Will Formula 1 beat Hollywood screenwriters? Christian Horner thinks so! The Red Bull team boss is still ecstatic from the premier class final in Abu Dhabi and doesn’t believe that filmmakers could ever have staged the last round better. Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 title after overtaking Lewis Hamilton.
Before that, Hamilton looked like the sure winner and thus eight-time world champion, but Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed into the wall – with a Mercedes customer engine, of all things. The safety car had to be deployed. There was still a gap between Hamilton at the top and Verstappen in second place, as there were many lapped people in between, which race director Michael Masi had initially refused to lap back. However, he later ordered her to pass the safety car.
This meant that Hamilton on old, hard tires and Verstappen on new, soft tires were exactly one behind the other. Verstappen used the opportunity and his significantly fresher tires to beat Hamilton and crown himself Formula 1 world champion for the first time. As a reminder: Even the starting position before the race could not be surpassed in terms of tension, as the two competitors had traveled to Abu Dhabi with the same number of points.
The entire season was hard to beat in terms of drama: there was action, accidents and controversy. The two title contenders clashed in Silverstone and Monza, and fought fierce battles at the top in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. That also put the fans under the spell of Formula 1! At the US Grand Prix in Austin alone, 400,000 fans came to the track over three days.
“I mean, it has been 47 years since two drivers tied on points in the last race of the season,” said Horner. “I don’t think a Hollywood scriptwriter with a story like that would have come around the corner this year. It made the popularity of Formula 1 skyrocket.” This is one of the reasons why the Red Bull team boss sees the final as the biggest sporting event of the year.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto praises Liberty Media
“It is unbelievable how many new fans we were able to welcome into the sport,” said Horner, who recently extended his contract with Red Bull, about the growing interest in the premier class. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto praises Formula 1 owner Liberty Media for the commitment that has made a major contribution to the growth of the championship.
“It’s not just about the TV product, but also about social media and other things,” said the Italian. According to Binotto, open and transparent communication with fans is one of the keys to success. Horner and Binotto are certain that Stefano Domeniciali was a key figure. Domenicali has succeeded Chase Carey as managing director and president of Formula 1 and has taken the reins of the world championship in hand.
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