Max Verstappen's dad has made an interesting admission after his son won the 2021 Formula One World Championship, adding fuel to the fire to fans' accusations that Lewis Hamilton was 'robbed' of victory.
Hamilton had been in the lead for almost all of the race in Abu Dhabi, but was overtaken on the final lap by his opponent.
He had been on the same tyres since lap 14, while the Belgian-Dutch driver had fresh tyres introduced late on in the race.
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The safety car allowed one final lap of racing and Verstappen's fresh tyres proved to make the difference.
Despite Hamilton getting into the slipstream, Verstappen managed to block it off and take home the win and his first championship.
Many people couldn't help but notice that Hamilton had been 'robbed', as he would have probably won had it not been for the safety car - which is something Verstappen's father Jos has also noted.
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"I'm very proud," he told Sky Sports.
"I mean, of course, because of the safety car we are in this situation."
He added: "The team had a good stretch... I mean, they're doing a lot of things very good and I think Max was the driver this year and he really deserved this championship."
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Reacting to the comments online, one Twitter user wrote: "Even Verstappen's dad seemed to realise Max was gifted that win."
Another said: "So even his dad agrees he was handed the championship. Couldn't f***ing write it. I'm going back to rugby F1 is a farce."
Meanwhile, after the race, a thrilled Verstappen said: "It's insane. I don't know what to say. I'm so pleased for the team and for all these guys. I love working with them so much.
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"Finally today I had a bit of luck. My team know I love them and I want to do this with them for the next 10 or 15 years!"
Hamilton had come incredibly close to winning his eighth world championship, which would've seen him overtake Michael Schumacher's record of seven.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Firstly congratulations to Max and to his team. I think we did an amazing job this year. My team, everyone back at the factory, have worked so hard this whole year, it's been the most difficult of seasons.
"I'm so proud of them and I'm so grateful to be a part of the journey with them.
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"This last part of the season we gave it absolutely everything and we never gave up."
Words by Jess Hardiman.
Topics: Formula One, Lewis Hamilton, Abu Dhabi, F1, Max Verstappen
