Max Verstappen has successfully defended his world title in Las Vegas. The Dutchman had to fight harder for his championship victory this year, but in retrospect, he is quite pleased with that. Lando Norris, in particular, gave Verstappen a tough time this season, prompting the Red Bull driver to offer some advice to his young colleague.
Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive world title in Las Vegas, a stark contrast to how he secured his third title. The Red Bull driver, who dominated the previous year with one victory after another, had to fight much harder for his title defense, especially in the second half of 2024. Verstappen is somewhat relieved that the season did not go entirely smoothly for him.
“Last year, I had a dominant car, but I always felt that not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team by winning ten times in a row,” the Dutchman candidly shared at the FIA press conference. “Of course, our car was dominant, but not as dominant as people thought.”
The Dutchman was immensely proud of his team’s performance in 2023, as even with the wrong setup, the RB19 could drive to victory. “I am also very proud of this season (2024), because for most of the season, I would say seventy percent of the time, we did not have the fastest car, yet we managed to increase our lead.
‘Lando is an Incredible Talent’
As Red Bull lost its dominance over the course of the 2024 season, McLaren took the lead. Lando Norris was able to give Max Verstappen a run for his money on several occasions, but had to admit defeat to the Dutchman in Las Vegas. Verstappen, therefore, has some advice for the young Brit.
“We have a lot of incredible young talent in the sport, and Lando is certainly one of them,” Verstappen praises his friend. “Of course, he made it very difficult for me at times. We simply had no answer in many races where he was clearly faster. But to win a championship, you have to be consistent. Sometimes you try to overperform. That doesn’t work every weekend, but sometimes it does. And we did that.”
‘No Need to Drive Anymore’
Red Bull can therefore rightfully celebrate. Verstappen was asked during the press conference how he plans to celebrate his success. “Well, my beer is finished. So yes, I don’t know, maybe another one. And then I might switch to something else. I don’t need to drive anymore. So the slogan, don’t drink and drive, works very well. I don’t need to do that anymore,” jokes the newly crowned four-time world champion.
