Max Verstappen shows true colours with message to Lando Norris | F1 | Sport
Max Verstappen said he hopes Lando Norris enjoys every bit of being Formula 1 world champion after the Brit beat him to the crown. Third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was enough for Norris to seal the title despite Verstappen winning the race from pole position. The result ends the Red Bull racer’s long grip on the sport, having won each of the previous four drivers’ titles.
Norris was the pre-season favourite and McLaren won the constructors’ title at a canter. But several costly errors in recent weeks allowed Verstappen back into the championship hunt and, heading into Sunday’s race, Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were all still in the running.
But after Norris sealed the championship, Verstappen only had nice things to say about the Brit and made it clear he wants his friend and rival to enjoy every moment of being on top of the F1 world. He said: “He has had a very good season and I think, in general, it has been a tough battle between himself and Oscar. At one point I got into the fight too.
“Winning your first is always super emotional, it’s very special. I think everybody on the grid is always dreaming about that moment, so I hope he really enjoys it tonight with his family, and of course the team.”
Verstappen is so used to winning that, when team principal Laurent Mekies spoke to his driver over the radio, he sounded almost a little fearful that the Dutchman would be furious about having missed out. But the four-time world champion put him at ease as he replied: “Don’t worry, I’m happy! Happy with what we’ve achieved so far, so let’s keep going.”
And he went on to make it clear that he is proud of the work he and his Red Bull colleagues have put in to turn what was looking like a season to forget into one which almost ended with yet another slice of glory. He added: “We’ve had a rollercoaster of a year, especially in the beginning, but somehow we have turned it around and the results that we have achieved after, honestly, having tough times after a race where you just don’t know why it’s bad or inconsistent… it’s not easy.
“But I think the team has showed that they never give up. It’s easy to say, ‘This is it, 100 points plus, the season is done’. But we always kept trying to understand the issues and I think we really did.
“It’s been fun. Honestly, the fightback has been really fun. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you finish behind by one point, 10 points or 20 points – you are behind. It’s two points now, but it’s been cool. I really enjoyed it.
“The team is really united and it’s something I really enjoy. Of course, at times I didn’t really feel great, in the situation, but I think we always life each other up again when we needed to and that’s something I think we can be very proud of.”
