"Not good for my heart" - Max Verstappen's reaction to close championship battle with Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen claims the intensity of the close battle with Lewis Hamilton was not good for his heart despite emerging victorious at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The first-time title winner won the 2021 F1 championship on the final lap of the race at the Yas Marina Circuit after a late safety car changed the odds dramatically.

In an interview with former Red Bull driver David Coulthard, Max Verstappen reflected on the chaos that occurred throughout the season in his fight against seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman claimed the intensity of the battle was not good for his heart and he was unsure if he wanted to be a part of a similarly heated championship battle. He said:

"It's amazing how everything turned out, but if I had to do it again, I am not sure if I would choose for that. It is also not good for my heart."

The championship battle between the two F1 giants was full of twists and turns, with the FIA having to step in on more than one occasion. David Coulthard feels as if the season was more action-packed than a Hollywood movie. He said in the context of the outcome of the final race:

"If you took a script like that to Hollywood, they would look at it and laugh. They'd say this could never happen, but it did."

Watch the full interview featuring Max Verstappen and his father Jos, below:

---

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton share a moment of respect at the end the of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Despite leading the race until the last lap, Lewis Hamilton was overtaken by Max Verstappen with less than a lap to go at the end of the championship finale in Abu Dhabi.

The Briton, however, was graceful in defeat and was seen embracing and congratulating the 24-year-old Dutchman on his first title win in the sport. Verstappen spoke about the respect he has for Hamilton in the interview with David Coulthard. He said:

"I think what was nice of course Lewis came to me [and said], 'Well done, congrats' and I said thank you very much for an amazing season. At the end of the day, it was an amazing season, regardless of whoever won or came second because we did push each other every single race."

The two rivals are all set to return for the 2022 season of F1 to do it all again from the start. The defending world champion Max Verstappen will return with car #1 instead of #33 as Lewis Hamilton continues with his #44.