"A very intense year" - Max Verstappen delivers speech after winning Autosport award

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen was voted Autosport’s International Racing Driver of the Year by fans across the world. The Dutchman pipped Formula E world champion and fellow countryman Nyck de Vries, along with IndyCar champion Alex Palou, to snatch the award.

While he couldn’t accept the award in person, Verstappen was nevertheless thankful towards his fans, as well as his team. In a video posted after the awards ceremony, he expressed his excitement for the upcoming season of F1 saying:

“It has been a very intense year. So, all the support throughout the year was amazing. A big thank you to all the fans, and also to Red Bull Racing and Honda for providing me with a winning car.”

He further said:

“The ultimate goal is to win the World Championship and now we’ve achieved that. It’s something truly incredible but of course, I’m also looking forward to this year again and then see the orange army all over the world again.”

Max Verstappen brought the F1 world champion to Red Bull after seven consecutive years of Mercedes dominance. In what was one of the most closely fought championships in the sport’s history, the young Dutchman beat seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in the final race of the season to seal his maiden championship title.

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“Outstanding” Max Verstappen “thoroughly deserves” driver of the year award: Horner

Christian Horner accepted Max Verstappen’s young driver of the year on behalf of his driver and praised the Dutchman’s recent maturity while racing. Speaking after the ceremony with Autosport, the Red Bull team principal said:

“Max led more laps than any other driver and won more races [in 2021], he thoroughly deserves this award. Obviously, he has developed and matured over the last few years. The way he drove last year was outstanding and to go up against Lewis [Hamilton] who was at the top of his game.”

Verstappen’s title triumph came amid controversial circumstances, due to race control’s questionable actions during the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Regardless, the Dutchman fully deserved the title.

Throughout the season, he was the most consistent driver on the grid. He racked up 17 podiums — nearly all of them in either first or second place — and led more laps (652 in total) than the rest of the grid combined.

If not for a few instances of misfortune earlier in the season, Verstappen could have wrapped up the championship far earlier in the season.