“The most impossible scenario came true! Five laps before the end of the race Max Verstappen trailed by 12 seconds in second, begged for a miracle! He prayed a safety car, beat Lewis Hamilton on the last lap and won the drivers’ world title for the 2021 season! Incredible!” – wrote Jacob Balciersky in his report after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After such a crazy race at the end of the amazing 2021 F1 season, what did the best drivers on the field have to say?

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Great Hamilton class. Congratulations to Max and his team.

Moments after the race was over, Lewis Hamilton was shocked. He did not get out of the car for a long time and did not respond to the band’s statements on the radio. But when the Briton, who lost his eighth world championship on the last lap, left the car, in a post-race interview he presented himself in a sober and classy manner.

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“First of all, congratulations to Max and his team,” said the 36-year-old Hamilton. – I think we did a great job this year. My team, everyone in the factory, works hard all year long. It was the toughest season possible, and I am very proud of them and thank them that I can continue this ‘journey’ with them. At the end of the season we all did our best and never gave up, said one of the best drivers in Formula One history.

Toto Wolff, President of MercedesThe embarrassing performance of the Mercedes chief. Reclassification. short answer

Happy Verstappen. “Finally, I was a little lucky, it’s cool”

Max Verstappen, in turn, did not hide his joy after winning the first title of his career. – Finally, I was a little lucky – the Dutchman did not hide.

– Something amazing. We struggled throughout the race to get that chance on the last lap. It’s amazing to have contractions after all this. This is madness! The 24-year-old added. – I do not know what to say. My team and Honda deserve it. I love them very much and really enjoy working with them. This year was incredible. I think we can work this way together for the next 10-15 years. There is absolutely no reason to change, I’d like to stay with them for the rest of my life, as long as they let me of course. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko trusted me in 2016, giving me a place on the team. Our goal was to be the world champion and we succeeded today.

Verstappen could not forget his colleague – Sergio Perez. The Mexican did a great job during the race, resisting the attacks of Lewis Hamilton, which gave Verstappen about 10 seconds behind the British.

– I must say “thank you” very much to Chico Perez. Today, he rode with all his heart, did a great teamwork and is a great companion – summed up the Dutch driver.

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