Max Verstappen won the 2021 world drivers’ championship in the most dramatic fashion; he passed Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the race to win his first championship. But before that, his teammate Sergio Perez had played an important role in helping him in his quest.

After the first round of pit stops, Verstappen was around 8 seconds behind the Mercedes driver. But Perez defended brilliantly against Hamilton, which helped Max catch Lewis and cut down the gap to 1 second.

Lewis was not happy that Perez was battling with him and he called his driving dangerous. This left many fans, including former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, fuming.

The British celebrity took to social media to express his opinion on the battle.“Go Perez. Dangerous driving my a***,” said Clarkson.

WATCH STORY: Lewis Hamilton’s Biggest F1 Crashes

It was crucial at that time of the race: Sergio Perez

As reported by Motorsport.com, the Mexican driver mentioned he was aware of the situation of the race and the championship. He stated he was happy that he helped Max win the title.

“It was crucial at that time of the race because I knew that basically, Lewis had the race under control, he had the virtual and safety car windows pretty much open and he could have done whatever he wanted at the time,” Perez said.

“He had the race under control, so it was pretty critical. But at the same time, I was on extremely old tires. It worked well. At the end of the day, I’m happy that I’ve helped Max and the team.

It’s a hard one because, at the same time, you don’t want to interfere too much in the drivers’ championship. But I think above anything, it will always be my team.” concluded the Mexican.

The defense from Checo also earned him praise from his teammate. He instantly thanked the Mexican and called Sergio Perez ‘legend’ for holding off Hamilton.

Perez played the ultimate team game despite not being the fastest driver on the track. He eventually retired from the race because of an engine issue, but his battle with Hamilton will not be forgotten soon.

READ MORE: Is the Yas Marina F1 track a Street Circuit?