World Cup showdown in Formula 1: What speaks for Verstappen – and what for Hamilton

World Cup showdown in Formula 1
What speaks for Verstappen – and what for Hamilton

The starting position for the Formula 1 season finale couldn’t be more exciting. World Cup leader Max Verstappen is level on points with second Lewis Hamilton. Will there be a big bang at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? The rivals in comparison.

Ayrton Senna has already done it, and so has Michael Schumacher. And the words of Max Verstappen’s father Jos give an idea of ​​what could happen in the final furioso of a tough and uncompromising World Cup duel on this Sunday (2 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker at ntv.de). “He’ll try everything to get the win, that’s for sure,” announced the former Formula 1 driver: “It’s going to be exciting.” Probably true. “It will be an absolutely insane fight that can possibly be over relatively quickly,” fears ex-driver Timo Glock. It would then not be the first title duel that ends with a crash of the top pilots.

the initial situation

Max Verstappen, 24 years old, already in his seventh year in Formula 1, still without a title, and none of the junior series won the Dutchman. His opponent is Lewis Hamilton, 36 years old, seven-time world champion, 103-time Grand Prix winner, 103-time pole setter. The decision will be made at the 23rd race of the 2021 season. At the Yas Marina Circuit, the two fold their visors down again. They will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with 369.5 points each. If both are eliminated, Verstappen is the new champion.

That speaks for Max Verstappen

As strange as it may sound at first, he has practically nothing to lose in terms of his driving style. He attacks, drives aggressively. If he stays at the (rule) limit, he has nothing to fear. If he is overwhelmed, Verstappen may give everyone a long evening with a decision at the green table. Verstappen has won more victories this season (9) than Hamilton (8). That alone speaks for itself. In terms of sport and driving, Verstappen is an opponent on an equal footing for Hamilton. One who demands everything from the British.

Verstappen came into Formula 1 as a teenager, and even then the Dutchman was not lacking in determination and self-confidence. But Verstappen was also often the victim of his unbridled temperament combined with his ambition. A rowdy on the asphalt. And besides that: In Brazil in 2018, Verstappen freaked out after Esteban Ocon had killed him in an accident. He raged and pushed the French. The punishment: Verstappen had to do community hours. However, it has also matured. Driving, human, only sometimes it just gets through. If he has a grip on himself, it can work. He also knows how to win in Abu Dhabi: he won there a year ago.

Verstappen will no longer be able to take Sebastian Vettel’s title of youngest world champion. The now 34-year-old German triumphed at the Yas Marina Circuit in 2010 when he defeated Fernando Alonso and his team-mate Mark Webber in a breathtaking final in a Ferrari. Vettel won the first title for Red Bull. Verstappen can and now wants to be the one who wins the driver’s trophy for the team of Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz after the Vettel four-pack.

A team with managerial constancy: Christian Horner has been the boss since the start of the 2005 season, Helmut Marko, as head of motorsport, is also responsible for the verbal attack and troublemaking department. This year’s car with an even better Honda engine is ready for the title. The team too, and with all the tricks.

That speaks for Lewis Hamilton

He is the title routinist. He’s the superstar. Since his move to Mercedes as Michael Schumacher’s successor for the 2013 season, Hamilton has found himself. Every year it improves again. The will, the ambition, the passion – everything unbroken. The defeat in the 2016 World Cup fight against his teammate at the time, Nico Rosberg, accelerated the Briton’s process of perfection again.

Hamilton keeps emphasizing. He’s seen what Verstappen is going through so many times. 2007 in its first year with a bad ending. 2008 with a good ending and the first World Cup triumph. Hamilton has been driving in Formula 1 for a decade and a half. His balance sheet shifts the perception of what was previously thought possible. The once lovesick pilot with great fluctuations in performance also became a spokesman in the fight for human rights and against racism. Hamilton interprets its role model far beyond steering a silver arrow, which is still painted black.

Hamilton has long since put aside the impetuosity of a Verstappen. “He still gives himself so much leeway that he knows that he can still evade the situation,” said Glock in his column for Sky. Hamilton stays cool in the cockpit. A big plus in a race like the one ahead. Hamilton can also deliver at the push of a button. Together with Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes Motorsport, he made the team what it is now. He is all the more motivated and determined when things don’t go that way.

Once in a bad mood after defeats, Hamilton has become a motivator, who made his first title perfect for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi in 2014, but two years later had to see Rosberg cheer there. This time his teammate can help him. Valtteri Bottas came in 2017 for the resigned Rosberg, he will be behind the wheel of the Formula 1 Mercedes for the last time. And can become an important World Cup factor if he keeps Verstappen at a distance from Hamilton.

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