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Max Verstappen's Personal Sacrifice to Secure First F1 World Title Against Lewis Hamilton Revealed by Trainer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Binoy | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 3:33 PM ET

Chasing a Formula 1 world title is one of the toughest challenges in all of sport, and when the chance finally arrives, every detail matters. Back in 2021, Max Verstappen seized his moment and edged out Lewis Hamilton in one of the most dramatic title fights the sport has ever seen.

But as it turns out, the story of that season wasn’t just about what happened on the track. Behind closed doors, Verstappen was making sacrifices few fans ever knew about sacrifices his former trainer has only now brought to light.

Max Verstappen’s former trainer, Bradley Scanes, recently pulled back the curtain on just how much work went on behind the scenes during that epic 2021 title fight. Speaking on a podcast, Scanes shared how Max went the extra mile to squeeze out every advantage he could, especially at the brand-new Saudi Arabian track, which made its debut that year.

He said, “So Redbull did not even have the simulator version of the track in their simulator. And Max managed to find someone online to build out what the track looked like a spec to put on his own simulator. So he could practice the track.”

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Scanes didn’t hold back his praise for Verstappen’s mindset, pointing out that in a title fight where every inch, every tenth of a second, and every single point counts, it’s that willingness to go the extra mile and find new ways to get ahead that separates world champions from the rest of the grid.

How Did the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Play Out? Did Max Gain an Advantage?

The first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021 had everything you could imagine in a title decider — crashes, red flags, penalties, and plenty of chaos between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Under the Jeddah lights, Hamilton came out on top ahead of Verstappen and Bottas, but it was far from a straightforward victory.

Multiple stoppages, dramatic restarts, and a bizarre collision between the two title rivals only added fuel to an already heated championship fight. Hamilton crossed the line 10 seconds clear, leveling the points tally with Verstappen heading into the Abu Dhabi finale.

That set the stage perfectly for one of the most controversial conclusions in F1 history, as Verstappen went on to snatch his very first world title in dramatic fashion a week later in Yas Marina.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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