The Dutchman took his first F1 driver’s crown at the Yas Marina circuit on Sunday after overtaking his rival Lewis Hamilton for victory after a safety car restart on the final lap.
But the way in which the FIA handled the restart, which apparently violated its own regulations, led to a post-race protest by Mercedes, which was only settled many hours after the finish.
Although the FIA stewards denied Mercedes’ claims, the German manufacturer remains dissatisfied by insisting that F1 Race Director Michael Masi has full authority over the use of the safety car, which therefore replaces certain rules.
While the controversy over what happened in Abu Dhabi shows no signs of calming down and Mercedes has until Thursday to decide whether to appeal or not, Verstappen says he is not too calm about the situation.
When asked whether the protest and appeals controversy had taken the shine from his title win, Verstappen said, “No, I mean, it’s pretty typical when you look at the season.
“It is what it is. I mean, we were still happy and enjoyed it. And we as a team didn’t do anything wrong.
“We raced when the green light and green flag was given, so we got it on track and made it on the track.”
While the Abu Dhabi controversy will remain a talking point for a long time, Verstappen says the entire season has been a roller coaster ride for him and the team.
The Safety Car and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
And while he admits that there were days like Sunday when luck went its way, there were also situations when he felt he deserved better.
“It’s been a tough season, of course,” he said. “We definitely had a few dominant races, but in general I think Mercedes was a stronger team.
“But it was a really nice fight to have two teams fighting and to give full throttle to the end.
“Of course you sometimes think it couldn’t be, we might not make it through to the end. But there are always surprises.
“I think we won some races that we shouldn’t have won. But then of course I had quite a bit of bad luck with the tire [in Baku] and such things.
“Well, we lost and saw a lot of points. But all in all it was an intense but crazy season. “
Verstappen also believes that he and Red Bull had to get themselves to levels they thought impossible in order to beat Mercedes.
“We pushed each other, but we also brought the whole team to another level behind us, which they may not have thought possible,” he said.
“It was very intense for everyone. To do every single race, everyone had to be so perfect with strategy, preparation for a weekend, no mechanical breakdowns and all those things. There was a lot of pressure and stress for everyone involved. “
