Max after clinching fourth title: 'Not bad for a Dutchman!'
Published on 24 November 2024 by Stefan Meens
Following fifth place in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and thus securing his fourth Formula 1 world title, Max Verstappen reflects post-race in an interview with Viaplay.
“Of course, I’m very happy. It’s been a long season with a lot of great moments, but also a lot of challenging moments”, explains the Dutchman, whose interview is briefly interrupted by Helmut Marko congratulating his protégé. “Helmut always gets a bit emotional. That’s beautiful to see. We’ve gone through a lot together, both positive and negative of course. But all of it made us stronger. Our goal was to be world champion. To do that four times in a row is incredible.”
The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver also looked back on the race that ultimately crowned him as a four-time champ. “It still has to sink in, but I did start to think about it in the last few laps. When I saw those Ferraris behind me, I didn’t want to take too many risks. Normally, I’d want to race and get the best result, but that wasn’t necessary today. I’m just proud how we kept going when things were challenging, especially when things didn’t look good. Nevertheless, we managed to maximise most results.”
The emotion when Max talks about the 2024 season is visible in the TV pen: “It really wasn’t easy this season. At times we didn’t have the pace and that is frustrating. But there’s no point getting angry. So we worked hard in the factory, spent a lot of time together and we pushed to get the most out of our car. There were a lot of races where I gained seven points, where just as easily I could lose seven. That’s ultimately what made the difference this year, although around Monza I really didn’t feel good about it. The points lead was dropping, but we stayed consistent, which those around me couldn’t do all the time.”
Max joins Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel in the list of four time world champions, an incredible achievement for a driver who came into the sport at just seventeen years of age. “Not bad for a Dutchman”, smiles Max who adds: “I don’t think this race will stand out when I reflect on my career in twenty years’ time. The race was nothing special. Brazil was of course the big one, which really killed off the championship. In 2023, it was easier, even though not everyone gets the perspective on how difficult it is to win ten races in a row. Of course, it was a dominant car, but this year there were other dominant cars, but the same results weren’t achieved. So I’m really proud I was able to pull this off, especially in a car that wasn’t fastest.
