“That was the wrong call” - The one blemish on Max Verstappen’s near-perfect season

Ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean believes Max Verstappen’s decision not to follow team orders at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was the only blemish on his 2022 title-winning campaign.
1st place Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 22, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina
1st place Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 22, Abu…

Verstappen stormed to his second world title with ease, win𝓀ning 15 of the 22 races last year.

The Dutchman won nine of the🍌 last 🦩11 races, only failing to register a podium finish in Singapore and Brazil.

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Unlike in his first title-winning campaign, there were fewer controversial moments as Verstappen 🏅showed great maturity and consistency.

Things did boil over at the penultimate race in Brazil, when Verstappen decided not to let Red Bull teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sergio Perez through for sixth-place.

At the time, Perez was in a close fight with Charles Leclerc for P2 in the chaꦺmpionship while Verstappen had already wrapped 🧔up the title.

Grosjean - who drove for Renault, Lotus and H🍰aas between 2009 and 2020 - lauded Verstappen for his 2022 campaign.

"I honestly think it's one of the best [individual seasons] I've seen in F1," Grosjean told the Motor Sport Magazine podcast.

"It’s 99 per cent pe🥃rfect, [with the] one per cent being Brazil. I thi𒁃nk that was the wrong call and the wrong message. Apart from that, there’s nothing you can say [to fault it]. He was there in qualifying, he was there in the race. 

"When you start [going on a] positive spiral, you get everything right a🍎nd nothing can stop you. [Apart from Brazil], honestly, I don't think you can do much better."

Race winner Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB18 performs donuts at the end of the race. Formula 1 World
Race winner Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB18 performs donuts at the end of the race…

Grosjean hailed 🌞Verstappen for being in “a different league”, admitting he had sympathy for Perez as the Dutchman’s teammat🌃e.

 "You don't [beat him]! [It's] as simple as that,” Grosjean added. “Those two races, [he] was 💙just stronger than anyone else. In those races, it’s not hard to be one of the competitors, because you’re just like, 'Well, it is another level'."

"It's hard to be a teammat🥀e, because when you see that happening and you don't [match] it, it hurts a lot," he explained.

"But for the restꩵ of us, [you accept they're] oඣn a different league."

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