MDP Live - Formula E driver Nyck de Vries said that Max Verstappen deserved to be the 2021 F1 champion after seeing his hard struggles throughout last season.
Nyck de Vries is one of the talented drivers who did not get a chance to appear in Formula 1, even though he managed to become the Formula 2 champion in 2019. Currently, he is in the role of reserve driver for Mercedes in the premier class event.
Although he could not feel the competition in Formula 1, De Vries was able to achieve success in other series. He became the first Dutch driver to win the 2021 Formula E world title.
The 26-year-old racer was also happy when he learned that Max Verstappen had successfully won F1 2021. However, Verstappen's achievements had drawn controversy from various parties. This is because Michael Masi as the race director restarted the race on the last lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Despite the various dramas that colored Verstappen's title, Nyck de Vries judged that his compatriot deserves to be a champion.
But on the other hand, Lewis Hamilton also deserves more credit, because the 37-year-old racer has provided fierce resistance throughout last season.
"First of all, I want to say that Max (Verstappen) deserves to be champion," said De Vries, quoted from Motorsport.com.
"He was outstanding in the 2021 season. I think everyone agrees that he deserves to be a champion if you see the sacrifices he has made," he added.
"But at the same time, Lewis Hamilton also had such a good season. He deserved to win in Abu Dhabi," he continued.
"He gave everything to become champion. But unfortunately he lost in an unthinkable way. I understand why this confuses many people," said De Vries.
After the Abu Dhabi GP, which will be the closing event for F1 2021, Hamilton has so far chosen to remain silent, both on social media and in real life.
Fans also suspect the seven-time F1 world champion was very disappointed with the outcome of the race at Yas Marina. When the new FIA President, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, tried to contact him, Hamilton was judged not to be ready to reply to his messages.
Ben Sulayem also considers the attitude shown by the Mercedes driver to be reasonable, considering he is a person who is always hungry for victory.
