MAX VERSTAPPEN and Christian Horner slammed Mercedes for trying to ‘take the shine off’ the Dutchman’s maiden Formula One title win.
The 24-year-old won the world championship in dramatic fashion on the final lap of the 2021 season when he overtook Lewis Hamilton following a safety car.
Max Verstappen won the 2021 F1 title in controversial fashion
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is confident in his driver’s ability and mental strength
Hamilton and Mercedes were left furious as the strict rules were thrown out of the window to allow a blockbuster finale in front of the Netflix cameras.
A protest was turned down before Mercedes withdrew an appeal and Verstappen kept the victory – although an FIA investigation did result in race director Michael Masi’s sacking.
But with less than two weeks to go until the beginning of his defence, Verstappen hit out at his rivals – but insisted he ‘doesn’t care’ about the Mercedes reaction.
He told De Telegraaf: “If they [people] know me well, they know I don’t care.
“At the end of the day, it was a crazy and epic Formula 1 season.
“The losing team will try to take the shine off it a bit. But on the winning side, it still feels good, I can assure you.
“A championship is won over a whole season, not by one decision in the last race. I also think I deserved the title, absolutely.
“There might be people who only watched the last Grand Prix. They might think I was lucky.
“But normally the championship would have been decided in my favour.”
Verstappen’s boss Horner reiterated the champ’s comments and insisted his driver has not been affected by all the talk surrounding the controversy.
Instead, he predicted his man to challenge for the title once again.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the Red Bull team principal said: “I think it’s gone completely over his head. He doesn’t watch the BBC.
“He was delighted to get that first world championship, against such a strong opponent. I think that’s what made it so intense.
‘RIVALRY SO INTENSE’
“I think the rivalry between those two [Max and Lewis] has been so intense. I think you might see a couple of other drivers come into that fray as well.
“It was epic last year and if that continues I think there’s going to be some fantastic races next season.
“The sport has never had so much coverage and so much support – it’s great to see.”
Verstappen signed a fresh contract last week worth a whopping £37million per year.
And he begins his attempt to secure back-to-back F1 crowns when the season gets underway at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20.
