Super Max: Why the chaos of Abu Dhabi was a fitting end to a wild season
With two drivers entering the final race of the Formula 1 season level on points for the first time since Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni in 1974, there was always going to be drama at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. But few could have predicted the unbridled chaos motorsport fans were subjected to as Mercedes Lewis Hamilton attempted to win a record-breaking eighth world title, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen tried to become just the fourth driver to win a world championship before the age of 25.
The race we got very much mirrored the season itself. It was unpredictable, unconventional, unfair, and wildly entertaining – exactly what this famous title fight deserved – with Max Verstappen emerging as the eventual 2021 Formula 1 Drivers Champion.
After what unfolded on Sunday, it’s easy to forget everything that led us there. The shock of Max’s puncture in Azerbaijan followed by Lewis’ cold tyres costing him the victory only moments later; the controversy of the pair touching at Silverstone to spoil Max’s win streak only for Lewis to win; Max running over his rival’s head at Monza, preventing both drivers from finishing and who could forget Lewis’ win from last on the grid in Brazil after installing a new engine.
The season went from one dramatic twist to the next, right until the very end. Forget the rest of the field, this rivalry had it all.
But what about the final battle in Abu Dhabi? Well, Lewis Hamilton had the drivers title cruelly taken from him, almost at the final turn, through no fault of his own. The seven-time champion countered everything Red Bull threw at him throughout the race and looked set to take number eight in style. From Verstappen’s attempted overtake on the first lap at the turn 6 chicane, to fellow Red Bull Sergio Perez’s heroic efforts to slow him down, it was clear on this occasion Hamilton and his Mercedes were simply too quick for anyone else. But as Hamilton knows all too well, things in Formula 1 can change in an instant.
There is no doubt Lewis would have won if Nicolas Latifi didn’t crash and force a safety car with five laps remaining, allowing Max to pit for fresh tyres, but that doesn’t mean Max is any less of a deserving winner. What if his tyres lasted in Azerbaijan? What if Lewis couldn’t continue after their contact at Silverstone? What if the stewards saw things differently in Saudi Arabia last week? Formula 1 is a sport and like any other it is full of what ifs.
Hamilton has every right to lament what might have been. He was egregiously unlucky. Perhaps he can call Felipe Massa and the two of them can get together and talk about how upsetting it is to lose an F1 title on the final lap due to something out of your control.
Equally, Max has every right to bask in the glory of his incredible fortune, knowing full well he deserved to win the title as much as anyone else, just as Lewis deserved to do and did in 2008.
What has surprised me isn’t the reaction of Mercedes, launching two protests, or the unadulterated celebrations of Max and Red Bull after winning, but that of the neutral fans who have been too busy asking for race director Michael Masi’s head to appreciate the enormity of what they witnessed.
Sure, Toto and the gang can be upset at the bizarre way the Australian communicated the safety car restart with one lap remaining; should all lapped cars have overtaken the safety car? None of them? Just the five of them? For a neutral fan, it shouldn’t have mattered. Why not just enjoy the incredible entertainment you had the good fortune of watching?
Ultimately, what unfolded on Sunday was this. One lap for the championship, winner take all. Lewis, perhaps the greatest of all time, with the lead and some old tyres, versus Max, the young Bull with a brand-new set of softs and one lap to catch his prey. If you haven’t already, go back and watch the final lap of the race. Put everything else out of your mind and watch what happened. In the immortal words of Martin Tyler, “I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again. Drink it in”.
In typical Max style, he was impatient and antsy to make his move, attempting it even sooner than when he dropped pole position on the first lap. Only this time, sneaking down the inside at turn 5, he made it stick.
People have neglected to realise however, it wasn’t over there, I promise you. I’d take Lewis Hamilton with two thirds of a lap on old tyres going for the championship against anybody in the field – except Verstappen. As the black arrow shot itself out of the back straight, Lewis was almost back alongside Max, metres away from being able to take him on the outside. But Max held on just long enough to take the racing line and come out of the corner in front. Job done.
Sure, Lewis was unlucky, and Max should go buy a lotto ticket, but that’s the beauty of sport. Just ask Frank Lampard and every person in England knows, sometimes it just isn’t your day. You take what chances come your way and hope for the best.
If you’d have told me at the beginning of the season that we were going to get a Max vs Lewis title fight which was all square coming into Abu Dhabi and ultimately came down to a last lap overtake, I’d have taken it every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Formula 1 can be a bit of a circus at times, so why not enjoy the show?
