F1 | Verstappen and Hamilton, a great duel with an embarrassing epilogue: victories are not given away

Yet the equal duel between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton would have deserved a better epilogue. The Bahrain GP was exciting in some ways, giving us a great challenge; on the one hand this incredible Red Bull masterfully yearned by the fury of Verstappen, and on the other side of the ring all the class, talent, experience andauthorities of the King of F1, that Hamilton who in the end only knows how to win.

The elements to tell something important, magical, true, were all there: from Sir Lewis's undercut to Max's responses with fast laps, from the first place taken by force by the English champion to the breakneck chase of Dutch champion. Until the crucial moment, a strong, sought-after, bad overtaking. Two drivers, two generations, two single-seaters with different conceptual philosophies compared, confirmation of the challenger's competitiveness against the difficulties of the undisputed dominators.

It's not about wanting to see a change at the top because the Sakhir fight was so good that both contenders deserve nothing but applause. And in fact it is not a criticism of Hamilton or Verstappen, but what is somewhat perplexing is the modus operandi of a category that has become so twisted that it harms itself, that it turns the show into a joke, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

Logically, but also from the heart (racing), it is neither normal nor right to follow a comeback, to remain glued to seeing the lap times, to get excited by the furious chase of one driver over the other, to see two phenomena dueling wheel to wheel and then witness something that goes against nature: Verstappen overtakes Hamilton's Mercedes and after a few corners stops, letting him pass, losing pace (and perhaps momentum) and effectively giving him the victory.

But did he have a mechanical problem? The most naive of spectators asks, why would anyone ever think that voluntarily, after having worked his tail off so much driving like a wrath in the desert, Max - himself, the impetuous, acrobatic, brazen Max Versatappen - could ever accommodate rival Hamilton and kindly give him the triumph.

“Please, I lead the way, they told me from the wall, because they are afraid of the penalty, because I went wide, at turn 4”. And the fearful, diligent and almost cowardly Red Bull that makes its driver move, what is that? But what did we see? At that point, wouldn't it have been better to keep your foot down and get a five-second penalty on the total time, which would have changed nothing? No, Red Bull scored the most sensational of their own goals convinced that Verstappen would easily overtake Lewis Hamilton. Yes, because the guy who won 96 GPs in F1 overtakes him as if he were any other Latifi (with the utmost respect for the Canadian).

Was the fear of the race commissioners stronger than the desire to win? It almost makes you think this and F1, always unclear on track limits, conduct on the track, and penalties, lost in an inflated and chaotic regulatory mix, comes out remarkably badly. After an hour and a half of the race it is unheard of and offensive to witness a driver who, after having made the overtaking move that is worth first place in the last laps, slows down, pulls over and lets his rival pass. It's surreal. And it's the fault of regulatory asphyxiation and inflation. It's no surprise then that Verstappen was sulking and completely disoriented on the podium, he did something that goes against Dna of any pilot. You should have kept Max straight.

Antonino Rendina

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