Verstappen boldly asserts he’d have dominated the championship earlier with McLaren, aiming subtle digs at Zak Brown and Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen claimed he would still have won the 2024 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship—and even before the Las Vegas Grand Prix—if he had been driving the McLaren.
Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive drivers’ title this weekend, with a fifth-place finish enough to ensure Lando Norris could no longer catch him in the points standings.
The Dutchman’s latest title was sealed despite Red Bull’s mid-season drop in competitiveness, with McLaren emerging as the team to beat.
However, while McLaren capitalized to take the lead in the Constructors’ Championship, Verstappen maintained a commanding advantage over Norris.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown had earlier suggested that Verstappen wouldn’t have won his previous titles in other cars, asserting that an excellent F1 car was still necessary for such achievements.
Verstappen admitted Brown’s remarks had given him extra motivation, and stated that his path to the crown would have been even easier with McLaren’s MCL38—a pointed remark directed at both Zak Brown and Lando Norris.
“Such comments only motivate me. If people are critical and think I can only win with the best car, I’ve proven them wrong with this title.”
“If I don’t get recognition for that now, I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Would I have been champion with the McLaren? Yes! And much earlier too. In 2021, with another car (Mercedes), I would also have won the title.”
“In 2022, it would have been more difficult because Ferrari was perhaps a bit too fragile at that time. And last year? Well, that would have been a little trickier—we really dominated with the Red Bull.”
When asked if anyone else could have won the 2024 title with this unpredictable Red Bull, Verstappen joked: “Well, we’re in the perfect place to answer that question here in Vegas, because you can bet on it! All I can say is, I wish them good luck with that…”
How did he celebrate his title that night? How does he feel?
“I had four beers and two gin and tonics to start. But we’ve got two races ahead and quite the time difference with Qatar.”
“I mostly feel relieved. The race wasn’t great, but actually, it was better than I expected. I’ll process it much more after Abu Dhabi.”
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Verstappen: Faster Title with McLaren Over Red Bull Verstappen: Faster Title with McLaren Over Red Bull
