Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen 2021

A look back on Lewis Hamilton vs Max Versrappen 2021 now that it's a few years removed. The most haunting sporting event's to me, in no order, are the Tyrese game 7 injury, Roger match points up at Wimby vs Novak, and this final race of the 2021 F1 season between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. There's few days where if you take me back to them, my heart starts racing, in anx of knowing what happened. Unfortunately this is one of them. Still none of it sits right with me.

Lewis is the only black driver to ever race in Formula 1. F1 is a sport that has been dominated by the rich, even more so than tennis and golf, so it is not surprising, but to think in a sport that's been around for 75 years has only had 1 black driver... well that is shocking. It's kind of unexplainable. And for that driver to get absolutely scammed out of winning a record breaking 8th World Championship is all too weird.

But let's stick to the facts. This was the closest race throughout the year I've ever witnessed in my short f1 lifespan. Lewis was coming off winning multiple driving championships in a row, and Max was clearly the next driver up. Lewis had a slight lead at the beginning of the year but as the first half went on it was pretty clear that Max had a better car. And to make this better these guys and these teams didn't like each other. At all. I mean Max even could've killed Lewis at one point in the season, running over the top of his car. He would've ran over his head if it wasn't for the recently installed Halo on top of all the cars. Max had a better car and had a lead for the majority of the year. Lewis really made a push in the last half of the year, showing life winning his home GP at Silverstone. Still it seemed as if Verstappen would win, until it got dicey at the end.

Verstappen won in Texas and in Mexico. He was pretty much locked to win the championship. But Lewis made some adjustments to his whip and came out winning the 3 final races in his other home race Brazil, Qatar, and Saudi. At this point now it seems like Lewis is going to win. He's got the better car at this point. He's won 3 races in a row. He's won 7 world titles, 4 in a row, how could he possibly not win the biggest race of his life, to become the WDC all time winningest driver at Abu Dhabi.

So 1 race to decide the champion. 1 a new champion, 1 going for the most titles ever. 1 a legacy child, son in law of Nelson Piquet and son of former driver Jo Verstappen. Nelson publicly said racial slurs about Lewis Hamilton throughout that season. And Lewis on the other hand, the only black driver to ever exist in the sport, and the son of Anthony Hamilton who worked multiple jobs day and night to pay for his son to drive growing up. Verstappen takes pole. Lewis will have to come from behind, nothing he's not used to.

Race starts and Lewis passes Max. I honestly can't remember the lap or when it happened, but all i remember is this. Lewis is leading. He is in 1st for the majority of the race. So much so I thought he started on pole. I didn't even remember him not being in first the whole race. But with about 10 laps left, Lewis in 1st and Verstappen in 2nd but many cars behind Lewis (lapped cars), Lewis cruising to his 8th title, there's a crash. It was for sure Nicholas Latifi. It changes everything. Changes history.

They ride out the race on a yellow flag behind the safety car and honestly it's tight. You're wondering are they gonna release this safety car or not. But for how long it stayed out there and with only 1 lap left you couldn't imagine them pulling the safety car for 1 lap of racing. Verstappen pitted early in the safety car because he had absolutely nothing to lose. He was already losing the race so might as well pit, get good tires, and see what you can do. But there was nothing he could do. Not with 1 lap left and lapped cars between them. So Lewis stays out. Unfortunately there is 0 communication between the FIA and the teams notifying them this is even a possibility, instead seemingly it'll end on a yellow flag. But all of a sudden they pull the safety car with literally 1 lap left. 1 lap. They decide to let Verstappen i lap the lapped cars so he is right behind Lewis on fresh tires to start the last lap. The lead Lewis had built throughout the race is now nonexistent because of Verstappen unlapping the cars and the safety car slowing everyone down.

What sticks out to me is Mercedes manager Toto Wolff saying on the radio along the lines of "this isn't right" "you can't be doing this you know this isn't fair" he repeated. And it wasn't fair. In no way should the guy who led the race for 90% of the time, not win that race. In no way, should that guy not be able to at least pit and get fresh tires and give himself a fair chance against Max, who was in a better car to begin with. In no way, should the guy who's subject to that, be the only black driver in the sport's history about to set the record for the best driver to ever exist. Basically stunt on everybody who's ever been involved in F1. It's a disgrace still to this day. Verstappen passes him halfway through the lap and the rest is history.

But what's crazier than all of that is what proceeded after. Any athlete I've ever watched, LeBron, Federer, etc would be going absolutely insane on whoever they could about what happened. But not Lewis. He congratulated his opponent and walked off silently. No noise. No commotion. Nothing. Just found his dad, and got out of there.

It's why Lewis Hamilton will forever be one of my favorite athletes to ever exist, is the grace he showed upon defeat. If it was me, I'm going absolutely nuts. In the interview, after the race, all of it. I'm going nuts at Verstappen at Red Bull at the FIA at everyone, but not Lewis. He made no scene. I'm not sure he could truly believe what had happened and was in shock, but still to this day he has said very minimal about it. He didn't carry on a month long case demanding the championship to be made his. He didn't appeal anything. He just accepted what had happened. Or tries to play it like that. He knows he should've won, he knows the he's the goat, and he knows if you know you know.

I'd love to talk to Lewis, and have him open up about this day. To me, it has to be a top 2 most painful day any athlete has ever been apart of in the history of sports. I'd put it there with Jesse Owens in the Germany Olympics. But he won and shoved it to Hitler. Not Lewis, Lewis has had to shut up and drive. For years. To me, he is the ultimate athlete. The ultimate sportsman you could ever ask. He takes the whole f1 to dinner every year at Abu Dhabi. Who was he next to i. This years picture? Max Verstappen. Does he hate his guts about what happened? I believe so. Is he going to let that show? Not one bit.

This was so bad Verstappen honestly should have openly said this isn't right this is Lewis's championship. But given how tense their rivalry was, I can't imagine I would've done that either. Lewis hasn't been the same since. He's hardly won races. To me, a person who has dealt with a fraction of what Lewis dealt with on that day, it seems he doesn't want to get in that fire again. He knows it's out of his control. It's not worth it to get embarrassed like that knowing he is the GOAT. That's not how GOAT's are treated and he shouldn't give another ounce to an organization who treats him like that. He knows he could be the real winner and they won't name him it. He was the real winner, and they didn't name him it.

Lewis took the high road that day, and every day since. It's something I can't do or really even fathom. He may not have won that race, or that world championship, or set the record for most World Driving Titles, but he gained fans that day. It's not the fact he's the best driver ever. It's the fact he has stood so openly in support of human rights in a sport that has forever looked the other way that is what's done it for me. Fuck the fact he broke barriers being the only black driver ever. He had the grid supporting Black Lives Matter, he even wore a helmet supporting LGBTQ. He's always got a fan in me and I'm sure others all around the world.

Where I'm from, we recognize him as 8 time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.