After 21 races, the 2021 F1 world championship is set for a climax in Abu Dhabi, as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen arrive at the circuit tied on points, with 369.5 points each. This is a fierce, season-long duel, on and off the track, that is set to have one final chapter this weekend. And that includes their respective bosses too, as the war of words between Horner and Wolff got rather intense recently, most notably at the FIA press conference in Qatar.

But this time, things went more peacefully between the two, and as the presser began, Wolff made sure to clear the air between the two by offering a shake of hands for Horner, duly accepted by the main man at Red Bull.

“Good luck. May the best man and the best team win,” he said to Horner.

“This one is just a fierce fight between teams and drivers that have done a really great job, but, sometimes in the races [Max and Lewis] were 45 seconds up the road lapping almost the whole field.

“It shows that the push that all of us have done in order to win this is a level that certainly in my years at Mercedes is unprecedented,” Wolff concluded.

Horner shared his view, highlighting the “amazing journey” he and his Red Bull team have enjoyed in their pursuit of glory in 2021:

“Who'd have thought coming into this season that we'd be here with an outside shot of going for the [constructors’ trophy] but to be tied on points with Lewis?

“It's been an amazing journey, it's been an amazing championship. We've won 10 races, nine [of which] Max has won. That's matched his previous victories from the previous seasons he's been involved in the sport.”

The constructors’ championship is all-but-won for Mercedes, and Toto believes its second driver, Valtteri Bottas, played a key part in building that cushion for the team, along, of course, with “leader” Hamilton:

“I see [Lewis] and Valtteri in a way, as a kind of pillar, playing their role, concentrating on their job, not being distracted by any noise. And that’s why he’s a leader with the great support of everybody else – and of course Valtteri.”

It’s been an incredible season of @F1! But it wouldn’t have been the same without you, our fans. 🙏

Before the finale, here’s a special message to all of you from the Champ. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ltycmDNGkV

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 9, 2021

But Wolff isn’t getting carried away just yet, as he mentions how quickly the pendulum swings in F1, as it did against Red Bull last time out in Jeddah, when their second driver Sergio Perez was involved in an early race shunt and didn’t score any points, handing the advantage to the Brackley squad:

“Now, statistically that’s a very strong advantage that we have but you can see how quickly it goes.

“We were just five points ahead and Checo was involved in that crash [in Saudi Arabia] and scored no points, and suddenly that swings massively and there still can be events on Sunday where that could swing in the other direction,” he completed.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s contest, Horner explained what is his message to Max Verstappen, and how the approach to the race weekend remains unchanged, even if there is ultimate glory just around the corner:

“We've obviously talked about the weekend, and the most important thing is obviously for him [Verstappen] to enjoy this weekend and to give his best, to drive exactly as he has in the previous 21 races, to attack the weekend in the way that he has, that has given him those nine victories, that has taken him to this point of being tied on points with Lewis, and to enjoy it.”

The boss at Red Bull lavished praise on Verstappen, and stated that he believes it was Verstappen’s driving, and not the car performance itself, that led to such a close contest for the world championship in 2021:

“He's driven phenomenally well. I think since the summer break, we haven't had the strongest car, and I think it's Max that's kept us in this championship. So I think the biggest thing for him is just go for it, just enjoy it. Obviously, the target is, we have to beat Lewis.

“The only chance we have to win this championship is to beat Lewis, and we want to that on the track. We want to do that as we've done on at least nine previous occasions with Max so far this year,” Horner concluded.

Friday ✅ It was good fun to drive the improved track, but we still have to learn and understand a few things. Back for more tomorrow 💪🏼 #AbuDhabiGP🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/gcm9ZfPzA8

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) December 10, 2021

Friday running at Yas Marina started with an early lead for Verstappen in FP1, before Lewis Hamilton took over the reins at the top on the evening session. All coverage of this exciting battle in the desert can be found here on MotorLAT, as it happens.