On December 12, Beijing time, the 2021 F1 finale Abu Dhabi station came to an end, and the year-end championship was decided. Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen overtook Mercedes' British driver Hamilton with his last lap to win the Abu Dhabi championship for the first time, realizing his childhood dream of world championship. Verstappen was also the first Dutchman to win the F1 world title.
However, due to the ups and downs of the race process and the FIA's backlash against the rules at the last minute, Hamilton, who led the race, finally fell short and rubbed shoulders with the historic eighth crown. In response, the British media wrote an article expressing dissatisfaction, arguing that Verstappen stole the championship and accusing Verstappen of benefiting from the rules.
F1 has entered the era of turbocharged power units since the start of the 2014 season, with Mercedes and Hamilton dominating the race for the past seven years, mercedes completing the "seven consecutive titles" of the manufacturer's championship of the year, and Hamil also equaling the record of "car king" Michael Schumacher with seven consecutive titles. In the 2021 season, Hamilton and Mercedes suffered the most violent impact since the establishment of the dynasty, with Verstappen leading the drivers' standings for a long time. The fierce competition did not decide the championship until the final stop, and this year's F1 event was as exciting as a Hollywood blockbuster.
Ever since entering F1 at the age of 17, Verstappen has had high hopes that everyone thinks he is the candidate for the world champion, but when the day comes, the FIA's bizarre behavior makes the title controversial. When we look through the fog and look back at Verstappen's growth, we can see that he is fully worthy of this title.
Verstappen, who began his racing career at the age of 4.5, was talented and dominated the karting scene. In 2014, he won the KZ1 group, the top group of the World Karting Championship. Some insiders commented on Verstappen's performance in the karting field, "Max is very domineering in both lap and race, and will definitely have a place in F1 in the future." ”
In response to talent, Verstappen's father, Joss, who was a teammate of Schumacher, the "car king" of the Benetton team, believes that "this is due to genes, everyone knows that I was an F1 driver." Don't forget, Max's mother, Sophie Kupon, was a great go-kart, and as a teenager, Trulli and a number of other F1 drivers were her underlings. ”
When Verstappen was growing up, his father played an important role. Due to the divorce of his parents, Verstappen followed his father to the racing track as his home from an early age. Father and son rely on each other, and every year they go nearly 100,000 miles for racing, covering the small circuits on the outskirts of the core of Belgium and the Netherlands.
In 2012, Verstappen competed in the World Cup Karting Championship in southern Italy, but withdrew due to a mistake and lost the World Cup crown. At that time, he cried incessantly, and instead of comforting his son, he let his son go to the field alone to retrieve the car fragments, and for the next seven days and seven nights, he did not talk to his son, so that Verstappen thought about the wall. Over the next two years, Verstappen rebounded strongly, winning two European titles and winning the KZ1 World Championship, the highest honor in karting.
In 2015, Verstappen joined F1 Bull Rosso at the age of just 17 years and 166 days, becoming the youngest F1 driver in history. In 2016, he won the F1 Spain race at the age of 18 years and 228 days, becoming the youngest F1 race winner in history.
Being able to drive F1 at a young age not only benefits from his father's guidance in racing technology, but also from his father's ability to negotiate. Recalling the negotiation process for the driver's seat, Joss said: "Before and after the German Grand Prix, three teams, including Mercedes, tried to sign Max, and Red Bull gave the most generous conditions, and we made the deal. According to people familiar with the matter, Joss even said harsh words in the negotiations that "if you don't sign Max, you will regret it in the future".
Verstappen's father
Verstappen was grateful for all the efforts his father had made for his racing dreams. "My father was very knowledgeable about motorsports and was able to tell me a lot of things, and in the go-kart era he was even my mechanic. So he's not just my dad, he's my mentor. ”
Does this title herald Verstappen's own era? Veteran F1 paddock reporter Qian Jun tracked and interviewed Verstappen for many years, he believes, "Verstappen's age to the time to produce results, after becoming a world champion, he finally broke through that layer of window paper, the whole person's aura and realm will be different, will not be so adventurous." But it's too early to say he's in his own time. Next year F1 has a budget cap, and a series of new rules, it will be a brand new car, and it will be time to see if he still has an advantage. ”
Qian Jun predicted that Verstappen's future achievements should be no less than five world champions.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Chen Hua Text Editor: Qin Dongying Caption Source: QIAN JUN MOTORSPORT MEDIA
Source: Author: Qin Dongying