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Champion after a mentally tough year? 'Would've been less easy for '21 Max'
- Ludo van Denderen
There is no better to place where Max Verstappen could have won his fourth world title, than in Las Vegas. Before celebrating, the Dutchman talked to the Dutch press (including GPblog), where he looked back on the a year full of ups and downs.
Almost half past three in Las Vegas and Verstappen sighed, thinking about the season that now has been decided: "Well, I'm glad it's over," said the now four-time Formula One world champion, who was clearly visibly and audibly emotional after the a weight has been lifted off his shoulder.
"If you look at the season; a top start and then we did struggle for quite a while. Yes, then I'm proud of how we went through that as a team," Verstappen explained, having previously addressed the difficult moments of 2024 at the international press conference. When asked about the drinks he has consumed the evening so far, Verstappen said, "Well, I had already had three beers. Now four beers and two gin tonics," he said laughing.
Verstappen learned to deal with disappointment
Mentally speaking, he did not want to call the season more difficult afterwards. "It's more how you react to disappointments as a person. You try to deal with it as calmly as possible. Of course there were a lot of weekends where we were not happy as a team. There's no point in shouting around then that it all s****."
That's the Max Verstappen of 2024: A driver who always tries to maximise the result, and keeps his cool at difficult moments - on and off the track. Would the Verstappen of 2021 have been able to do the same? "Less so. That's what you learn. And when you already have a few championships, it becomes a bit easier to put things into perspective."
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sárközi
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