Andrea Stella has praised Max Verstappen for his championship triumph, with the McLaren boss also expressing hope that the squad’s battle with the Dutchman this season will serve as good preparation to launch a new challenge for the drivers’ crown in 2025.
After a dominant start to the 2024 campaign, Verstappen and Red Bull quickly built a strong lead in both the drivers’ and constructors’ standings. However, as their rivals closed in during the season, Lando Norris put himself in contention as the reigning champion’s closest challenger while McLaren ultimately overhauled Red Bull in the teams’ fight.
The Woking squad are still holding P1 in that battle, but the drivers’ championship was decided in Las Vegas after Verstappen finished ahead of Norris in the race, meaning that the 27-year-old enters the final two Grands Prix of the season as a confirmed four-time world champion.
Asked during a chat with Sky Sports F1 about wanting to congratulate Verstappen on his achievement, Stella responded: “Yeah, 100%. To be honest, we congratulated with Max even when he was winning races in Brazil and this is fair play, fair play to a great champion, fair play to one of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1.
“[He is] fast, consistent, even when he was winning race after race last year, people thought it was easy and it is not easy to win races, even when it looks easy. Really, hats off to Verstappen, well done to Red Bull in supporting this incredible driver and let me say we are proud that we were challenging him this season.
