Formula One world champion Max Verstappen confirmed his new status on Monday and revealed that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, despite threatening to appeal, had texted him congratulating him.
The 24-year-old handed Red Bull his first title since 2013 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday when he overcame seven-time Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season.
Mercedes has denied the two protests but has signaled that it intends to take the matter further.
Hamilton and his father Anthony congratulated Verstappen and father Jos after the race but Wolff was out of sight.
“Toto sent me a text, congrats on the season and I deserve to win it, so of course that’s great for him,” said Verstappen, who was slightly worse for wearing after a long night of partying. , told reporters during a video call on Monday.
“Lewis is a great sportsman in general. He came up to me and congratulated me and of course it was very tough in that final round,” he added.
“But it also shows the respect we have for each other.
“Of course we had some tough times throughout the season but in the end we respected what we were doing and we pushed each other to the limit all season. It’s really interesting.”
Verstappen had to wait a few hours for managers to disperse the protests, but then it was time to party with the entire team, from engineers to caterers, celebrating at dawn.
“Of course when I wake up, it’s not very happy,” Verstappen said. “I think a lot of people are having headaches at the moment.”
The champ admitted there was some stress on Saturday night, as he was itching as the fight began, but he managed to get some sleep.
It was not disappointing that the race ended amid controversy, a safety car stage ending in time for a crucial lap thanks to the intervention of race director Michael Masi.
“I think it just sums up the whole season,” Verstappen said. It’s pretty crazy and intense.
