From the apotheosis of the drama to the unknowns about Hamilton

• Moments (I) And Barcelona made Messi cry

• Moments (II) Tokyo, as the last bastion: the year that the pandemic could not with the Olympic Games

• Moments (III) Pogacar, the new 'Cannibal' that devours all records

• Moments (IV) The astonishing return path of Pau Gasol towards a retreat at the height of his legend

• Moments (V) Garbiñe Muguruza: doctorate in Guadalajara

• Moments (VI) How Atlético conquered its eleventh League: Koke's WhatsApp, Simeone's order and Llorente's tip

Everything seemed orchestrated by Netflix. But not. What happened during the 2021 World Cup was the most distilled essence of Formula 1, a sport lost for too many years in the bland. The only thing fans of

, the documentary series that delves into the rivalries in the

,

can complain about

not appearing in its fourth season, scheduled for next spring. "They have falsified realities that do not exist, so I am not going to give them interviews, because I like the real things," warned the Red Bull leader a few weeks before dethroning

at the Abu Dhabi GP. Of course, to approach their passionate duel it was not necessary to resort to the

. Reality, once again, once again surpassed fiction.

With five laps to go,

crash

against the

crash

at Turn 14 changed the course of history at Yas Marina. The Williams driver, one of the worst on the grid, triggered the exit of the

, thus adding his name to that of other famous stone guests who chose a title. From

, with a spin at the 1984 Portuguese GP that left the title on a tray for

, by half a point against

, to

, a wall for

in the decisive 2010 Abu Dhabi GP Not to mention the role of

against Hamilton in the last corner of the 2008 Brazilian GP. These precedents, added to

double brawl

with Prost at Suzuka or those of

against

and

, should not hide the substance.

And it is that never in seven decades of F1 two pilots of the talent of Hamilton and Verstappen had played the title to a bullet in the last lap of the last race.

Nor has so much adrenaline ever been spilled on the way.

Who should know best is Hamilton himself, still unable to digest the debacle.

The incessant rumors about his retirement, spread by

, former owner of the Great Circus and refuted by the current CEO,

, are the evidence of this inhuman attrition.

Clamorous absences

Even the checkered flag at Yas Marina wasn't enough. It was necessary to wait until after eleven o'clock at night, when the commissioners dismissed Mercedes' second appeal. It could not have been otherwise, because throughout 22 races, the influence of the FIA ​​referees, led by

, had been as relevant as that of those involved on the track. Verstappen was favored at the time, just as he may have been wronged at other times. Hamilton found reasons to consider himself a victim of the system, although nothing should justify his empty seat at the final press conference. Neither is his absence from the FIA ​​gala, held the day after receiving his knighthood of the British Empire at Windsor Castle.

Any review of the controversies that engulfed the title fight runs the risk of not being entirely exhaustive.

From the start, in Bahrain, when Verstappen was forced by Masi to give up the position to Sir Lewis, until the last lap of the last round of the championship.

In between, just to name a couple, the Monza crash, with the Red Bull's right rear wheel on the Mercedes halo, or the Silverstone crash, almost overlooked by Masi, while Verstappen huffed furiously in the hospital.

There are also a thousand readings on the disputes of Interlagos or Jeddah.

Nothing matters anymore.

What is urgent is a clear regulation and some judges who apply it strictly and consistently.

13 drivers on the podium

F1 should not be carried away by the drift of excesses, more typical of a Hollywood scriptwriter than of healthy sports logic. Among other reasons because the enormous hand-in-hand between Verstappen and Hamilton, added to the talent of those who push from behind, with

at the head, is worth its weight in gold. It should not be forgotten that this was the season where 13 drivers took the podium and where the only one double was signed by

and

for McLaren. It was also the year of Alonso's return, with third place in Qatar and his iconic celebration in the company of Hamilton and Verstappen.

In the negative balance should be mentioned the cancellations due to the covid (Australia, China, Canada, Singapore, Japan) or the scandal of the Belgian GP, ​​when the FIA ​​decided to give points in a race that simply was not such.

Not to mention the sprint qualifications on Saturdays, with plenty of room for improvement, or the Pirelli tire blowouts in Losail and Baku.

The regulatory revolution of the 2022 World Cup, with completely revamped cars, promises even stronger emotions.

If something like that can be conceived.

AND IN 2022

Regulation revolution.

After eight seasons of Mercedes' tyranny, the hybrid era is giving way to a radical change.

The redesign of the cars, with simpler aerodynamics and 18-inch tires, aims to improve the show.

Few new faces.

The only team that will completely modify its line-up will be Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, while Mercedes bets on George Russell and Williams covers the gap of the Briton with Alex Albon.

Without a rest.

The longest World Championship in history, with 23 races, will start on March 20 in Bahrain and end on November 20 in Abu Dhabi.

The big news will be the double in the US, including the premiere of the Miami GP.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Formula 1

• sports

• Max verstappen

• Lewis hamilton

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Formula 1 Hamilton replicates Verstappen under the Yas Marina spotlight

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