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Formula 1: Fraternity divided after Verstappen clinches maiden title
Formula 1 and sports fraternity is in splits after Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his maiden Drivers' Championship title in a dramatic last-lap finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Abu Dhabi [UAE]: Formula 1 and sports fraternity is in splits after Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his maiden Drivers' Championship title in a dramatic last-lap finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Verstappen won out a title decider over rival Lewis Hamilton under the lights at Yas Marina while Mercedes clinched a record eighth consecutive constructors' championship on a historic day. The Dutchman lost the lead at the start but he passed seven-times champion on the very last lap of the race after a Safety Car emerged for Nicholas Latifi's crash five laps from the end of the 58-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Earlier, Hamilton had looked the most likely to take that all-deciding win, enjoying a comfortable lead over Verstappen having commanded the race until the safety car emerged.
Red Bull then called Verstappen into the pits and fitted him with soft tyres. Hamilton did not pit and remained on 38-lap-old hard tyres. The race resumed with one lap to go, with Verstappen holding a significant tyre advantage. He caught and passed the Mercedes driver to take the victory.
This maiden F1 triumph of Verstappen created a huge uproar and garnered mixed reactions from all the sporting world, including footballers and cricketers.
"I guess it was an epic race, epic championship, you know," said two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso after the race. "To have the two contenders tied on points in the last race and fighting wheel to wheel in the last lap of the last race, this is something unbelievable. So well done to the sport in general and today to Max."
"Hats off to Max...big congrats & respect!!! Also an awesome performance by Lewis...it's been an epic F1 season!" Nico Rosberg, who won the F1 title in 2016, tweeted.
"Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we've just seen," Williams' George Russell, who will join Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes from next season, wrote on Twitter.
"Very happy for everything, for Max and for my team! In the end, we were able to support and make a difference in the result. A shame not being able to finish the race with another podium in the bag, but happy with the season. Thank you for all your support during this intense season! (Translated from Spanish)" Sergio Perez, who is Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, tweeted.
"A lot of not very happy people. And a lot of very happy people. This is a new way of running the sport where the Race Director can make these ad hoc decisions. Its been a bit too 'guess what I'm going to do now' I think. #f1," 1996 Formula One World Champion, Damon Hill tweeted.
"I'm new to F1 and it's been amazing to watch Lewis and Max battle it out. I'm no expert on it but I feel like there's some bizarre rules that give an unfair advantage like today? Why should Hamilton be penalised for somebody else's crash? He literally raced the perfect race under the highest pressure and gets the World Championship taken away from him. Seems like common sense to keep the lead that you'd raced so hard to gain. Shame it had to end like that," England football team captain Harry Kane wrote in a series of tweets.
"1 ball 6 required and guess what, Max Verstappen hits it. Unbelievable win," India's ODI and T20I captain Rohit Sharma posted. "What a race! Congrats to Max for becoming the World Champion for the 1st time & there will be many more. However, my heart goes out to Lewis. What a season he's had too. If not for the safety car, the trophy would've been his. Sheer bad luck. All the best for the next season," Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Verstappen. The Dutchman is now his country's first world champion, Red Bull's first since 2013, and Honda's first since Ayrton Prost in 1991. (ANI)