LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen go head to head in Abu Dhabi on Sunday in a winner-takes-all race for the F1 world championship.
And ahead of the Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, former Chelsea man Gullit has likened the battle to a classic FA Cup tie.
The 59-year-old compared the tussle between Mercedes and Red Bull to a Premier league club being drawn against a lower-league team in the cup.
And to come out on top Gullit has urged fellow Dutchman Verstappen to ‘get physical’ with Hamilton, despite the Dutchman coming under criticism for his hard-line style of racing.
Speaking to fans on his Instagram account, Gullit said: “I follow the newspapers in England and the Netherlands and it reminds me of football. One says something about this, the other about that.
“Take playing in the FA Cup in England. There you get nothing for free when you play as a Premier League team against a team from a lower division.
“Hamilton has a better car than Verstappen, so that is comparable. They both fight for what they’re worth.
“But Max has to do more, has to get physical, to beat Hamilton. That happens in the FA Cup too.”
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FA Cup giant-killings often come when lower ranked sides use a more physical style of play to good effect against Premier League opposition.
Hamilton won a thrilling Saudi GP last week after Verstappen was forced to give first-place up after a collision with the Brit.
It means Hamilton and Verstappen go into Sunday’s final race of the season LEVEL on points.
So in all likelihood whoever crosses the line first will be crowned world champion.
However, the two title challengers can still finish level on points if they finish in ninth and tenth position.
Ninth picks up two points in the championship and tenth only generates one.
But should the tenth-placed driver set the fastest lap of the race, they will pick up an extra point, meaning both pick up two for Abu Dhabi – therefore finishing level on 371.5 points.
And in a scenario where they end the season level on points, Verstappen would finish top by virtue of having nine GP wins to Hamilton’s eight across the course of the season.
