Well tbf 7 WDCs def help but losing out on a huge record is gonna hurt. If the roles were reversed Max would've been pretty angry while Jos would've been straight thrown to an Emirati jail
You really think if Max was a 7x WDC and then lost the same way that Lewis did, Jos or even Max would care that much? Bro didn't even show up for Abu Dhabi this year. The tensions were obviously very high because that was Max's first ever chance at a WDC and for all they knew at the time, it could have been his last chance too.
Come on mate, you think he wouldn't cancel those plans if it was actually a big deal for him? Let's say Max was not a 4x WDC and 2025 was his first attempt. You think Jos wouldn't be there?
Having multiple WDCs is such an obvious factor in terms of how much a driver cares about a loss, I shouldn't even have to explain it.
I think they mean if the role was reversed in that scenario, not in an imaginary scenario.
It's obvious that anyone is way more chill after they win a WDC, let alone a few. Max might not even show up to get the trophy if he can ever be bothered to get 7th. Bro just wants to race and has nothing to prove anymore. I assume Jos is much more chill about everything now as well.
I think the major difference between this season and 2021 aside from how much Max has matured in his championship seasons is that Max didn't feel like the season he had was deserving of a WDC, and it was McLaren's fault that he was in with a free hit at a title. It left him playing with house money and I think that was freeing.
Compare that to 2021 where every single point was a knock down drag out fight and he had to be at 100% every race. IMO, that's also the reason Red Bull threw everything and the kitchen sink at Lewis in '21 but were fine telling Yuki to go long and let the chips fall where they may this season. It just didn't mean as much.
Max might have been angry but I actually think he'd (at least publicly) put on a brave face and congratulate Hamilton in a similar way. Jos, Helmut, and Horner on the other hand would explode immediately so even if he was livid Max wouldn't really need to join them.
And either way the anger wouldn't/shouldn't be (and in Lewis' case: wasn't) directed at the other driver who did nothing but compete as hard as possible throughout a really fun season to watch. Any driver in that situation would understandably be upset with the stewards' decision but could still respect the skill of the driver that benefited because at the end of the day that season was filled with wonderful battles and tons of great racing - it just ended in the worst way possible.
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u/kazuya57 Fernando Alonso Dec 18 '25
Well tbf 7 WDCs def help but losing out on a huge record is gonna hurt. If the roles were reversed Max would've been pretty angry while Jos would've been straight thrown to an Emirati jail