"The beginning was a bit messy," Verstappen said in Las Vegas of the furore that engulfed Red Bull before the season started. "But I'm quite calm in those situations. It's very difficult to disturb me with anything. I'm very focused on the racing side of things. I forget about everything, even positive, negative stuff. And I just focus on what's ahead of me."
Horner called it the driver's most impressive title, and the Dutchman concurred, noting how pleased he had been at closing it out despite being outpaced for most of the year by McLaren. "I would say for 70% of the season, we didn't have the fastest car," Verstappen said. "But we extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I'm very proud of."
Verstappen took his fourth consecutive title with fifth place in a Las Vegas Grand Prix won by Mercedes, George Russell, the culmination of a season that opened with his Red Bull team in turmoil.
This story is from the November 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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