Max Verstappen has quipped ‘F1 is to blame' for another title
celebration complicated by external factors. The Dutchman secured
his third consecutive championship at the Qatar Grand Prix
following a dominant season that has seen him break record after
record – including the most race victories in a row. But due to a
quirk caused by the Sprint format, Verstappen confirmed his title
on the Saturday at the Lusail International Circuit, meaning the
initial euphoria had to be curbed with Sunday's race still to be
run. Confusion over the points allocation following a delayed and
subsequently curtailed Japanese Grand Prix last season meant
Verstappen was denied an instantaneous outburst of emotion, whilst
his first title triumph was marred by the controversy revolving
around his last lap shootout with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes'
appeal over the processes used by then race-director Michael Masi.
Asked by Channel 4 about another abnormal title celebration,
Verstappen joked: “I blame F1 for that, for introducing the sprint
weekends. “These kinds of things aren't in your control, I always
try to score as many points as possible and that made it possible
to win on a Saturday. It's ok.” Enjoyment of working with people
With his third consecutive triumph, Verstappen has joined names
such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel
and Hamilton in completing the feat. “I never thought these kinds
of things were possible,” insisted Verstappen. “I remember watching
F1 and you want to be on that podium and try to win races, so to be
here with three titles is quite crazy to think about. “You never
think these kinds of things are possible, to put your name in
between those names, but I am incredibly proud. “On the radio on
the in lap, you talk a lot about performance and thank a lot of
people for their performance and what they contribute to the car
and to the success of the team. “But don't really talk about just
the enjoyment of working with people. Every weekend, you get to the
track and there are so many brilliant minds, but also just nice
people to work with so it's just fun as well.”
celebration complicated by external factors. The Dutchman secured
his third consecutive championship at the Qatar Grand Prix
following a dominant season that has seen him break record after
record – including the most race victories in a row. But due to a
quirk caused by the Sprint format, Verstappen confirmed his title
on the Saturday at the Lusail International Circuit, meaning the
initial euphoria had to be curbed with Sunday's race still to be
run. Confusion over the points allocation following a delayed and
subsequently curtailed Japanese Grand Prix last season meant
Verstappen was denied an instantaneous outburst of emotion, whilst
his first title triumph was marred by the controversy revolving
around his last lap shootout with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes'
appeal over the processes used by then race-director Michael Masi.
Asked by Channel 4 about another abnormal title celebration,
Verstappen joked: “I blame F1 for that, for introducing the sprint
weekends. “These kinds of things aren't in your control, I always
try to score as many points as possible and that made it possible
to win on a Saturday. It's ok.” Enjoyment of working with people
With his third consecutive triumph, Verstappen has joined names
such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel
and Hamilton in completing the feat. “I never thought these kinds
of things were possible,” insisted Verstappen. “I remember watching
F1 and you want to be on that podium and try to win races, so to be
here with three titles is quite crazy to think about. “You never
think these kinds of things are possible, to put your name in
between those names, but I am incredibly proud. “On the radio on
the in lap, you talk a lot about performance and thank a lot of
people for their performance and what they contribute to the car
and to the success of the team. “But don't really talk about just
the enjoyment of working with people. Every weekend, you get to the
track and there are so many brilliant minds, but also just nice
people to work with so it's just fun as well.”