Verstappen or Hamilton: Prepare for the wildest F1 finale ever

After 21 races, the curtain comes down on the 2021 Formula 1 world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It has been a season like no other with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton pushing each other to the limit, a result which sees both drivers tied on 369.5 points.

The only other time F1 title contenders have been equal on points going into the final race was in 1974 with McLaren's Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni of Ferrari, the former taking the title in the United States by finishing one place ahead of the latter in eighth.

Of course, it is not the first time the drivers championship will be decided in the last race of the season. The 2016 battle between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Hamilton which the former won was one to remember. There was also the 2012 championship between Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. The 2008 championship fight between Hamilton in McLaren and Felipe Massa at Ferrari was another classic, with the title going to the rookie at the Brazilian Grand Prix in extraordinary fashion.

The 2021 championship however stands out above all these ones and this finale will go down as an epic.

For much of the season, Verstappen has controlled the narrative, the young Dutch driver winning nine races and claiming nine pole positions. This has been rare for Red Bull Racing in the Hybrid V6 turbo engine era which has been dominated by Mercedes since the switch in 2014. Indeed, the German manufacturer has won every championship since then, Red Bull claiming their last in 2013 when every team was running V8 engines.

However, this year presents the first time any team has come close to challenging Mercedes and kudos has to be given to Red Bull and Honda for running a package that was more powerful than Mercedes. No team has been able to do this at any point in the current era of engines.

So powerful were Red Bull, it was surreal at how fast they were with Verstappen claiming pole positions and race wins in commanding fashion. Perhaps this irked Mercedes, especially Hamilton and his prospect of winning an eighth world championship which will see him become the outright greatest driver in the sport.

The Brixworth-based team finally found some gains, massive ones for that matter, which resulted in victory in Brazil. This despite Hamilton being punished for changing his engine and contravening DRS regulations.

From this moment, even Red Bull knew the advantage they had enjoyed all season had disappeared. Indeed, Verstappen could not match Hamilton in the subsequent races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, only good enough for second, despite having the lead and playing dirty tricks on Hamilton many times.

Both drivers head to Abu Dhabi with Hamilton again poised to have the advantage, with the Yas Marina circuit getting some modifications which plays to Mercedes strengths. This has led to a conspiracy that Verstappen will take Hamilton out and it will guarantee the Dutch man the championship.

Fans draw comparison to the 1990 championship where the late Ayrton Senna took out his former McLaren teammate Alain Prost in the penultimate race in Suzuka and went on to win the championship. In the previous year Senna did the same thing at the same track, but he was disqualified from the race and Prost won the title. Tempers boiled over so much after that Prost had to leave the Woking-based team and join Ferrari.

Such a notion that Verstappen will do likewise by taking Hamilton out is very questionable because, as much as he has dirty tricks up his sleeves and is willing to take any risk, he simply wants to race. Taking Hamilton out might equally not go unpunished as he has either been given time or grid penalties for most of the clashes he had with Hamilton this season. This happened in Italy and Saudi Arabia and could have been close to punishment in Brazil. Therefore if Verstappen gets punished in Abu Dhabi, he is only giving Hamilton an easy run to the championship.

There is just so much unknown ahead of the race on Sunday. There hasn't been this much excitement towards a finale in a long time. Hamilton and Verstappen have created a spectacle that will be in the conversation and annals of years for years to come. The adrenaline rush could not be any more intense.

May the best man and team win.

---

Kunle is an avid writer with interest in topics on sports, politics and health. His articles have featured in Goal.com, Opera News and Vanguard News. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in International Relations and is an advocate for people living with Hydrocephalus and other neurological conditions.

-----

Pulse Contributors is an initiative to highlight diverse journalistic voices. Pulse Contributors do not represent the company Pulse and contribute on their own behalf.