Hamilton, Maradona… Toto Wolff’s gigantic rant
December 17, 2021 · by thejudge13

While Lewis Hamilton lost the world Formula 1 championship title to Max Verstappen, Toto Wolff at Mercedes AMG F1 is still not happy.

Wolff and his team are unhappy with the course of events in Abu Dhabi that led to Lewis Hamilton’s defeat. And although the team’s appeal has been withdrawn, the anger is still there. While Max Verstappen was crowned 2021 world champion, Toto Wolff believes the title was stolen from Hamilton.

And in an interview with Bild, the Mercedes boss went on a rant, not hesitating to compare this event to two other big controversies in the sport.
“It’s definitely on a par with Diego Maradona’s hand of God or the 1966 Wembley goal. An inconsistent decision by the race director took the title away from Lewis.

“Lewis and I are still completely unhappy. My heart and soul still weep from every pore. When the principles of sport are flouted and the stopwatch is worthless, you start to wonder if all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears are worth it,” Toto Wolff said of Lewis Hamilton’s loss.

https://thejudge13.com/2021/12/17/ha...gigantic-rant/


Sophie Kumpen: The angels helped us with Max
Jad Mallak
17 December, 2021

Sophie Kumpen, Max Verstappen’s mother, watched her son race to his first Formula 1 Title from her home, as she felt the angels helped the 24-year-old win the race.

The 2021 newly crowned F1 Champion is known for his former F1 driver father Jos Verstappen, who has raced from 1994 till 2003, when he retired to focus in his talented son’s career.

But Max has his mother Sophie to thank as well for getting half of his racing genes, as the Belgian was a racer herself, having previously raced in Karting.

Although Kumpen was not on track to watch her son racing the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, watching the race from her home in Belgium was not any less stressful.

After the race, Kumpen spoke to Belgian newspaper, HLN, about her feelings after her son’s F1 title triumph.

“Only now are we starting to realize it: my son is F1 world champion,” she said. “I screamed and cried.

“Max was a lion because, it must be admitted, Hamilton was the strongest in the race.

“The angels helped us,” the overjoyed mother believed.

She admitted that she had her doubts that Max would win during the race, and before the Safety Car was deployed.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2021/12...d-us-with-max/


Jos: Red Bull were worried, but not Max
Date published: December 17 2021 - Henry Valantine

Max Verstappen held no worries heading into the final lap in Abu Dhabi despite Red Bull’s concerns, said father Jos.

The last-lap dash to the line between the World Championship rivals saw the Red Bull driver pass Lewis Hamilton at Turn 5, before weaving to try and break the slipstream of the Mercedes and hold onto the lead.

Hamilton got a run on the outside of Verstappen the younger, but he was able to hold onto the lead and take his first World Championship in dramatic circumstances.

Mercedes’ protests were dismissed by the FIA and the team dropped their intention to appeal the result of the race, but former Formula 1 driver Jos spoke after the race about how he felt about seeing his son take the chequered flag at the weekend.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jos-re...ax-verstappen/


Verstappen reveals details of podium conversation with Hamilton
17/12/2021, ‎15‎:‎50

The elder Verstappen then admitted that he initially believed the title was slipping away, and had actually withdrawn from the pits as Hamilton dominated out front.

"I left the pit and I went upstairs to sit quietly at my television to see the lap times, because I didn't have the feeling it was going to happen and I didn't want the cameras on my face all the time," he said.

"I was quiet. Raymond [Vermeulen, Max's manager] came in 20 laps before the end. And then [Nicholas] Latifi crashed [with] five laps to go. We were hoping, we were jumping, we were happy and you know, 'Get this guy out of the way and let them race'.

"I can't express it, it was so emotional. Then they did get the car out of the way. The cars between him, they could pass like they normally do. Then there was one more lap to go and everybody knows, if Max is behind on the last lap, he will try, whatever happens.

"We were just thinking where he would do it and he did it at Turn 5, which I didn't expect, because then you have two long straights coming...

"Then Lewis came alongside him into the new fast corner. It was crazy exciting. Tears in my eyes, exciting, nervous, everything comes together..."

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...-with-hamilton