Finally, the 2022 season begins today, but the Abu Dhabi residual controversy from last year still doesn’t seem to come to an end. The reigning champion Max Verstappen, who was the most affected by the controversial 2021 finale, shares his thoughts ahead of the first practice session in Bahrain.

The 2021 season finale was a title-deciding battle between Verstappen and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. But the Dutchman eventually won the controversial finale race. Many fans believed that Max won last year because of former Race director Michael Masi’s questionable safety car decision.

Therefore, many believe even after winning the world championship last year, Verstappen still has to prove his worth this season. However, the 24-year-old Red Bull driver instead rejected the notion. Instead, Verstappen pointed out all his achievements last season aside from the final win.

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“No, I proved that with the most wins, most pole laps and most laps led. People forget that. They only look at Abu Dhabi apparently,” Verstappen shared.

Can Max Verstappen win the Bahrain GP?

The reigning champion started the 2022 season with a new number on his car at the pre-season testings. Max would be using #1 instead of #33. However, the Dutchman didn’t have an impressive performance in Barcelona testing with the new RB18. And the unimpressive form continued even in the Bahrain pre-season testing.

On the final day of the Bahrain testing, Red Bull introduced some minor upgrades, especially more structured sidepods. The upgrades were fruitful for the Austrian team. As Sergio Perez showcased impressive performance in the morning session. Later in the evening session, their ace Max Verstappen set the fastest lap with the upgraded 2022 challenger.

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Max Verstappen and Red Bull are among the favorites to win the Bahrain GP besides Ferrari, who also showcased phenomenal performance in the testing sessions. Meanwhile, rivals Mercedes struggled in the testing sessions even after their controversial sidepod upgrades.

But Red Bull can’t ignore the German constructor in the first race. Even last year, the Silver Arrows suffered in the testing session and then went on to win the first race in Bahrain while Red Bull’s Verstappen finished second.

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The season-opening race on Sunday is going to be a nail-biting experience. It will be fascinating to see whether last year’s world champion will win this year’s first race or not.

Let the season begin!