"They are doing something that is not allowed": When Jos Verstappen alleged Lewis Hamilton's team was cheating in title battle against Max Verstappen

Back in 2021, Jos Verstappen claimed that Mercedes was cheating in some way during Lewis Hamilton's intense title battle with Max Verstappen. This claim came after Mercedes saw a massive jump in performance in the Brazilian GP.

In the Mexican GP, Hamilton struggled to keep up with Verstappen throughout the race. The Dutch driver pulled an impressive gap between him and his rival in the latter stages of the race. Meanwhile, Hamilton was being attacked by Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez. Verstappen won the race, while Hamilton finished second, almost 16 seconds behind.

In the Brazilian GP, however, Lewis Hamilton was on fire as he was able to finish P5 in the sprint race after starting from the back of the grid. Despite getting a grid penalty for failing a rear wing test, he managed to plow through Sunday's Grand Prix and win the race against Verstappen.

After the 2021 Brazilian GP, Jos Verstappen questioned Mercedes' rear wing. He said that though the team claimed it was simply 'wear and tear' he does not believe it, simply because of the sheer difference in pace from Mexico to Brazilian GP.

“That is not wear and tear, as Mercedes claims. I don’t believe that. I am very curious [about] what they are doing at Mercedes. Such an enormous difference in speed from one race to another. I have never experienced that in my life. I really think that the FIA should look into this," Jos Verstappen told De Telegraaf.

Max Verstappen's father also speculated that Mercedes was doing something fishy with Lewis Hamilton's hands during the 2021 Brazilian GP. He noticed that the Brit's trainer was placing something in the driver's hand before he jumped into the cockpit. Jos raised concern about a fair fight between the two drivers.

"You can see from the footage that something is wrong. In Brazil, Hamilton is handed something by his trainer and then he walks back to his car and dives into the cockpit. I am very curious why that is. If you add it all up it is just strange. Lewis was so fast on the straight in Brazil, Max had no chance," Jos Verstappen told De Telegraaf in 2021.

“It seems to me very strongly that they are doing something that is not allowed."

Following Jos Verstappen's observations, FIA took no particular action on the matter. However, the rear wing's flex was tested but was not deemed illegal by the FIA. The governing body of the sport planned to improve their tests for checking flex on the rear wing in 2022.

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How the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crescendoed after the Brazilian GP

Since no suspicious part was found on Mercedes after the Brazilian GP, the team and Lewis Hamilton continued to fight hard against Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

The Brit's new-found pace allowed him to win Qatar GP. He started the race from behind and was unable to catch Hamilton who started from the pole position and led most of the laps to win the race. The Red Bull driver managed to limit the damage and secure P2.

The fight between the two massively intensified in the Saudi Arabian GP, where both drivers fought hard for the lead in many instances. They even collided with one another and went wheel-to-wheel in several corners. The chaotic race ended with Hamilton winning the race, and Verstappen finishing second.

Both titans entered the final race of the 2021 F1 season level on points. The Abu Dhabi GP became one of the most controversial races of the sport particularly due to questionable decisions made by the race stewards during a safety car period. A few lapped cars during the safety car were allowed to recover themselves. This allowed Verstappen to close the gap and come right behind Hamilton, who was leading the race.

On the last lap of the entire season, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton drove for the world championship. Hamilton kept defending Verstappen but the Dutchman was bold enough to keep attacking and eventually take the lead of the race and win the maiden title of his F1 career.