Monday, December 13, 2021
Press comments on the F1 final drama
“The most controversial final act in sport”
In a dramatic finale, Max Verstappen dethrones world champion Lewis Hamilton and grabs his first Formula 1 title at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The international press speaks of a “last lap like a heart attack” because of the “controversial decision of the race management”.
Netherlands
NRC: “This title belongs in the same category as the European football team’s victory in 1988, like Richard Krajicek’s triumph at Wimbledon in 1996 and Joop Zoetemelk’s victory at the Tour de France in 1980. Max Verstappen had luck on his side at the right moment. In on the last lap of Abu Dhabi he snatched the world championship title, helped by a controversial decision by the race management. “
De Telegraaf: “Max Verstappen has turned Formula 1 on its head since his arrival. Now he is world champion after seven years – it must be the start for further successes.”
De Volkskrant: “The champagne corks could only pop after four hours of waiting. Sunday was a strange day for Formula 1 and for the Netherlands.”
Great Britain
Sun: “Max Verstappen is crowned world champion in one of the most controversial final acts of sport. It has become a habit for Formula 1 to shoot itself in the foot, but this time it used a rocket launcher. After the pathetic show in Belgium in the summer , where only a few laps behind the safety car were made to fulfill TV contracts, this was a new low point. It showed that the sport is overregulated, that even the world association FIA no longer understands the rule book it was the best title fight in years. “
Daily Mail: “The greatest climax was expected, so Formula 1 gave the world what the world wanted. However, Formula 1 seemed to reverse the concept of fairness and sporting justice. It was a twist on the rule book, the title was in the spirit of the promised drama and spectacle decided. Those who watched loved it. This will undoubtedly go very well on Netflix. But a sober analysis of Max Verstappen’s drive to the world title leaves quite a few observers with a queasy feeling. Win the new Formula 1 Fans with a hand-made finale that is barely understandable outside the stewards’ room? “
Times: “There is no sport that looks more like a TV show than Formula 1. It’s a TV drama on wheels, and Abu Dhabi had the most spectacular and confusing plot twist. Did the right one win? The good one or The bad guy? Well, it was the luckier one. The race control decided that the whole year should be decided in one flying round. Big TV, like the whole season. The bad thing is that the rules have changed as the season got hotter And even the rules for the last round weren’t properly applied. That’s where the mistake lies. ”
Guardian: “Max Verstappen is celebrating his first title, but the huge controversy still leaves doubts about his triumph. In a season in which the two teams have argued more and more bitterly and furiously, the final was a low point in this regard.”
Italy
Gazzetta dello Sport: “The duel of the century will be decided in the last round. Verstappen is world champion at the end of a grueling fight against Hamilton, a battle that will be remembered for a long time. Verstappen-Hamilton, the last round is like a heart attack!”
Corriere dello Sport: “World Champion Max, the last race is more exciting than a movie. The new Formula 1 emperor has humiliated a giant of Lewis Hamilton’s stature.”
Tuttosport: “Max Verstappen wins with ingenuity and stubbornness. He has a lot of talent and little diplomatic skills. His victory marks the beginning of a new era for Formula 1.”
Corriere della Sera: “Super-Verstappen wins the craziest race ever. Hamilton has to bow to the young talent and testify that he is a true sir by hugging the winner.”
Switzerland
view: “Is Max Verstappen a deserved Formula 1 world champion? Yes, if you consider the whole season. Lewis Hamilton finally had an equal rival. And the environment of the two unfortunately injected fuel into the fire with every little thing. The championship was poisoned by it. Both teams constantly ran to the FIA and accused their opponents of violating the rules. In Abu Dhabi, it was not the first wrong decisions by race director Michael Masi that ultimately led to chaos and the understandable Mercedes protest. “
Spain
Marca: “Verstappen is world champion and overthrows the myth of Hamilton. In a uniquely grandiose finale, Max Lewis bites into the dust that remains without the record over Schumacher. It was all lost, but a moment of happiness gave Verstappen the chance. The race of the century . “
As: “Verstappen ‘steals’ Hamilton the best world championship in history. This last lap was truly cinematic, what an epic Formula 1 race! Long live the new king! Mercedes shows itself to be a bad loser.”
Sports: “Verstappen makes history, he is a deserved world champion. He dethrones Hamilton in the cruelest possible way.”
El Mundo Deportivo: “We can only stand up and applaud these racing drivers for minutes or hours! What a memorable spectacle by Verstappen and Hamilton. We were able to experience world championship history!”