London: Max Verstappen said on Wednesday that he felt so formula One world champion and any trick mercedes Trying and snatching the title in court won’t change that.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver denied Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton The Dutch youngster was crowned eighth in a controversial decider in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after an abrupt change in the safety car procedure played to the Dutch youngster on the last lap.
Mercedes have until Thursday evening, the night of the gala awards ceremony in Paris, to appeal after Verstappen is due to receive the champion’s trophy, dismissing post-race protests.
“I feel like a world champion,” the Dutch driver told reporters in a video call when asked about the risk of lawyers getting involved after returning home to a factory.
“It doesn’t matter what they try to do. We won it on the track, when the green light was on and we passed them on the track. And they would never be able to take it away from me. About the potential appeal I’m not busy with that.”
Team boss Christian Horner said it was time to move on.
However, there were immediate signs that Mercedes – whose owners have said nothing since Sunday – were still upset that they were considering a manipulated result that robbed Hamilton of a record title.
Hamilton, who led the race until that last lap, received his knighthood at Windsor Castle on Wednesday and did not speak to the media.
“We welcome Max to the team today as world champions,” Horner said.
“We look forward to seeing him take home the trophy tomorrow evening as world champions.”
Asked whether Red Bull could be out of the game if Mercedes were to win the appeal, Horner chose his words carefully.
“If the unimaginable happens, we will challenge it in an appropriate way,” he said.
The Briton said he had looked for Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after the race but the Austrian was unavailable. Mercedes-Benz chief Ola Kalenius, however, congratulated.
Wolff sent a text later in the evening, as he did to Verstappen, congratulating Red Bull on the drivers’ championship.
“I congratulated him on winning the constructors’ world championship and reminded him that the money gets paid, not the drivers. I haven’t spoken with him,” Horner said. Mercedes won the team title for the eighth year in a row.
Horner said Mercedes’ dispute was with the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) and race director Michael Massey, not Red Bull, who did nothing wrong but was an interested party.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver denied Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton The Dutch youngster was crowned eighth in a controversial decider in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after an abrupt change in the safety car procedure played to the Dutch youngster on the last lap.
Mercedes have until Thursday evening, the night of the gala awards ceremony in Paris, to appeal after Verstappen is due to receive the champion’s trophy, dismissing post-race protests.
“I feel like a world champion,” the Dutch driver told reporters in a video call when asked about the risk of lawyers getting involved after returning home to a factory.
“It doesn’t matter what they try to do. We won it on the track, when the green light was on and we passed them on the track. And they would never be able to take it away from me. About the potential appeal I’m not busy with that.”
Team boss Christian Horner said it was time to move on.
However, there were immediate signs that Mercedes – whose owners have said nothing since Sunday – were still upset that they were considering a manipulated result that robbed Hamilton of a record title.
Hamilton, who led the race until that last lap, received his knighthood at Windsor Castle on Wednesday and did not speak to the media.
“We welcome Max to the team today as world champions,” Horner said.
“We look forward to seeing him take home the trophy tomorrow evening as world champions.”
Asked whether Red Bull could be out of the game if Mercedes were to win the appeal, Horner chose his words carefully.
“If the unimaginable happens, we will challenge it in an appropriate way,” he said.
The Briton said he had looked for Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after the race but the Austrian was unavailable. Mercedes-Benz chief Ola Kalenius, however, congratulated.
Wolff sent a text later in the evening, as he did to Verstappen, congratulating Red Bull on the drivers’ championship.
“I congratulated him on winning the constructors’ world championship and reminded him that the money gets paid, not the drivers. I haven’t spoken with him,” Horner said. Mercedes won the team title for the eighth year in a row.
Horner said Mercedes’ dispute was with the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) and race director Michael Massey, not Red Bull, who did nothing wrong but was an interested party.
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