were surprised.”

Answering his father, Verstappen explained: “But I knew I had better top speed, so as soon as I was ahead I knew that I could control the defence because when you are behind, he can always close the door and you’re not fully in control.

“So I needed to send it there and then I was in control.”

Verstappen was crowned champion at the FIA prize-giving gala in Paris on Thursday, an event Hamilton failed to attend with the FIA to consider punishing the seven-time title-winner for a breach of sporting regulation article 6.6.

Reflecting again on the championship-deciding pass, Jos added: “I think also he didn’t expect that and that is why I think Max did it at that spot.”

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