ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2021

Original race date: Sunday, December 12, 2021

This was one of the best days of my entire life. This is the day that Max Verstappen won his first world championship. Max Verstappen is world champion.

I could not be more proud of both the Red Bull Team and Max himself. We have been a Red Bull family from the beginning and this is the day we have all been waiting for.

I have no notes from this race because it was simply one of the most stressful mornings of my life. We woke up at 6:30 AM in the USA to watch the race. I felt sick the whole time, constantly on edge, wondering what was going to happen.

Hamilton and Max went into this race LEVEL ON POINTS, so the outcome of this one race in Abu Dhabi would determine the outcome of the championship. It was a championship decider like I've never seen.

My memories of the race itself are sketchy at best. I remember the emotions better. For the first part of the race, it just kept beating us down, with less and less hope, the stewards doing what they always do and continuously giving Mercedes every advantage it could. At many points, the race felt completely devoid of hope. I had to keep believing, knowing how insane this sport was, knowing anything could still happen, knowing how much I'd hoped and prayed that Max would win, but seeing no evidence that would indicate that anything except a Hamilton win was coming.

BUT THEN - with one lap left, Nicholas Latifi - God bless him - crashed and caused a red flag. Then when the race restarted, Max got ahead from second, passed Hamilton, and won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

And won the championship.

This will always be a day that I remember for the rest of my life. It was what we have always been waiting for. It was what I always hoped for.

Max Verstappen: World Champion.