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“I accepted that Max Verstappen won the Championship”- $540 million worth Toto Wolff still thinks about Red Bull star’s Title victory every day

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I accepted that Max Verstappen won the Championship"- $540 million worth Toto Wolff still thinks about Red Bull star's Title victory every day

Max Verstappen won his first World Championship in Abu Dhabi in December of 2021 under controversial circumstances.

Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton went toe to toe for the World Title last season. They were so evenly matched throughout the campaign that they went into the season finale level on points.

The finale, however, will live long in the memory of F1 fans for being one of the most controversial of all time. Hamilton was in control of the majority of the race. It seemed like he had his eighth World Title in the bag before a late race safety car changed the course of the evening.

After the safety car came out, then race director Michael Masi made a series of questionable calls that gave Verstappen an unprecedented advantage over his rival. This effectively handed Verstappen a golden opportunity and the 24-year-old passed the Mercedes driver on the final lap to win the World Title.

Despite multiple protests and a massive meltdown after the race, Mercedes were not able to overturn the result. It was a painful moment for the Brackley-based outfit, and team boss Toto Wolff has not forgotten.

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Toto Wolff thinks about Max Verstappen win every single day

In spite of being vocal against Masi’s decision making, Wolff never took away Verstappen’s merit. The Dutchman had been spectacular all season long, and Wolff believes he deserved to win, just not under those circumstances.

It’s been seven months since the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, but the defeat still lives fresh in the Mercedes boss’ head. However, he fully credits Verstappen for lifting his first World Championship.

“I think about it every day,” he said to Motorsport. “But I accepted that Max won the championship, because he is a champion who deserves what he got.”

“As it turned out, look, I think I have important values like fairness. And in particular sporting fairness, and that’s what gave birth to my love of sport. Unfortunately, on that particular day, this value was kicked down.”

Verstappen continued his stunning form into the 2022 campaign as well. He is currently 80 points ahead of second placed Charles Leclerc with just nine races to, and is favorite to win the Title once again.

Also read: David Coulthard becomes RB Leipzig $15 Million worth midfielder’s chauffeur for a day

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Somin Bhattacharjee is an F1 editor at The SportsRush and has written more than 2000 articles. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and considers sports to be a part of his life. Somin has been a fan of Scuderia Ferrari since 2010 and his favorite driver is none another than the legendary Fernando Alonso. Other than longing for a Ferrari Championship win once again, Somin spends his free time playing football and basketball.

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