Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP
Verstappen serene over Abu Dhabi F1 fallout as Red Bull ‘did nothing wrong’
Max Verstappen says that controversy over Abu Dhabi’s safety car restart has not taken the shine off his Formula 1 world championship success – because he knows Red Bull did nothing wrong.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Dec 25, 2021, 2:05 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Dutchman clinched his maiden F1 drivers’ crown at the Yas Marina circuit on Sunday, after a final lap safety car restart allowed him to overtake rival Lewis Hamilton for the win.
But the way in which the FIA handled the restart, which appeared to be in contravention of its own regulations, prompted a post-race protest from Mercedes that was not settled until many hours after the finish.
Although the FIA stewards rejected Mercedes’ claims, by insisting F1 race director Michael Masi has complete authority over the use of the safety car which therefore supersedes specific rules, the German car manufacturer remains unhappy.
While the controversy over what happened in Abu Dhabi shows no sign of quietening down, and Mercedes has until Thursday to decide whether or not to go ahead with an appeal, Verstappen says he is not too downbeat about the situation.
Asked if the protest and appeal controversy had taken the shine of his title success, Verstappen said: “No, I mean, it's quite typical looking at the season that it happens.
“It is what it is. I mean, we were still happy and enjoying it. And we, as a team, didn't do anything wrong.
“We raced when there was a green light and green flag, so we went for it and we did it on track.”
The Safety Car and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
While the Abu Dhabi controversy will remain a talking point for a long while, Verstappen says that the whole season has been a rollercoaster for both him and the team.
And while he concedes that there were days like Sunday where fortune went his way, equally there were occasions when he felt he deserved better.
“It's been of course, a tough season,” he said. “We had definitely some dominant races, but also in general, I think Mercedes was a stronger team.
“But it's been a really enjoyable battle, having two teams fighting and pushing flat out to the end.
“Of course at times you think, this might not be it, we might not hang on until the end. But there are always surprises.
“Some races I think we have won which we shouldn't. But then also I had quite a bit of bad luck, of course, with the tyre getting taken out [in Baku] and these kind of things.
“So we lost also saw a lot of points by that. But all in all, it's been intense but a crazy season.”
Read Also:
- Why Masi's latest marginal call has left F1 with a sour taste
- Verstappen felt for Hamilton over nature of F1 title loss
- Verstappen will use #1 for 2022 F1 title defence
Verstappen also thinks that Red Bull and himself had to push themselves to levels even they thought were not possible in trying to beat Mercedes.
“We were pushing each other, but we were pushing the whole team behind us as well to another level, which they maybe didn’t think was possible,” he said.
“For everyone it was very intense. To be fighting every single race, everyone had to be so perfect with strategy, preparations before a weekend, no mechanical failures, and all these kind of things. There was a lot of pressure and stress for everyone involved.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article McLaren trials LED wheel cover lights in F1 post-season testing
Next article Sainz "couldn’t have asked for more" to end first Ferrari season
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Max Verstappen
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Why Max Verstappen escaped harsher penalty after FP1 collision in Portimao
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 19 h
Why Max Verstappen escaped harsher penalty after FP1 collision in Portimao
More from
Red Bull Racing
Christian Horner takes cheeky swipe at Guenther Steiner: 'He never achieved an F1 podium'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Christian Horner takes cheeky swipe at Guenther Steiner: 'He never achieved an F1 podium'
Latest news
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
33 min
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
WEC: Barcelona 6 Hours schedule and TV times
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
2 h
WEC: Barcelona 6 Hours schedule and TV times
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
4 h
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe