Max Verstappen managed to turn himself into the Formula One world champion for the first time in 2021. He beat Lewis Hamilton in dramatic fashion, overtaking him on the last lap in the season finale. But there was some controversy leading up to the overtake as race director Michael Masi ended the safety car period leading up to the last lap.
The last lap overtake by Max Verstappen denied Lewis Hamilton his eighth world championship. Verstappen has since mentioned that Mercedes driver was lucky to have won 7 World Championships previously.
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Max Verstappen on Lewis Hamilton’s championship wins
As reported by the Independent, the Red Bull driver mentioned Lewis had a bit of luck to win seven World Championships in Formula One. He also pointed out that to win so many championships in the sport, you also need a fast car.
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“Everything that comes now is just a bonus and I am just going to enjoy it. You need a bit of luck to fight for seven or eight [titles]. You need a very dominant team as well to do that, so you don’t always have that luck or you are not in that era,” said Max.
“Sometimes it doesn’t happen. For me, I always wanted to win one and you will see where you go from there. Everything that comes now is a bonus, but that doesn’t mean that if I lose a race… I will still be upset, but maybe a few minutes after I will say ‘it’s ok,”’ added the 2021 world champion.
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It is hard to disagree with the 2021 world champion, as Hamilton also won his first championship on the last lap in 2008. But you also need supreme talent and skills to maintain the consistency that the British driver has showcased since then. Hopefully, we will get round two of the Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton rivalry in 2022.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton is a great driver, but who should get credit, Lewis or Mercedes?