‘He didn’t expect me to overtake him’: Max Verstappen lifts lid on Abu Dhabi final lap in new documentary

Verstappen will defend his title starting at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the season-opener later this month

Max Verstappen has revealed new details around the dramatic final-lap shoot-out at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that saw the Red Bull driver beat Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One title at the last race of the season.

The season-deciding race was embroiled in controversy after former race director Michael Masi allowed some but not all cars to unlap themselves under a safety car, putting Verstappen behind Hamilton on fresh tyres following Nicolas Latifi’s late crash.

Masi has since been removed from his post, but Verstappen’s title stood and the 24-year-old is set to defend his championship starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.

Ahead of the 2022 season, a new documentary on Verstappen has been released that shows the dramatic final lap at he Yas Marina Circuit and offers some fresh insight from the Dutchman on how he passed Hamilton on the final lap to win the title.

In it, Verstappen reveals that he caught Hamilton by surprise by attacking the seven-time world champion on a corner for the crucial last-lap overtake, rather than a straight.

“He (Hamilton) didn’t expect me to overtake him there,’’ Verstappen says in a clip from the documentary ‘Verstappen - Lion Unleashed’.

‘’We had less downforce that weekend so we had more top speed,” he continued. “So I wanted to be up front because without DRS I can defend.

“Even if he came alongside me he could never overtake me because of the topspeed advantage. With the grip I had I went for that corner and defended those other corners.”