Max Verstappen’s rivals were quick to congratulate the Red Bull driver on winning his fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship on Saturday but said they did not believe the Dutchman was invincible.
Verstappen secured the championship in Las Vegas by finishing in sixth, one place ahead of title threat Lando Norris of McLaren along the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip.
“Nobody is unbeatable,” race winner George Russell of Mercedes told reporters.
“You go through these phases where teams and drivers together are dominating and people think if I went up alongside them, I wouldn’t be able to compete with them. But you have to have belief in yourself.”
Verstappen rewrote the F1 record books in 2023 and started this season strong with a dominant car before hitting a tough patch midway through the year that required him to work harder than expected for the title.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz said the closer-than-expected title fight showed that when all things are equal, any one of the top drivers can apply pressure.
“As much as I think Max did an incredible job this year… the second half of the season just shows that when we are all in more of equal machinery, we can go up against each other and make each other’s lives difficult,” said Sainz, who finished third in Las Vegas.
“Everyone starts making mistakes when they are under pressure. Everyone starts complaining about their car and everyone starts complaining in the media about their car. It’s all about pressure management.”
Verstappen felt the stress this year and even had doubts he would win the championship during the mid-season dry spell and said he expects a dogfight next year.
“I’m very proud of how everyone stuck together in those very tough races where we lost,” he said.
“We have a lot of ideas for next year. A few things we couldn’t change anymore this year so that is something for next year. I hope that makes the car more driveable and more competitive because I know the other ones are not sitting still.
“Next year is going to be a big battle.”
The teams now move on to Qatar for next weekend’s Grand Prix before concluding the season in Abu Dhabi.
