SkySports Commentator Martin Brundle Changes His Tune While Giving Surprise Verdict on Max Verstappen’s Controversial 2021 Title

The battle for the 2021 F1 championship will be remembered as one of the best as Lewis Hamilton’s goal to become an eight-time champion was crushed by a 24-year-old named Max Verstappen. The Dutchman’s contentious 2021 title is still haunting Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton. Since then, several F1 experts and analysts have expressed their opinions on the same, including Martin Brundle. But now it seems that the SkySports commentator has changed his mind.

If we go back to where it all started, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were both in Abu Dhabi seeking the championship title the previous year. When it seemed like Hamilton would get his eighth global title, Michael Masi’s one lone, controversial judgment stole the victory from the British driver. After the incident, the Silver Arrows were in a rage, and Max Verstappen has endured a lot of criticism.

F1 reporter Ted Kravitz used the word “cheating,” in his post-United States debrief, which led him and Sky Sports find themselves in hot water with Verstappen and Red Bull. Fellow SkySports presenter, Brundle, opted to back his colleague on social media.

He wrote, “…my friend and colleague for the past 26 years, Ted Kravitz, has my full support. Face-to-face dialogue is the only way to sort out issues and disputes in the relentless crucible of the F1 paddock. We all have opinions and different jobs to do. That’s life.”

But it now appears like Martin Brundle has changed his mind. He recently said, “I think we have to be clear that championship is not going to change.“It’s a year ago, there are no asterisks, it’s not going to change. That is the defined result of the championship year. Lessons can be learned from it and we can talk about it forever but other than the stewards penalizing Max for what…we’re not going to unravel that. Never going to unravel it.”

READ MORE: F1 Antagonist Role Sees Max Verstappen in the Same Boat as Champions Michael Schumacher & Sebastian Vettel

The man who had one hand on the title in 2021 has suffered the most since then. Last month, Hamilton had to compare the results of 2021 with those of 2008. With this, he was again reminded of the sad reality.

What made the 2021 title battle different from 2008 for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton, who had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022, sat down with Timo Glock for an interview. There they discussed his dramatic 2008 finale, where Hamilton overtook the interviewer in the last turn of the last lap to win the title with one point.

The seven-time champion emphasized a significant difference when Glock questioned him about the similarities between the 2008 and 2021 championships.

Hamilton claimed that the 2021 race was manipulated. He possibly referred to Michael Masi’s safety vehicle fiasco. He said, “No, it was different, it was different (the fight at 2008 and 2021) because this one wasn’t manipulated by anybody. Someone made a decision for that result to be the way it was basically.”

He added, “Similar kind of horrible feeling in your heart and in your spirit. I’m so so grateful for it because it was a real proof that for anybody out there when you are facing adversity, just to never give up, keep pushing, keep chasing, keep going. Miracles do happen. And that was really a miracle moment for me.”

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The title bout helped us see this is not a sport for the faint of heart. Although there was only one incident between Max and Lewis this year, which occurred in the Brazilian GP, fans will wait for another fierce clash in the upcoming seasons.