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Max Verstappen is far from perturbed by Mercedes' plans to protest the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The newly-crowned drivers' world champion feels Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton should accept defeat, fair and square.
Verstappen's fight for the 2021 F1 drivers world championship came down to the final lap of the final race. But it was tinged with controversy as Mercedes felt hard done by race director Michael Masi's interpretation of the rules.
Masi's deployment of the Safety Car allowed Verstappen to pit for fresher tires. But in doing so, he also let five lapped cars get between himself and Hamilton.
Masi's decision not to allow lapped cars to pass before reverting his stance abruptly a lap later is what Mercedes are finding tough to swallow.
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His choice to only allow cars between Hamilton and Verstappen gave the latter the advantage on softer, fresher tires against the Briton. The Dutchman ended up taking the lead after the restart before winning the race and the title.
When informed about Mercedes giving notification of their intention to appeal, Verstappen said:
“At the moment it’s still all so new from this season that it’s better not to talk about it too much. But besides that I do think you should be accepting a loss, it doesn’t matter how much it hurts. And I do think, there, that there is a bit of a difference between the teams.”
Max Verstappen remains the world champion but Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes haven't accepted it completely as of yet.
Max Verstappen plans to race with #1 on his car for 2022
Fresh off his maiden F1 drivers' world championship, Max Verstappen has revealed that he plans to run the #1 when action resumes in 2022.
The Dutchman had been racing with #33 on his car but has now earned the right to use #1, something only reserved for defending world champions.
The #1 makes its return to the grid for the first time since 2014. Sebastian Vettel was the last man to run it in a race while driving for Red Bull.
Max Verstappen has now inherited it from Lewis Hamilton, who, despite having the authority to use #1, has normally raced with his traditional #44.
Hamilton did use the #1 during final practice in Abu Dhabi in 2019 but Verstappen will be the man to bring it back when the lights go out in Bahrain next year.
