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Max Verstappen is 2021 world champion!

Chelsea Bailey 3 min read

Latest Episode | Cut To The Race Podcast

Max Verstappen is the 2021 world champion!

The Red Bull driver wins the Formula One world championship at the last minute, after a dramatic last-lap overtake.

The race started with an unbelievable start from Lewis Hamilton, who then took the lead.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton got close on track, with the Red Bull driver running Hamilton wide.

This means the stewards had to make yet another decision involving both of the drivers.

No investigation was necessary, Hamilton kept the lead.

Sky Sports F1 co-commentator Martin Brundle spoke on the matter, saying:

“It was late but Max stayed on the race track. Whatever the outcome of the decision one of the teams was not going to be happy. They were side by side when the incident happened. They have just go to focus on the race ahead now.”

There was good news for Red Bull though, as Sergio Perez managed to make it up to third place.

Lap 15 sees Hamilton pit, meaning Perez was in the lead.

Perez played his part for the Red Bull team, trying to slow down Hamilton, allowing Verstappen to catch up.

Hamilton claimed “That’s dangerous driving” about Perez.

Hamilton managed to overtake Perez down the straight, but Verstappen managed to close the gap to two seconds.

“Perez is a legend” Verstappen thanked his team mate.

Lap 26 unfortunately saw Kimi Raikkonen, in his final race, having to come to a stop on the track.

After a spin and a brush with the barriers, he got damage on his front wing.

Raikkonen was able to keep going, making his way to the pits, but however had to retire.

Lap 26 saw another driver having to retire, this time George Russell.

Then lap 36 sees Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi ending up having to park his car at the exit of Turn 9.

A virtual safety car was deployed, providing some cars a chance to pit.

It sees Verstappen pit, but not Hamilton.

Mercedes would have risked losing track position if they ended up coming in.

18 laps were to go, and with Hamilton pushing and Verstappen with fresh tires, the gap between the two was getting smaller and smaller.

By the end of the virtual safety car, Verstappen had gained four seconds on Hamilton.

There was still everything to play for, as the gap was coming down nowhere near quick enough for Verstappen to win at that point.

Lap 50 saw Lando Norris with a slow puncture, and having to pit.

This was a big concern for Mercedes, as they told Hamilton to be careful on the kerbs to avoid a puncture.

Verstappen at this point still didn’t seem quick enough.

Lap 53 saw Williams’ Nicholas Latifi crash.

A safety car was deployed and this was the final twist of the race…

Verstappen took the opportunity to pit for soft tires, Hamilton decided to stay out.

A surprised Sergio Perez was told to retire. Did anyone see that coming?

Everything definitely was heating up more and more, with race control deciding that three cars were able to overtake the safety car.

This meant Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were side by side for the last lap of the race.

Hamilton had Verstappen right on his tail with better tyres, but Hamilton kept pushing.

The Red Bull took the lead.

Hamilton wasn’t going to give up, and kept fighting until the end.

However, he couldn’t get past…

Max Verstappen crossed the chequered flag, winning the Formula One 2021 World Championship!

However, all might change as the decision is now in the hands of the stewards, as Mercedes have launched two protests.

Here is the top 10:

Feature image credit: @F1 on Twitter.

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