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Verstappen, Hamilton and Horner on the podium in Abu Dhabi

Mercedes protests "typical" but no gloss taken off championship celebrations - Verstappen

Verstappen, Hamilton and Horner on the podium in Abu Dhabi — Photo: © LAT Images
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Mercedes protests "typical" but no gloss taken off championship celebrations - Verstappen

Verstappen beat Hamilton in the title-decider

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Max Verstappen has described Mercedes' post-Abu Dhabi protests as "typical" but shrugged off suggestions any gloss was taken off his championship victory.

The Dutchman became the first driver from his country to secure an F1 world title after a dramatic final-lap battle with Lewis Hamilton after a late safety car period.

The result was protested post-race by Mercedes who felt aggrieved by the procedures employed by race control during the final moments.

Asked if the protests had taken the shine off his success, Verstappen answered: "No.

"I mean it is quite typical looking at the season that that happened. It is what it is. We were still happy and enjoying and we, as a team, didn't do anything wrong.

"We raced when there was a green flag and we went for it and we did it on track. That, for us, at the time, we were just enjoying."

Team principal Christian Horner had said before Nicholas Latifi's safety car-triggering incident that Verstappen needed a "miracle" to become champion.

On whether he felt the same way, the 24-year-old conceded: "Yeah, I was not catching enough and I just told myself I would just keep pushing until the end, I am not going to give up and that is what we did.

"The safety car came out, of course, we needed a miracle and it did happen and we still need to then capitalise on that and you need to go for the overtake and that is what we did. A dramatic end for sure."

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