ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – NASCAR Champion Kyle LarsonThe first Formula One race was the final of the season, and he was as conflicted as anyone about the controversial finish of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen pass Lewis Hamilton on Sunday the final round to claim the title, but the turmoil continued. A late crash wiped out Hamilton’s nearly 12-second lead, Verstappen was pitted against a new yellow tyre, and the race was restarted with one lap remaining. Verstappen overtook Hamilton in the fifth round of a NASCAR-style shootout to win the race and title.
“The race fan in me was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I wish there would be some caution and this could eventually turn out to be fun and make for some drama,'” Larson told. Associated Press.” And then it happened. Then I said, “Well, I don’t know if that’s particularly fair.”
Hamilton took the lead 51 of 58 laps, and the race suffered a bit of a setback after F1’s spectacular season. The seven-time champion seemed so in control that Larson and his team made their way to the exit as yellow flew with five laps. They watched the ending on screens set around the Yas Marina Circuit and on their phones.
Mercedes filed two objections on behalf of Hamilton after the close, both of which were dismissed. Mercedes has brought the case to the International Court of Appeal.
“It looks like they bent the rules a little bit to get a green result, and that seems like their main goal,” Larson said. “I don’t really know F1 well, but it doesn’t seem like they did it to help Max or anything like that. But they made it fun.”
Larson and Verstappen share similarities in their seasons as both have won streaks of 10 high races, both have led the most laps and both have won their first championship after late warning and pit stop because of tyres. In November, Larson needed a belated caution at the Phoenix Raceway to get back into contention, and his Hendrick Motorsports team made the fastest pit stop of the season to get him back on track. Larson led the final 28 laps to the win.
Since then, he has been included in NASCAR’s season-ending championship celebrations, running eight land races – winning three – and making his way to the Middle East to represent NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and HendrickCars .com, the online sales arm, sponsored him for the year when he returned from a nearly one-season suspension for using racial slurs. HendrickCars.com has since signed a full-season sponsorship package through 2023 for Larson, who has also been given a two-year contract extension with Hendrick.
“It looks like they bent the rules a little bit to get the green finish, and that seems to be their main goal. I don’t really know F1, but it looks like they didn’t do it that way. to help Max. [Verstappen] or anything similar. But they made it interesting. ”
Kyle Larson, at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
In Abu Dhabi, Larson happened to meet Fernando Alonso before he even entered the gate and Sergio Perez right after he entered the yard. Alpine reserve driver Daniil Kvyat, who attended his first NASCAR race a week before the Cup Series championship in Virginia, recognized Larson immediately.
“I want to go racing NASCAR!” Kvyat told him.
Funny enough, Larson is wondering how he managed to get into Formula One. When Nikita Mazepin tested positive for COVID-19 before Sunday’s race and Haas only drove a single car, Larson told Haas boss Guenther Steiner, “I should have brought my helmet.”
Steiner reached for his phone, joking, “Let’s see how quickly I can make something happen.”
Alas, Larson is like most other American drivers in that he doesn’t have the FIA super license needed to compete in F1 and has no idea how to get it.
Larson was surprised when the IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward both recognized him and knew about his NASCAR season and then spent time driving Larson around the track in a McLaren 720S. The papaya orange McLaren was priced within 3.2 km on Sunday.
“Sitting in the passenger seat is different,” says Larson. “I never had to focus on the track or figure out what the corners were like. I wish I had to do three or five laps in a row and I would feel more comfortable in the passenger seat. did a great job. If I were in the driver’s seat and he was in the passenger seat, I would have worked really hard to slide all over the place.”
He also regretted not having more time to speak with O’Ward, who was an IndyCar championship contender last season and on Tuesday completed his first test in a Formula car. One.
“I wanted to hang out with him because I wanted to ask him what is his path? He is an IndyCar driver, how will he get to Formula 1?” Larson said. “He was letting me go with him and I was curious, ‘Is this part of his path?’ I just wanted to learn his story.”
Larson said he wants to attend his next F1 race as a fan – not a NASCAR champion with a VIP ticket – to enjoy the atmosphere of a convention weekend. On holiday until Friday, his regular experiences are limited to touristy stuff all over Dubai.
He has visited the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, is planning a trip to Expo 2020, and is taking an excursion into the desert for camel rides, sandboarding and sandboarding. Watch a fire show. This is a great time to be a NASCAR champion, even if the ride into the desert through the dunes doesn’t go well with the current best racer on the dirt track.
“I definitely don’t like the dunes,” Larson said. “I was really sick. Well, not exactly sick, but very nauseous sitting in the third row. I’m not like that anymore.”
