‘I can imagine how Mercedes felt’ - Jos reflects on Abu Dhabi two years on

Verstappen famously won his first title against Hamilton on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was on fresh tyres after pitting under the Safety Car caused by Nicholas Latifi’s crash.

It looked like the race wouldn’t restart under the Safety Car - and if it did - Hamilton would have a number of lapped cars between him and the Red Bull driver.

However, race director Michael Masi decided to allow a handful of cars to unlap themselves - not all of them - which controversially contravened the FIA’s regulations.

Speaking in an interview with Planet F1, Jos spoke about Abu Dhabi 2021.

“At the end of the day, I can imagine how Mercedes has felt, but it has nothing to do… we didn’t make those decisions.

“For the fans of F1 and, of course, speaking as Max’s Dad, it couldn’t been better. It was so exciting until the last moment. Of course, for us, the outcome was nice. I can imagine, for Lewis and Toto, it’s not as nice. But that’s how it is, you know, you have to accept it.”

Two years on, Max has added two more titles to his CV, as well as 34 victories.

Jos believes the difference is just the competitiveness of the Red Bull package, rather than any substantial improvement from Max himself as a driver.

“It’s not so much that he is more confident,” Jos added.

“I think, now, we have a more competitive car. That makes a difference. In 2021, I think in the last couple of races Mercedes was above us. We were still competing with a slower car against a faster one. Now, I think we have the edge over everybody else. That’s the difference.”