Max Verstappen has admitted that he is yet to exchange text messages with Lewis Hamilton after defeating the Brit at last year’s hugely controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 24-year-old clinched his maiden Drivers’ Championship title under the lights at the Yas Marina Circuit in December after overtaking Hamilton on the very last lap of the race under extraordinary circumstances.
The Mercedes driver led for the vast majority of the contest and looked set to win a record-breaking eighth title until the safety car was called out in the wake of Nicholas Latifi’s late crash.
Race director Michael Masi then gave Verstappen the opportunity to fight back when he allowed the Red Bull man to move through the field by asking only the five lapped cars between himself and Hamilton to overtake the safety car.
Masi’s decision caused plenty of controversy as a result of the widely-held belief that all lapped cars should be required to un-lap themselves in such a situation.
Verstappen went on to nip ahead of Hamilton during the one-lap shootout that followed to claim his first title before…
