Formula 1: 3 ridiculous lies to shoot down before 2022
By Asher Fair
Formula 1 lies: No. 2 – Max Verstappen is an illegitimate champion (continued)
Mercedes even had a lawyer on-hand in Abu Dhabi in preparation, an ultimate sign of disrespect which indicated that they believed the 21-race battle between the two to get to this point was somehow a fluke and Verstappen had no other way of winning.
And it’s almost laughable to think about what the media reaction would have been had it have been Sergio Perez taking out Lewis Hamilton, instead of Valtteri Bottas taking out Max Verstappen, on the opening lap in Hungary.
Had Hamilton won the championship, would this incident with Bottas taking out Verstappen have made him an illegitimate champion, had it been the difference in the title battle?
There are other things to point out too: Verstappen’s tire failure in Baku was a net 11-point gain for Hamilton — yes, even with Hamilton’s ensuing mistake; it would have been 36 otherwise — and it didn’t help Verstappen that the Belgian Grand Prix only awarded half points, considering the fact that he was the man to beat.
All in all, Verstappen lost between 40 and 50 points to Hamilton due to these incidents. From top to bottom, he was absolutely the better of the two in 2021.
But even with all of this, perhaps the most important thing to remember is this. Aside from the obvious Mercedes blunders that led to Hamilton being in a vulnerable position (which, mind you, they would never, ever publicly admit), Verstappen still had to make the pass and make it stick.
It sounds simple enough on fresher, softer tires.
But look at how long it took Hamilton to pass Perez earlier in the race. Hamilton was on a harder compound, but Perez’s softs were completely shot. The fact that Verstappen took merely a few corners to take the lead, and the fact that he held off Hamilton twice throughout the rest of the lap, cannot be taken lightly.
Even when the controversial call was made, it was still Hamilton out front, needing to hold that position for just one more lap. Verstappen, knowing he had to catch him by surprise in order to make a pass stick, irrespective of the difference in tires, did just that into turn five.