Max Verstappen bags F1 WDC title with Honda 30 years after Senna

MANILA: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last round of the 2021 Formula 1 season, was indeed a grand finale. 

It was 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen's final race before retirement, it was the last race of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Williams' George Russell under their respective teams, and it marked the cars' final use of 13-inch tires.

But the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP was also memorable for one reason: Red Bull-Honda's Max Verstappen clinched his maiden World Drivers' Championship title — which also made him the Netherlands' first F1 world champion. 

And for Red-Bull's power unit (PU) supplier Honda, Verstappen's achievement followed Ayrton Senna's, when the Brazilian won the WDC in 1991. 

What a way to mark Honda's final run in F1. The Japanese carmaker, which was also a PU supplier to Alpha Tauri, has pulled out of the sport in order to focus on carbon neutrality. 

Verstappen claimed the title away from Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton — who could have been an eight-time world champ — in an intense final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit. 

Hamilton led the most of the laps, but by lap 56 out of 58, Williams' Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers, which brought out the Safety Car — during which time Verstappen pitted for a fresh set of soft tires and closed his gap from Hamilton. 

With one lap of racing remaining as the green flag was waved, the lapped five cars between Verstappen and Hamilton were ordered by stewards to allow the Red Bull driver to pass them (which was a controversial decision that stirred the F1 community). 

And so began the season's last battle between the title contenders at the final lap. Among the memorable battles between them happened in the British, Italian, and Brazilian GPs.  

Verstappen overtook Hamilton into Yas Marina's first hairpin, and while Hamilton attempted to come back towards Turn 9, the Dutch driver defended the inside line. It was a lead he maintained to the finish line. 

F1 fans and pundits view Verstappen as having the makings of a world champ. 

At 17 years old, he made his F1 debut in 2015, and finishing 12th in championship. This was after he ranked third in the drivers' standings in Formula 3. 

In 2016 at the Spanish GP, Verstappen also became the youngest F1 driver to win a race at 18. With consistent point-scoring, he landed fifth in the standings that season. 

In the 2019 F1 season, Verstappen bagged the first Honda win in the hybrid era in Austria. He ranked third again that year, as well as in 2020. 

"I couldn’t have asked for a more insane last race of the year. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, from not really having a chance of winning until the last lap, everything came together, and we had to go for it," Verstappen was quoted as saying post-race. 

"Mercedes won the Constructors’ and we won the Drivers' Championship so it really shows that throughout the whole year we pushed each other to the very end," the Dutch driver added. 

"Lewis is an amazing driver, there is no discussion about it. Of course, we had our moments throughout the season but I think you know that after everything we had an amazing fight this season and I think both teams gave it their all.”

Photos from Formula 1 and Honda

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