Did Max Verstappen deserve to win the Formula 1 World Championship?
The dust has started to settle on the dramatic conclusion to the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi last weekend, and Max Verstappen is now officially World Champion. Lewis Hamilton pushed him as far as he could, but in the end, it came down to a one lap shootout and Verstappen had what it took, to become number one. Well he had fresher tires and a fortunate safety car, but nevertheless he is the World Champ.
Elite consistency
Max Verstappen was unbelievably consistent. He finished 19 races in 2021, which is actually two less than Lewis Hamilton, however, crucially across the races he did finish, he had an average finish position of 1.84. While Lewis Hamilton could only manage an average finish position of 2.76 across the 21 races he completed, almost an entire place different. His unbelievable consistency is highlighted by the fact he finished first or second at every race he finished minus one, and that one occasion was the Hungarian Grand Prix when he recieved a hefty old shunt from Valtteri Bottas . Even when he wasn't winning the race, his ability to still score a large haul of points was excellent, which brings me onto my next point.
Superb damage limitation
This might seem a bit of a weird one, but Max Verstappen's ability to grab a result from an unlikely position against the odds really did put him in good stead. Let me take you back to Russia when it looked like Lewis Hamilton would score a significant blow, when it took P1 in the closing stages. However, with ran teeming down, Verstappen surged through the field to finish second, all after starting the race dead last. When he qualified third in Imola , he stormed off the line to overtake Sergio Perez and Hamilton to take the lead and never relinquished it. Verstappen's ability to grab a result from nowhere ties into his consistency, and where Hamilton had a handful of off races, like in Turkey or Monaco, Verstappen didn't have as many of those days.
Super Speed
It really took until the end of the season for Mercedes to have the superior package and by that point they were playing catchup and Max had just enough in the tank to get over the line. Right from pre-season testing Verstappen seemed to be the fastest man on the grid, and it was super evident during those mid-season races. France, and the double header in Austria, Verstappen seemed in a league of his own. The Red Bull was clearly the fastest car on the grid. However, even when Mercedes dominated the closing stages, Verstappen made sure he was still quick, he was on pole in Abu Dhabi, and should've been on pole in Saudi Arabia.
Wrestling the title from Mercedes
And Verstappen had to do it the hard way, wrestle it back from the Silver Arrows, something no one has achieved since Red Bull and Seb Vettel did in 2013. The challenge is greater emphasized by the fact Mercedes still won the Constructors'. Max's achievement was no mean feat.
Why didn't he deserve to win the title?
Well the obvious reason is the final lap of the final race of the season. When it came down to it, Hamilton was level on points was five laps from a record eighth title. He was 11 seconds clear, and Horner admitted it himself, Red Bull needed a miracle. And that's what they got. Did Red Bull deserve to win the race, absolutely not, and does that mean they didn't deserve to win the crown, maybe? Mercedes have every right in my opinion to feel hard done by, but at the end of the day, what happened isn't Verstappen's fault, so you can't blame him.
