A Mad Max show

If watching a first-day first show movie provides the maximum thrill, the season-ending Formula One finale in Abu Dhabi provided the last race last lap adrenaline rush. For those who love speed, daring, devilry and overtaking moves which can lock your jaws, what happened last Sunday was heart-stopping.

The crowning of Flying Dutchman Max Verstappen at the Yas Marina Circuit as the new F1 world champion comes amidst a lot of controversies, though there is no doubt he beat none other than seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Let's be honest, Formula One is not a mass sport. Various forms of four-wheeler racing begin with karting. As one keeps moving up the ladder, it gets harder. Only the toughest can survive and that, too, provided they have backing from the right team with the right resources and the right technology. It's not as simple as slipping into the cockpit of an F1 car and thinking you can make the podium.

For those uninitiated into F1, what the latest race in Abu Dhabi has done is that it created more interest in the sport. Those who had not been watching the race also dived into videos and replays. After all, just as there is technology in F1 on a huge scale, there is plenty to watch and learn even for those uninitiated into this sport from archives.

Since times immemorial, F1 fans have been a rare breed. Loyalties have been very strong. And if you have ever watched an F1 race live, there is little chance of not falling in love with it, even though the deafening roars from the speed demons can hurt your eardrums.

This is a sport that brings out the best from the man behind the wheels. Over the decades, F1 has seen plenty of innovations. It looks technical but if you develop a liking for it, then you are bound to get hooked to the sport. For those who have watched F1 from the early days, what is happening now in terms of rivalry is no big deal.

Old-timers who have watched the great rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost will vouch that was the best phase. Sadly, when Senna was killed in that infamous crash in 1994 in San Marino when he went into a concrete wall, it left millions in tears, some in such deep agony, they never watched the sport again for several years. Those who were fans of the Brazilian legend could never digest he was gone forever. Images of that crash and flames which was later made into a movie bring to light what risks are in F1.

This is a sport that has no dearth of characters. The drivers are charismatic, worshipped like God, and command endorsements run into billions of dollars. Is it worth it? Well, just as boxing can kill and bull racing can gore the matador to death, F1 drivers leave their single-seater cars only when they eventually retire.

Cut to 2021, the clash between the two giants, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, had been building up for a long time. Seven years ago, when Verstappen made his debut in F1 at an age of 17, he was the youngest. Racing was in his blood and to develop himself was a matter of time. The change of gears from Formula 3 to the pinnacle was smooth.

Yet, it was not until the last two years the Dutchman started looking so menacing that he could threaten the legacy of Hamilton. F1 has been through difficult and uncertain times over and over again. Internal and external factors, intrigue, politics, everything is there in F1. What matter on race day is which driver is most daring and can produce something so magical, he will leave the audience spellbound.

Michael Schumacher had created a legacy when he won seven world championships. Those who watched Schumacher swore there could be none as good as him. Yet, Schumacher was just a human being, though his relationship with Ferrari of the Prancing Horse fame and all those who backed the red devil was incredible. Once a Ferrari fan is always a Ferrari fan was the saying. That was till the time, Schumi was winning.

F1 did see changes and new champions emerge, though to see Schumacher change teams and race with Mercedes was never the same again. It so happened many of us were lucky to see Schumi in flesh and blood at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida when the F1 Grand Prix was held twice in India.

By that time, Schumacher was a legend for sure but not a winner. That was the time a certain Sebastian Vettel had shown what Red Bull Racing could do. It's the same Red Bull Racing that is going gaga all over again as the world celebrates the arrival of Verstappen as champion.

Everyone now knows the drama and excitement which had been building up in the 2021 F1 season was not one of hype but real horsepower. That two characters, Hamilton and Verstappen were destined to take it to the last minute is a tribute to how hard they raced and how much they wanted to win.

There is a big change from the F1 of yesteryears when Schumacher was king as there were not so many races. Today, there are 22 races packed in the calendar. It's taxing on the man and machine. So, you know very well what all-these men do to keep their bodies in perfect shape. The G-Forces acting on the neck, the back taking a beating are very common in this sport. In addition, to be tested day in and day out for the Coronavirus puts immense pressure on the driver and the teams. This is testing human limits in a very different way, mentally.

Back to the last two races of the season, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi had become high octane stuff. Verstappen messed it up in Saudi Arabia though when he came to Abu Dhabi, he and Hamilton were level on points. What happened on the final day was not fiction but fantasy in Abu Dhabi.

The desert duel turned out to be like a dessert topping if you happened to be eating at that time. By Lap 50, the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen was down to 11 seconds. In Lap 53, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed at the 14th turn, bringing out the safety cars. With five laps to go, Verstappen is called back to change to get on to soft tyres.

In Lap 56, Sergio Perez, who is pitted behind the safety car, is asked to retire. He is Verstappen's teammate. Race control says lapped cars cannot overtake so the safety cars are called in, and they are released. It's then a final lap shootout, as Verstappen is right behind Hamilton after the race resumes. Down at Turn 5, Verstappen lunges and takes the lead. Both the men go wheel to wheel till Turn 9 before Verstappen keeps his winning position.

The protests which followed from Mercedes and the war of words on social media has everyone in a frenzy. All of a sudden, the race director Michael Masi becomes the villain. They say he does not know his job and the rule books are flashed.

Heck, who cares. Hamilton held back his tears and Verstappen celebrated with bubbly. To dethrone Hamilton seemed unthinkable. All of a sudden, one realises how exciting this season has been. Will the rivalry resume in 2022? Maybe, maybe not?

Views expressed are personal