Max Verstappen indicated that he is doubtful of copying a tactic used by Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in order to try and win this year’s Formula 1 title.
The Dutchman lines up on pole position at the Yas Marina Circuit, with title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri second and third.
Even if he is victorious, Verstappen cannot win the title if Norris finishes on the podium, as the Brit maintains a 12-point advantage going into the race.
In the 2016 finale at the same circuit, Hamilton, who led the race, deployed a tactic of deliberately slowing down to try and win the championship from an outside position.
Team-mate Nico Rosberg required only second to win the title himself, therefore Hamilton backed him up so he would fall into the DRS range of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari.
Ultimately, the tactic did not work, as Rosberg indeed held on to second to secure the victory.
When asked if he might deploy a similar tactic, should he find himself still in the lead late on, Verstappen appeared sceptical at the idea.
“Yeah, it [the circuit] was also a different layout [in 2016],” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I feel like now you get towed around a lot more, around the lap.
“So it’s probably not as easy to do something like that. The car is also of course completely different to back then.
“I felt like it was a lot easier back then to back it up because the tyres would overheat a lot when you would get close. I remember even in 2016 in some qualifying laps you couldn’t go flat out in Sector 1 to keep the tyres alive in the last sector, which actually was here, for example.
“So, yeah, it’s very different, very different times.”
Verstappen concluded by joking: “I hope it’s not straightforward, the race, but hopefully that’s not because of me!”
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