“Tell That to Vladimir Putin” – F1 Pundit Hits Back At Max Verstappen’s 2022 Title Denier

Max Verstappen’s 2021 Title win was controversial indeed, with many Lewis Hamilton fans demanding Verstappen be stripped of the win. However, the result was allowed to stay as the FIA acknowledged the human error caused by Michael Masi for the chaos.

Verstappen took his second championship win the following year in much more dominant form. With 4 races to go, Max was declared the champion after winning the Japanese GP.

His 15 race wins in 2023 set a new record for most wins in a year. But this wasn’t enough for the Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov who does not consider Verstappen’s 2022 win legitimate.

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Max Verstappen’s title invalid claims Petrov

Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov claims Max Verstappen’s 2022 title is invalid. The former Renault and Caterham driver claims he does not recognise Verstappen as a champion following the FIA’s decision to exclude Russian drivers.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western nations placed heavy sanctions on the country. Sporting organisations have restricted Russian and Belorussian athletes from participating in International tournaments.

Formula 1 and FIA have banned Russian drivers from participating in events. Russia, too has been excluded from FIA events, including the Russian GP. Russians can only participate under a neutral flag.

Petrov, who hails from Russia, calls the move biased. He claims the move has sent the Russian motorsports scene in the past and believes his countrymen should not cave into the pressure of Western sanctions.

To which former F1 driver turned Pundit Ralf Schumacher responded. He reposted the quote by Petrov with the caption, taking a dig at Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Better tell that to your President! Only he can change it,” Ralf wrote. He further wrote, “It’s always a pity when sports can’t be neutral.”

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Max Verstappen prepares for another Championship

A new season has begun, yet it looks like Max Verstappen is likely to defend his title in 2023. Verstappen’s run of form in 2022 and Red Bull’s raw pace in the Pre-season test make him the favourite to win the Championship.

In the preseason test, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has found some momentum with the SF-23. But Verstappen’s teammate Perez. But the duo still look far from toppling the Dutchman.

Mercedes have seemed to solve their porpoising. But the W14 still seems to be a bit slower than the Ferrari’s. Lewis Hamilton himself has found issues with the car’s pace but believes the team is in much better shape than last season.

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin look like Dark horses. But the true potential of the AMR23 will be understood at the season opener at Bahrain on the 5th Match.

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