F1: Verstappen's Mother Sophie Kumpen Admitted Hamilton Was Stronger In Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen's mom Sophie Kumpen who is also a former karting driver revealed in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi GP that Lewis Hamilton was indeed faster than her son. She revealed that she anxiously asked her son on the phone what would become of the two protests that were lodged by the Mercedes team in the aftermath of the race. 

"What do you think they are going to do with that complaint ...?," she said. "Let's face it, Hamilton was stronger today. It didn't look too good until the end, but then my daughter texted me - 'Safety car! Call on the angels'. And behold, they helped me. I can't count all the candles I lit this week," she added. 

It was only the second time in the history of F1 that the title contenders were tied for points before the last race AFP

Kumpen had posted on Instagram a day before the race of all the candles she had lit for her son Max Verstappen who ended up winning the Abu Dhabi race and took his first F1 world title home. The Mercedes protests have also been dismissed by the FIA stewards and even though Mercedes had announced its intent to appeal the decision, reports are flowing that Toto Wolff may decide against it in the interest of the sport. There are also reports which say that Lewis Hamilton has asked Wolff to withdraw the protests as well in an act of sportsmanship.
 
Max Verstappen also revealed that he received a text from the Mercedes boss who was visibly angry in the last quarter of the race, congratulating him. The relationship between the Verstappen family and the Mercedes team including Wolff and Hamilton deteriorated as the tight world championship fight progressed.