Verstappen offers Hamilton sympathy over Abu Dhabi triumph
Verstappen offers Hamilton sympathy over Abu Dhabi triumph
Max Verstappen has revealed his sympathy for Lewis Hamilton for the manner in which the 2021 F1 championship was decided.
But the Red Bull driver is hopeful his rival can understand the emotion that came with securing a maiden F1 title.
Verstappen and Hamilton fought each other in a fierce rivalry that saw drama on and off track, with collisions and near-misses supported by political battles involving team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff.
The intensity continued through to the season finale 12 months ago, when Hamilton looked to have taken control by leading the race going into the closing stages.
A late safety car was then triggered by Nicholas Latifi, an incident which looked set to see the Briton crowned under neutralised conditions.
READ MORE...Verstappen delivers damning F1 sprint verdict
But then-FIA race director Michael Masi rushed the restart procedure, allowing through only a selection of lapped cars between the two championship protagonists - later put down to human error - and not providing these cars with the regulated extra lap needed to join the back of the pack.
Whilst Verstappen was overjoyed with his first title, Hamilton and Mercedes were left furious.
Asked if he had any sympathy for Hamilton, Verstappen told Sky Sports F1: "Of course, it was all looking great but then something like that happens. It is tough.
"The only thing I would say to myself at the time was 'He has seven world championships and he has also won one where it looked like he was losing out and then in the last corner, he didn't'.
"So I hope he could understand there is a difference in emotion but yeah, I felt for him.
"Especially the year we had, of course, we had our moments where we got together but I have always respected him and I think we did have a great battle."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton car camera captures Verstappen's TRUE feelings toward F1 rival
- 27 minutes ago
F1 star hits back at Sky pundit with 'boring old man' jibe
- 1 hour ago
F1 champion DOUBTS passion of new fans
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Horner and Red Bull saga to reignite as F1 legend OFFENDED by official statement
- Today 15:05
EXCLUSIVE: Norris and Piastri 'just like what you see on social media'
- Today 13:57
Hamilton form raises Ferrari F1 move fears
- Today 12:57
Related news
F1 track to test stunning new driver format
Verstappen caught red-handed in failed Red Bull sabotage
Verstappen's F1 break includes one major omission
Marko mourns death of key Red Bull figure after championship win
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860