Verstappen: My luck came at the right time

Max Verstappen admitted he was lucky to be the world champion in a season of ups and downs in 2021.

The Dutch believe he saved all the good fortune for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and a safety car late in the race rekindled hopes of beating Lewis Hamilton. Although he led the drivers' standings for most of the season, he would have scored more points if it weren't for the three accidents that occurred in the summer. He was victorious at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but was out of the game due to a tyre burst, and silverstone's accident caused him to rush out of the track and hit the wall, before being hit by Valtely Bottas in the first corner of Hungary.

However, in the closing round, when Nicolas Latifi had an accident, the safety car came out, which gave Verstappen the opportunity to stop for a new soft tyre, which proved crucial when the race resumed on the final lap.

Verstappen said in an interview: "It's hard to describe it in the right words, but you need a little bit of luck in your life and I don't think until then I haven't had much luck this season, otherwise I think the championship would have been decided long ago. My luck came at the right time, and of course you have to be able to seize the opportunity, and that's what we did as a team. ”

The 24-year-old said he knew his chances of winning the title were almost over without a safety car, but he wouldn't give up until the square flag was waved.

He added: "It looks tough and of course I can see them (Mercedes) going faster. I think we tried everything as a team and then I said to myself 'I'm going to do my best, drive to the limit, give it my all and don't make it easy for them'. ”