Newey on "intense" 2021 title battle between Hamilton and Verstappen

Tempers ran high between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes in 2021, as Verstappen and Hamilton did battle for the drivers' championship. They crashed on many occasions. The boiling point was reached at the British Grand Prix. Hamilton and Verstappen touched at Silverstone, and the Dutchman went across the gravel and into the tyre barriers at a whopping 52G. Hamilton eventually won the race and was cheering on the podium, much to the annoyance of Red Bull and Verstappen's camp. The two crashed again at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza when Verstappen collided with Hamilton, ending up on top of the Briton's car as they went side-by-side into the first-corner chicane.

During the races in Brazil and Saudi Arabia, there were close moments again between the two drivers, but both just managed to stay in the race despite near misses. The final chapter in the 2021 drivers' title fight book came in the final race in Abu Dhabi. That was when Verstappen won the world championship on the last lap, after the controversial decision of the then race director Michael Masi.

Newey looks back at the intense title fight between Verstappen and Hamilton

In the podcast - in which Newey looks back after being confirmed at Aston Martin as the new designer - the Brit looks back on this during his time at Red Bull. "I don't think Max [Verstappen] is crackable," Newey reveals. "Just a little bit in the 2021 title fight. The intensity, particularly after Silverstone, on track between Lewis [Hamilton] and Max became so intense. After that incident, Max had very strong feelings after that Silverstone accident," Newey added.

This article was written in collaboration with Jeroen Immink

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