Verstappen wants to ‘stay with Red Bull for life’ after F1 title win

Verstappen overtook title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of Sunday’s hugely dramatic and controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch his first world championship. 

Red Bull gambled on a late safety car by pitting Verstappen for soft tyres, giving him a significant tyre advantage over Hamilton for the last-lap sprint to the flag after the contentious late safety car restart. 

Verstappen ultimately triumphed with a lunge at Turn 5 to end Hamilton’s run of five successive world titles and become F1’s first-ever Dutch world champion. 

“It’s unbelievable,” Verstappen said after the race. “I tried the whole race, I kept fighting and then of course that opportunity in the last lap. It’s incredible.

“I am still having a cramp… It’s insane. I don’t know what to say. These guys here, my team and of course Honda as well, they deserve it.

“I love them so much and I really, really enjoy working them already since 2016 but this year has been incredible.

“I think they know I love them and I hope we can do this for 10, 15 years together. There’s no reason to change, ever. I want to stay with them for the rest of my life. I hope they let me. It’s insane.”

Verstappen also praised Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for his brilliant defence against Hamilton to hold the seven-time world champion up earlier in the race and bring the Dutchman back into play. 

“Finally a bit of luck for me,” he said. “Insane. I also want to say a big thank you to Checo, he was driving his heart out today, it was great teamwork and he’s an amazing team-mate.”