{"id":3036,"date":"2022-03-18T11:39:07","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T11:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/3036\/"},"modified":"2022-03-18T11:39:07","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T11:39:07","slug":"max-verstappen-a-mistake-or-crash-can-happen-in-a-blink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/3036\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen: ‘A mistake or crash can happen in a blink’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every sport has its moment in the spotlight. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And for one night in December 2021, I felt like the whole world was watching Formula 1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Record numbers tuned in as Max Verstappen was crowned the 2021 F1 Drivers’ World Champion in the most controversial circumstances imaginable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And that controversy followed Max throughout the season, as many questioned whether the 24-year-old needed to be so aggressive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last year, the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen turned intense. Wheel-to-wheel racing, spectacular crashes, off-track mind games, excitement, rage: it had it all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This weekend, the new F1 season kicks off and people will be expecting more of the same, including the world champion himself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“You want to be as consistent as possible. Of course, you know, you’re not a robot, things can happen,” Max tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There is no way to play well with Max. He readily admits how much he enjoys being called a world champion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, getting to this stage was not easy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to clinch his first Formula 1 title in spectacular fashion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But there was controversy over how the safety car rules, which come out when there is a crash, were applied to slow down the cars and stop the race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many have said that the rules were not followed correctly and put Lewis Hamilton at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Those rules have now been clarified by the sport’s bosses so the same thing doesn’t happen again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But with such a controversial victory, people have wondered if he would beat the seven-time British champion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Clearly not. It is what it is. People have their own opinions and that’s fine,” says Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In Bahrain, just before the 2022 season starts, we find a different Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He jokes with reporters, laughs at football, exercise, and the weather. She’s back for a new year and she’s here to have fun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Max has signed a new contract, which means he will be a Red Bull driver until at least 2028, which he says was “not really a difficult decision”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He thinks it’s important to have a good time with the people he travels the world with, away from family and friends, which he does “with everyone on the team.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“I enjoy working with the people here. We achieved our goal together.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Max proudly wears the number one on his cap and on his car. He is the champion and this weekend he begins the task of winning it again. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s about trying to understand that if today is not the day to win, I still need to score points.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And despite some arguing to the contrary, Max admits that was his focus last year as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“An error or accident can happen in the blink of an eye. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“And when he does, when we race wheel to wheel, people are always very quick to say, ‘ah, but you shouldn’t have taken such a risk. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“But then you wouldn’t fight, you would always stay behind or not take the step.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“You have to calculate the risk.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As Formula 1 moves into a new era, much remains unknown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But one thing we do know. Max Verstappen will always fight. He has that number one, and he goes if he wants to keep it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So with all the controversy that has erupted over the past year, will anything about his style change in 2022? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Maybe my hairstyle, maybe a little shorter. My girlfriend likes it long, but I like it short. So you have to find a middle ground,” says Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Max is trying, not entirely convincingly, to keep a straight face.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Oh, driving? That’s going to be the same, of course.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Listen to the full interview with Max on The BBC 5Live Checkered Flag podcast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Follow Newsbeat on <\/i>Instagram, <\/i>Facebook, <\/i>Twitter<\/a> and <\/i>Youtube.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Listen Newsbeat <\/i>Live at 12:45 and 17:45 Monday to Friday – or listen <\/i>here. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n