Max Verstappen reflects on a season that never truly gave him a chance

Max Verstappen precocious spoke astir his play and explained wherefore losing his 5th consecutive satellite title, by conscionable 2 points, is not a decision for him. Although helium finished the play 2 points down McLaren operator Lando Norris, Verstappen believes they ne'er had a realistic changeable astatine the title.

The play started hard for Red Bull. After the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen was 104 points down different McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, who finished the play successful 3rd place. The unexpected instrumentality to contention was the effect of amended car settings, with McLaren losing points owed to operator errors, reliability issues and adjacent a treble disqualification successful Las Vegas. Verstappen notes that galore of those situations were the effect of McLaren's mistakes.

"Well, I look astatine it this way... We didn't truly suffer it, due to the fact that we were ne'er successful the fight," Verstappen told Dutch Viaplay. "If you look astatine the full season, we ne'er had a existent accidental to fight. There were McLaren drivers taking points from each other, and erstwhile things settee down a bit, you get closer. A fewer crashes, strategical mistakes and disqualifications - and present we are successful the fight."

Barcelona incident

Verstappen specifically points retired the incidental successful Barcelona erstwhile helium was penalized for colliding with George Russell, but emphasizes that the title was not mislaid astatine that moment. "I deliberation we should person been blessed that we were successful the combat astatine all. We were ne'er successful the lead, and we ourselves received a batch of gifts passim the season."

He referred to different mistakes of Red Bull - mistakes successful the pits, weekends successful which thing worked, but besides to McLaren's disqualification successful Las Vegas, which additionally opened up the anticipation of warring for the title. Verstappen concludes: "At the extremity of the day, it doesn't substance if it's 1 point, fractional a constituent oregon 20 points. Not winning is the aforesaid arsenic not winning. You either did oregon you didn't. There's nary specified happening arsenic fractional a pregnancy, is there?"

For Verstappen, the play was a testament to his endurance and a accidental to amusement what Red Bull is susceptible of erstwhile it each comes together. Although the rubric was not won, the operator remains pleased with the mode they fought until the precise end.