Max Verstappen got past Lewis Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi GP in dramatic circumstances to seal his maiden world championship.
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2021 Formula 1 world driver’s champion Max Verstappen revealed he was bothered by a foot spasm after he overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP.
Verstappen got past Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi GP in dramatic circumstances to seal his maiden world championship.
But, in a recent interview, he spoke of being affected by cramps right after pulling off the move. He reckons he would not have been able to carry on for another lap thereafter.
“I tried to be really on it with the restart. It was all working well until I crossed the line and started to feel cramp in my leg,” he told The Guardian.
“It’s one of the most painful things that can happen because you’re going full throttle for a long time. You feel the muscle clenching and becoming like a tennis ball.
“Of course the adrenaline helps because, if it were to happen when you’re just walking around, you cannot move. It’s impossible.
“But there was no option; I had to. So I was just keeping it full throttle and I could feel my leg hurting more and more. Luckily, turn five arrived and I went for the move. I had like three seconds off throttle.
“You then have two very long straights and, on the second one where Lewis came back at me, I could feel my foot vibrating. I couldn’t control it because the muscle was having a spasm.
“I was screaming on the radio but the whole lap my foot was going like that (flaps his hand).
“It was completely done. One more lap and I couldn’t have finished the race like that. The stress levels were so high in the final lap that probably your body reacts to that. But you cannot give up.”
It’s no secret that Verstappen and Hamilton’s relationship deteriorated during the season. Such an intense title fight took a toll on both sides.
But after the loss, Hamilton had appeared gracious in defeat. And Verstappen reveals the seven-time world champion congratulated him right after the race.
“I only saw him quickly, when we took our helmets off, and I think it was: ‘Congrats, man.’ I don’t even know the words any more. But it was nice of him, of course, to immediately come over.”
The two haven’t exchanged a text message or anything since then, but that is not out of the ordinary according to Verstappen.
“That’s quite normal – we live our own lives and see each other quite a lot already [when racing].”
Fans will doubtless hope for more wheel-to-wheel action between the two when the 2022 season gets underway in March.
