George Russell has taken a pop at Max Verstappen by implying that he may not have legitimately won the 2021 Drivers’ Championship. The Dutchman’s triumph over Lewis Hamilton came via a controversial last-lap overtake in Abu Dhabi, with former FIA race director Michael Masi sacked for his role in the drama.
The battle for the title in 2021 was, and still is considered to be one of the most gripping in the sport’s history. As it transpired, the fate of the Championship went down to the final lap of the final race at Yas Marina Circuit.
With a helping hand from a Safety Car, and Masi’s decision to bring it into the pits with one lap remaining, Verstappen passed Hamilton to clinch the first world title of his F1 career.
Many feel that Hamilton should have been the rightful winner, which would have put him above Michael Schumacher as the all-time leader with eight Drivers’ Championships.
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And when discussing the notion that differences in car performance can be made up during the course of a single off-season, Russell has suggested that he feels the same way by correcting his initial statement.
“You’ve only got to rewind back to 2020, when Mercedes built one of the most competitive cars of all time,” the Englishman told Beyond The Grid. “Then in 2021, Max won the Championship. Or at least there was a battle between Max and Lewis for the Championship.”
Verstappen emphatically answered his critics by storming to a second consecutive world title in 2022, and his momentum shows no sign of slowing. Sitting within three points of making it three in a row, his victory could be sealed at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.
Russell believes that he and several of his competitors are in with a chance of replicating the Dutchman’s success, providing other teams can match Red Bull’s incredible race pace. “I can very, very confidently say that there are five drivers on the grid who, if you put them in the best car, would win a Championship,” he added.
“I have no doubt about that. Of course, Lewis is one of those guys. If I’m going head-to-head with him every week, that gives me the benchmark. To see that I’m swimming and swimming well gives me so much confidence.
“That’s down to me being team-mates with Lewis and holding my own. Every single weekend I go out… Practice, quali, race – you are directly compared to the greatest driver of all time. I don’t think I’ve ever been pushed in my whole career like I’ve been pushed in this last year and a half.”
