Max Verstappen congratulated Lando Norris on his F1 title victory and hoped his friend and rival would relish every moment of being the world champion after the Brit beat him to the crown

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Max Verstappen reacted to missing out on the F1 title(Image: Sky Sports)

Max Verstappen gave a gracious tip of the hat to Lando Norris, wishing the Brit every joy of being Formula 1 World champion. Despite Verstappen’s victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was Norris’ third-place finish that clinched him the coveted title, ending the Dutchman’s four-year reign as champion.

Norris had been tipped for glory before the season even began, with McLaren romping home to win the constructors’ title. However, a series of costly blunders in recent weeks saw Verstappen claw his way back into contention. As the final race loomed, Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were all vying for the championship.

Yet once the dust settled and Norris emerged victorious, Verstappen was nothing but complimentary about his friend and rival. He said: “He has had a very good season and I think, in general, it has been a tough battle between himself and Oscar. At one point I got into the fight too.

“Winning your first is always super emotional, it’s very special. I think everybody on the grid is always dreaming about that moment, so I hope he really enjoys it tonight with his family, and of course the team.”

Verstappen, a four-time world champion, is so accustomed to victory that when team principal Laurent Mekies spoke to him over the radio, he seemed almost apprehensive that the Dutchman would be irate about missing out. However, Verstappen reassured him by saying: “Don’t worry, I’m happy! Happy with what we’ve achieved so far, so let’s keep going.”

He further expressed his pride in the efforts he and his Red Bull team have made to transform what appeared to be a forgettable season into one that nearly culminated in another triumph.

He continued: “We’ve had a rollercoaster of a year, especially in the beginning, but somehow we have turned it around and the results that we have achieved after, honestly, having tough times after a race where you just don’t know why it’s bad or inconsistent… it’s not easy.

“But I think the team has showed that they never give up. It’s easy to say, ‘This is it, 100 points plus, the season is done’. But we always kept trying to understand the issues and I think we really did.

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Lando Norris is the new F1 world champion(Image: Getty Images)

“It’s been fun. Honestly, the fightback has been really fun. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you finish behind by one point, 10 points or 20 points – you are behind. It’s two points now, but it’s been cool. I really enjoyed it.

“The team is really united and it’s something I really enjoy. Of course, at times I didn’t really feel great, in the situation, but I think we always life each other up again when we needed to and that’s something I think we can be very proud of.”