With five laps remaining and a yellow flag heard around the world, Formula 1 fans waited in anticipation to see how the final moments of the season would play out.
Max Verstappen had one lap to pass Lewis Hamilton and with his newer, soft tires, the Red Bull Racing veteran has captured his first career championship.
“It’s unbelieveable,” Verstappen said on the broadcast. “I mean between the whole race we kept fighting. I have a cramp. It’s insane. I have enjoyed working with my team, I love them so much. I’m so happy.”
The move that won Max Verstappen the 2021 Formula 1 championship:
🎥 @TSN_Sportspic.twitter.com/WbWVxsRbb3
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) December 12, 2021
For Verstappen, it was a battle throughout the day.
Hamilton had established a quicker pace from the start of the race and Red Bull opted for strategy coming down pit road three total times thanks to a pair of safety cars – one virtual and one not.
He might have needed a miracle, and he got one on Sunday.
“Finally a bit of luck for me,” Verstappen said in his post-race interview.
Now, in his seventh full-time season in Formula 1, Verstappen can finally say what they envisioned when they brought him in.
Verstappen is on top of the world.
“When Christian Horner brought me on in 2016, our goal was to win a championship and now we’ve done that,” Verstappen said.
