Photo: @redbullracing
Max Verstappen revealed he raced the final rounds of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship with blurred vision following a 51G crash at the British Grand Prix.
Heading into the Silverstone weekend, Verstappen had built a 32-point lead between himself and Lewis Hamilton following three consecutive GP victories. But on the opening lap of the British GP, the pair came together at Copse, sending the Dutchman flying into the barrier at approximately 180mph.
Although he was later released from hospital following precautionary checks and took part in the subsequent Hungarian GP, he continued to suffer from the aftereffects of his highspeed shunt.
"Since my Silverstone crash, I've been struggling with vision problems, especially on bumpy tracks or those with many advertising boards along the track," said Verstappen exclusively to Red Bull's in-house magazine, Red Bulletin, when discussing his top 10 F1 wins.
Adding to his task was a bout of illness he picked up before the weekend. With 56 laps ahead at a scorching hot Circuit of the Americas, the race was set to be a punishing affair for both.
Nevertheless, he managed to put his Red Bull on pole ahead of Hamilton, and although he lost the lead on the exit of Turn 1, the pair remained locked together throughout the race.
By Lap 38, Verstappen was back in the lead, but with his vision starting to fade, it left him in a dilemma about whether he could even continue the race.
"In this race, I wasn't just battling against Lewis, but also against blurry images," added Verstappen. "It was like driving a speedboat at 300 km/h!
"I've never told you this before, but for a few laps, it was so bad that I seriously considered turning the car off. The only thing that helped was concentrating on my breathing while Lewis was breathing down my neck."
The breathing exercises paid off as he held off the Brit to take a crucial victory, his first in the United States with Red Bull also picking up a double podium finish, through teammate Sergio Perez who came home third despite having no fluids during the race.
He took another step toward the title by winning in Mexico a week later, but the champagne was put on ice as Hamilton came back fighting with victories in Brazil and Qatar reducing the gap from 19 points to eight.
In the penultimate round in Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman had looked set for pole, only for a kiss of the barrier on the exit of the final corner to cost him a spot on the front row.
What followed was one of the craziest races in F1 history, with three starts and a multi-car pile up which caused several drivers to be eliminated.
Then, on Lap 37, after being told to give the lead back following an illegal overtake, the pair collided for the third time in 2021. The Dutchman was blamed for the incident by the stewards, who handed him a 10-second time penalty, leaving the Brit to romp away toward a crucial victory.
Starting from second, Hamilton got the jump on Verstappen into Turn 1, and despite an attack from the Dutchman on the run down to Turn 6, he held the lead.
The Brit's relentless pace put a buffer between himself and the Dutchman, meaning with a handful of laps left to go, he was on course for a record-breaking eighth world title.
However, an accident on Lap 53 involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with five laps left. Red Bull boxed Verstappen for fresh softs in preparation for a restart, while Mercedes kept Hamilton out on old hards.
An agonising four laps followed, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and team manager Jonathan Wheatley pushing then-FIA race director Michael Masi to let the five lapped cars unlap themselves to try and restart the race.
On Lap 57, Masi let the five cars between the title rivals overtake, meaning the championship would be decided on the last lap of the season.
Approaching Turn 5, the Dutchman lunged down the inside of the Brit to take the lead of the race and despite struggling with cramp and the seven-time world champion's late counterattacks, he held on to win his first world title.
Although he was later released from hospital following precautionary checks and took part in the subsequent Hungarian GP, he continued to suffer from the aftereffects of his highspeed shunt.
"Since my Silverstone crash, I've been struggling with vision problems, especially on bumpy tracks or those with many advertising boards along the track," said Verstappen exclusively to Red Bull's in-house magazine, Red Bulletin, when discussing his top 10 F1 wins.
Illness at COTA leads to mentally and physically draining race
When the F1 circus arrived in Austin, Texas, for the first leg of its American tour, the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen was down to six points.Adding to his task was a bout of illness he picked up before the weekend. With 56 laps ahead at a scorching hot Circuit of the Americas, the race was set to be a punishing affair for both.
Nevertheless, he managed to put his Red Bull on pole ahead of Hamilton, and although he lost the lead on the exit of Turn 1, the pair remained locked together throughout the race.
By Lap 38, Verstappen was back in the lead, but with his vision starting to fade, it left him in a dilemma about whether he could even continue the race.
"In this race, I wasn't just battling against Lewis, but also against blurry images," added Verstappen. "It was like driving a speedboat at 300 km/h!
"I've never told you this before, but for a few laps, it was so bad that I seriously considered turning the car off. The only thing that helped was concentrating on my breathing while Lewis was breathing down my neck."
The breathing exercises paid off as he held off the Brit to take a crucial victory, his first in the United States with Red Bull also picking up a double podium finish, through teammate Sergio Perez who came home third despite having no fluids during the race.
Verstappen's title celebrations get put on hold
Verstappen's gritty drive secured him 25 world championship points and crucially helped him regain momentum in the title battle.He took another step toward the title by winning in Mexico a week later, but the champagne was put on ice as Hamilton came back fighting with victories in Brazil and Qatar reducing the gap from 19 points to eight.
In the penultimate round in Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman had looked set for pole, only for a kiss of the barrier on the exit of the final corner to cost him a spot on the front row.
What followed was one of the craziest races in F1 history, with three starts and a multi-car pile up which caused several drivers to be eliminated.
Then, on Lap 37, after being told to give the lead back following an illegal overtake, the pair collided for the third time in 2021. The Dutchman was blamed for the incident by the stewards, who handed him a 10-second time penalty, leaving the Brit to romp away toward a crucial victory.
A controversial finale
With both drivers level on points, the season finale, held at the Yas Marina circuit in the United Arab Emirates became a winner-take-all grudge match with the constructors title between Mercedes and Red Bull up for grabs.Starting from second, Hamilton got the jump on Verstappen into Turn 1, and despite an attack from the Dutchman on the run down to Turn 6, he held the lead.
The Brit's relentless pace put a buffer between himself and the Dutchman, meaning with a handful of laps left to go, he was on course for a record-breaking eighth world title.
However, an accident on Lap 53 involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with five laps left. Red Bull boxed Verstappen for fresh softs in preparation for a restart, while Mercedes kept Hamilton out on old hards.
An agonising four laps followed, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and team manager Jonathan Wheatley pushing then-FIA race director Michael Masi to let the five lapped cars unlap themselves to try and restart the race.
On Lap 57, Masi let the five cars between the title rivals overtake, meaning the championship would be decided on the last lap of the season.
Approaching Turn 5, the Dutchman lunged down the inside of the Brit to take the lead of the race and despite struggling with cramp and the seven-time world champion's late counterattacks, he held on to win his first world title.
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