Max Verstappen hailed his fourth Formula One world championship as his best yet while his team principal, Christian Horner, said the title made Verstappen one of the greats of the sport.
“The beginning was a bit messy,” Verstappen said in Las Vegas of the furore that engulfed Red Bull before the season started. “But I’m quite calm in those situations. It’s very difficult to disturb me with anything. I’m very focused on the racing side of things. I forget about everything, even positive, negative stuff. And I just focus on what’s ahead of me.”
Horner called it the driver’s most impressive title, and the Dutchman concurred, noting how pleased he had been at closing it out despite being outpaced for most of the year by McLaren. “I would say for 70% of the season, we didn’t have the fastest car,” Verstappen said. “But we extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I’m very proud of.”
Verstappen took his fourth consecutive title with fifth place in a Las Vegas Grand Prix won by Mercedes’ George Russell, the culmination of a season that opened with his Red Bull team in turmoil.
Before their car had been launched Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee. The charge was subsequently dismissed by an independent enquiry, but it was followed by Verstappen’s father, Jos, calling for Horner to step down and then by their enormously successful car designer Adrian Newey announcing he was to leave.
Horner acknowledged the season had been the most demanding of Verstappen’s career and that he had delivered superbly, especially given the circumstances.
“This one is a very special victory because obviously there have been challenges this year,” Horner said. “But Max has scored double the amount of race wins as any other driver. He has won it with two races to go. He has been head and shoulders the best driver on the grid. What he has done absolutely cements his position among the greats in the sport. Statistically, and the way he has driven, that is unquestionable now.”
Amid the adversity Verstappen kept his focus on scoring points and, after taking the title in Las Vegas, he observed he may yet challenge the seven championships won by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. His fourth title places him on a par with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.
“Even with not the fastest car, we still won it,” he said. “So I always know that when I sit in the car, I’m going to give it everything I have. And of course, over the last few years, I also grew as a driver. So very excited to see what we can do next year.”
His future at Red Bull was also addressed. Verstappen was courted this year by the team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, but the Dutchman, who has a contract until 2028 with Red Bull, insisted thatdespite the storm around the team, he was going nowhere. “I’m very loyal to the team,” he said. “When there are tough times, it’s very easy to say goodbye or forget about it or ignore it. But I think it’s actually way more important to actually face them and go through it together and deal with it.”
The achievement was also acknowledged by other drivers, including Hamilton, who finished second in Vegas. “He’s done a fantastic job. He’s not made any mistakes and he’s delivered every time and every point he’s supposed to,” Hamilton said. “Him and his team have done the best job, again, fourth year in a row.”
Lando Norris, who relinquished his outside chance of the title, came in one place behind Verstappen. His team, McLaren, hold a 24-point lead over Ferrari and could yet win their first constructors’ title since 1998. “Max deserved to win it, because he drove a better season than I did,” Norris said. “Max just doesn’t have a weakness. When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always.”
