Verstappen hails incredible feeling after rollercoaster F1 season

World champion Max Verstappen hailed a remarkable season as he won a chaotic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to claim the F1 title.

His ten wins in the season meant he edged out seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton, who looked certain to win a record eighth crown until the final lap on Sunday.

Verstappen went into the season as the championship favourite after a dominant pre-season showing in the RB16B and five wins in the opening nine races put him in the prime seats.

A second-half fightback from Mercedes, spearheaded by Hamilton, saw the balance swing back towards the reigning champions, and three consecutive victories meant the pair went into the final race level on points, setting up a ‘winner-takes-all’ ending.

And after a safety car period with five laps left set up a one-lap shoot-out between the pair in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen’s newer tyres allowed him to streak past leader Hamilton to claim his first world title. But it was not without controversy.

“It feels incredible to be World Champion and I couldn’t have asked for a more insane last race of the year,” Verstappen said. “It was a bit of a rollercoaster, from not really having a chance of winning until the last lap, everything came together, and we had to go for it. I kept saying to myself, I am just going to give it my all and I have until the end and that is what we did.

“Of course, with that safety car restart in the last lap we had the fresher tyres but you still need to do the move – luckily it worked out.”

While Verstappen claimed Red Bull’s first world championship since 2013, Mercedes claimed the team’s championship for an eighth year in a row. Verstappen paid tribute to his opponents in the aftermath of his victory, adding: “Mercedes won the Constructors’ and we won the Driver’s Championship so it really shows that throughout the whole year we pushed each other to the very end. Lewis is an amazing driver, there is no discussion about it.

“Of course, we had our moments throughout the season but I think you know that after everything we had an amazing fight this season and I think both teams gave it their all.”