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Max Verstappen says his 4th consecutive satellite rubric came aft a "very challenging" play and helium is "hungry" to bid for much occurrence successful 2025.
The Red Bull driver's 5th spot successful the Las Vegas Grand Prix enactment his points full beyond the scope of his closest rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The Briton, who needed to triumph astatine slightest 3 much points than Verstappen to proceed the rubric fight, finished sixth.
George Russell took a ascendant triumph up of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
"It was a precise challenging season," Verstappen said. "Also arsenic a idiosyncratic astatine times it was precise challenging and I had to beryllium calm.
"In a mode I inactive similar past season. I enjoyed it a lot, but I deliberation this season, it has taught maine a batch of lessons.
"I americium precise arrogant of america arsenic a squad and successful a mode that makes it a precise peculiar and beauteous season."
When Verstappen won 4 of the archetypal 5 races successful 2024, it appeared arsenic if helium would transportation connected from past year, erstwhile helium and Red Bull produced the astir ascendant play successful history.
Instead, McLaren emerged arsenic a nonstop rival from the sixth contention successful Miami, from which constituent Verstappen had to absorption connected consistency to guarantee helium kept his margin.
Norris closed successful dilatory implicit the 2nd fractional of the season, arsenic McLaren developed a accordant borderline connected Red Bull.
But Verstappen’s superb triumph from 17th connected the grid successful Brazil 3 weeks agone enactment him successful a presumption to triumph the rubric successful Las Vegas and helium sealed it astatine the archetypal attempt.
"This twelvemonth we had the car moving good but we had a batch of pugnacious races and that is thing I americium precise arrogant of," helium said.
"The races erstwhile we were not the fastest car, we kept it unneurotic arsenic a team, worked precise hard, remained calm astir of the times and hardly made immoderate mistakes.
"We truly maximised and possibly overperformed successful immoderate places, positive our absorption successful a fewer places decidedly don’t drawback the points they should person and each of those things substance erstwhile you are warring for a championship."
Verstappen was praised by his rivals, who each said helium deserved his rubric for specified a beardown season.
Norris said: "He made immoderate mistakes but implicit the people of the play that is precise fewer and that’s what makes him truthful good.
"He has not had a atrocious qualifying oregon a atrocious race. He conscionable gets everything retired of the car and that's ever awesome to see, ever things to learn."
Verstappen said helium expected adjacent play to beryllium "a due conflict betwixt a batch of cars, but I’m hungry".
Red Bull squad brag Christian Horner told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's incredible, he's done an astonishing job, he's been outstanding each twelvemonth and we are conscionable precise arrogant of him, he's driven brilliantly.
"He's won 8 grands prix, he's won the World Championship with 2 races to go, you can't inquire for much than that.
"He conscionable gets successful the car and helium delivers, he's a large human. It puts him amongst the greats, statistic present enactment him determination arsenic well.
"He's lone conscionable turned 27 and he's successful the signifier of his beingness truthful arsenic agelong arsenic we tin support giving him a decent car past helium volition support delivering."
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