F1: Verstappen reveals messages from Mercedes – Gulf Digital News

F1: Verstappen reveals messages from Mercedes – Gulf Digital News

ABU DHABI: Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took stock of his new status yesterday and revealed that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, despite threatening to appeal, had texted his congratulations.

The 24-year-old handed Red Bull their first title since 2013 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday when he overtook Mercedes’ seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the final race of the season.

Mercedes had two protests dismissed but have signalled they intend to take the matter further.

Hamilton and his father Anthony congratulated Verstappen and father Jos after the race but Wolff stayed out of sight.

“Toto sent me a text, congratulations on the season and that I deserved to win it, so that was very nice of him of course,” Verstappen, slightly worse for wear after a long night of partying, told reporters yesterday.

“Lewis is a great sportsman in general. He came up to me and congratulated me and it must have been of course very tough in that last lap,” he added. “But it also shows the respect we have for each other.

“Of course we had our tough times throughout the season but in the end we respect what we were doing and we were pushing