Stefanos Tsitsipas says he's "rooting" for Max Verstappen to win the F1 championship
World no.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas has made it clear whose side he is on as an incredible season of intense racing in F1 reaches its climax on Saturday.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are currently tied on the same number of points in the drivers' standings. The final race in Abu Dhabi will now decide who will win the driver's championship for the year. This is only the second time in the sport's history that drivers have been tied for points with the final race deciding the outcome of the championship.
In a recent video on social media, Tsitsipas and other celebrities expressed their support for the different drivers on the grid and Tsitsipas is firmly on Team Verstappen.
We asked sports stars, entertainers, and personalities from around the world to answer one simple question...
Max or Lewis? 🤔
#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 https://t.co/sFjG3M2Ymn
"I'm rooting for Max. I really hope that he clinches that title and makes us all proud," Tsitsipas said in the video.
Meanwhile jockey Frankie Dettori, musicians Rita Ora and KSI and Moto GP racer Fabio Quartararo are all rooting for Hamilton. Businesswoman Mellody Hobson, rugby player Elton Jantjies, cyclist Fabian Cancellara and actress Liza Koshy were all in Hamilton's corner as well.
Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold was the only one who found it tough to pick a side and hoped for the best driver to win.
Verstappen claimed pole position during qualifying, with Hamilton right behind him in second place.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is ready for the 2022 season
After struggling with an injury for the last few months, Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the ATP Finals after playing one match. He underwent surgery a few days later.
In a recent interview, the 2021 Roland Garros finalist stated that he feels fantastic after the surgery and will be back to his best. Tsitsipas is set to begin his season by representing Greece at the 2022 ATP Cup. His record in singles at the tournament so far is 3-2. The Greeks are yet to make it out of the group stage of the event.
The world No. 4 will lead Team Greece, which includes his brother Petros, Michail Pervolarakis, Markos Kalovelonis, and Aristotelis Thanos. greekherald.com.au/news/stefanos-…
Next up for Tsitsipas will be the Australian Open, where he'll be looking to progress beyond the semifinal stage for the first time. He made it to the final four in 2019 and 2021, losing to runners-up Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev respectively.
Tsitsipas made his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros earlier this year, where he was leading by two sets before Novak Djokovic made a comeback. The Greek will now be eager to better that performance and start his year on a high note.