Jos Verstappen thought it had gone: "Then I walked away and sat down"
18:18, 12 Dec 2021
5 Comments
Jos Verstappen didn't see it coming in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was significantly faster than the RB16B of Max Verstappen. Red Bull Racing had to hope for a miracle and it came courtesy of a crash by Williams driver Nicholas Latifi five laps before the chequered flag.
Jos Verstappen hesitated
"After about five laps I thought: 'this isn't going to be it'. Then I walked away and sat down in a small room upstairs where there was a television. Just alone. Then the safety car arrived and you know that everything can still change," Jos tells in an interview with De Telegraaf. It was just a matter of hoping that all the mess could be cleared away in time, otherwise the race would have ended under the safety car.
Verstappen sr. speaks of an unimaginable scenario. He did find it strange during the safety car that the FIA first decided not to let cars on a lap behind pass the safety car. "I've never experienced that before." However, Michael Masi changed that a few minutes later and they are only too happy with that at Verstappen's camp. "After that, thankfully, we did. The right decision, in my opinion."
For Jos Verstappen, this Sunday is a mighty fine moment. From a young age he has trained his son day in day out with the goal of becoming Formula 1 world champion.
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Two sets of rules...one race. Drivers should threaten not to engage until stewards agree to enforce rules and guidelines as written, not as they chose in order to help one driver gain an advantage over another. If the safety Lewis as it helped Max,, Horner and his faithful would be choking while sobbing about unfairness. But Max wins and all is well.
Hopefully those rules will include sanctions for the performative antics of Horner going forward, severe penalties for stopping short on track, penalties for touching and reviewing an opponents car (can you even imagine the UPROAR if Lewis did that?), close safety car loop holes, etcetera.
I
And yet I don't hear you saying anything about Toto begging the stewards not to bring out the safety car after the Latifi crash. It was never about safety. It was always getting Lewis that 8th championship no matter what else happened. But in this case it didn't go your way. It happens like that sometimes. Now take the loss like a man and move on. See you in 2022.
Heard Hamilton is crying, rumors on twitter. He shouldn't be, he has such a dominant car. His team let him down.
Hams would have won if he didn't hit the brake magic in Baku.
WHat an IDIOT!!!
Jos the Boss was a great driver never got the car later in his career when he was strong at the Orange Arrows. Very happy for him to see success with his son. Raised a young man with great principles.