Verstappen reveals Red Bull's secret after claiming his fourth F1 title
The now four-time world champion Max Verstappen was understandably very happy after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and has praised the attitude of Red Bull which has made it possible to come back following a series of tough races.
The reigning champion struggled for pace in the three practice sessions, but he looked a lot more comfortable in his RB20 in qualifying, managing to secure a fifth spot on the grid for Saturday's race.
The Dutch driver had an average start to hang on to P5, but he managed to pick off Alpine driver Pierre Gasly in the early stages of the 50-lap race. After the second round of pit stops, he found himself on the last spot of the rostrum, but he was then overtaken by the fast-charging Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Despite dropping off the podium, Verstappen did what he needed to do to see off the challenge of his last remaining title rival, Lando Norris to clinch his fourth F1 world championship title.
When asked to comment on the race, Verstappen rather concentrated on assessing his season, and hailing Red Bull for not giving up during the tough period that started after the Spanish Grand Prix.
“It feels incredible to win here today and I am so proud to win the Championship. It has been quite a year and I’m proud of how we handled everything as a Team.
"We started off the season really strong and then it became quite tough; we never wanted to give up and got the best result we could, barely made any mistakes and that is what you need to win a title. We stuck together as a Team and we pushed back really hard and came back stronger.
"I’m super proud of everyone of what we achieved and also of myself with how we have worked together this season. Today I stayed calm and overtook drivers one by one. I tried to hang in there and do my own race and we pulled it off.
"Ultimately every Championship win is different, so that also makes it really special and it really means a lot to us. I am very proud to be part of this Team, especially as we are now celebrating our fourth World Title. It’s Simply Lovely."