Briatore never doubted Verstappen: 'Driver is the deciding factor'

Flavio Briatore never doubted for a moment that Max Verstappen would win his fourth world title in the 2024 Formula 1 season. According to the Alpine advisor the answer is simple, its because Verstappen is the best.

According to the former F1 team boss, Verstappen's fourth world title was never in danger even when Red Bull Racing was struggling and McLaren was excelling with Lando Norris. "No. Max Verstappen becoming champion, I knew that and I saw that. Why? That's very simple. Because Max Verstappen is the best. And then you also become champion in difficult years," he said in conversation with Formula One Magazine.

"It may not have been easy with Red Bull's car this year, but then the quality of the driver is the deciding factor. You can see that with Verstappen," he added. Verstappen also managed to get the best out of himself and his team in the more difficult race weekends, with the highlight being the Brazilian Grand Prix, in which he drove from P17 to victory.

Winning the world title in 2024, Verstappen has joined Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel, both of whom are also four-time world champions. Verstappen has many similarities with Vettel who also earned his titles at Red Bull four times in a row. According to Briatore, it is difficult to compare the drivers and decide who is the best, so he leaves that to the viewers.

Last year, Norris proved to be Verstappen's biggest challenger, but Briatore is not sure if that will be the case again next year. "The problem for Norris compared to Verstappen this season was inexperience. He is still young, too young maybe even," stated Briatore, who does believe that the experience Norris gained this year will help him in 2025.

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