“It would have been decided a lot earlier” – Christian Horner and Max Verstappen both feel the latter’s 51G crash at Silverstone delayed dislodging of Lewis Hamilton’s world champion status.
Max Verstappen won the world title in the dying moments of the season, overtaking Lewis Hamilton for the Abu Dhabi win, and his maiden world championship.
It was arguably the hottest title rivalry in the sport’s seven-decade existence, with both drivers tied on points heading into the UAE.
But Verstappen’s Red Bull boss believes the title could have been decided much earlier, had Hamilton not swung Verstappen into the barriers during the start of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
“There have been some big moments.
“It was important to get those victories, the run of results [France and double-header in Austria]. Then there were moments like Azerbaijan we had to come back from.
“It was important to come back strong, and Max did that, and then Silverstone was a key moment, and again how he came back from that.”
It’s still crazy to me that Max Verstappen hit a wall sideways, with 51G and walked away unscathed.
I’m so happy how far we are with the safety in F1, genuinely.
— rie (@High5Forever) July 23, 2021
Max Verstappen agress with his boss…
The impact was mind-numbing – 51G – enough to rush the Dutchman to the hospital for an immediate diagnosis. Verstappen agrees with Horner, especially considering the tightness of the battle, where even the fastest lap bonus points were so crucial.
“Same as Christian. Headbutting the tyre wall in Silverstone wasn’t that great. These were key moments otherwise it would have been decided a lot earlier.
“Especially towards the end of the season, getting a few wins where we didn’t expect it, or a pole position, or even the fastest lap for an extra point.
“These things actually do matter nowadays when you have a championship fight as we had.”
