Max Verstappen and McLaren had been formally introduced with their 2024 championship awards on the FIA gala in Rwanda on Friday.
For the Dutchman it was his fourth successive title, whereas for the legendary Woking outfit it was its first since 1998, bringing it complete to 9.
The trophies had been introduced by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda on the BK Enviornment in Kigali the Rwandan capital.
“Right here in Kigali, we’ve shone a light-weight on members of our motor sport household whose dedication, spirit, and endeavour are on the coronary heart of our sport,” mentioned Ben Sulayem, “and we glance to the champions of the long run, these simply starting their careers and having fun with their first style of success.
“Congratulations to all our deserving winners, it’s an honour to have a good time with you,” he added.
Verstappen was joined by the boys who he battled this season and who’re more likely to be difficult once more subsequent season, Lando Norris, who acquired the runners-up trophy and Charles Leclerc.
For varied causes, not least convergence as a result of basically unchanged guidelines, a not solely aggressive automotive and lack of real looking help from its different driver, Crimson Bull didn’t win the constructors’ title, leaving McLaren and Ferrari to battle to the end in Abu Dhabi.
“It is wonderful, 4 titles is unquestionably unbelievable,” mentioned Verstappen. “In fact I additionally hope it would not cease right here. I hope we will be profitable for an extended time frame.
“This yr the competitors could be very shut,” he added, “however then once more in 2026 quite a bit goes to alter.
“In fact we’re not standing right here as constructors’ champions,” he continued. “In a method, I do assume we deserved a bit of bit extra in that championship. I attempted my highest and we additionally know quite a bit the place we’ve to work on for subsequent yr. I am very enthusiastic about that as nicely as a result of it does appear to be it may be a correct battle between lots of groups.”
In the meantime, runner-up Norris retracted his declare, made within the aftermath of Verstappen’s sensational efficiency in Brazil, whereby he urged that the Dutchman’s efficiency was extra about luck than expertise.
“It should not have been purple flagged,” he mentioned on the time, “however there was the crash in the long run which brought about it so… that is life typically. You’re taking a raffle and it is paid off for them. It is not expertise, it is simply luck.”
Talking on Friday, the McLaren driver mentioned: “To begin with, I retract that remark again there the place I mentioned it was all luck and no expertise.
“You understand how the media adjustments issues,” he continued. “To begin with, congratulations to Max. What he did this yr, what he did in Brazil, after all, was unbelievable, so I am the primary one to acknowledge such a factor after I’m the one going up in opposition to him.
“It was a tricky season, after all,” added the Briton. “I attempted to provide my greatest and put up the perfect battle that I might, however this yr was not sufficient, and on the identical time, typically, I’m comfortable to complete second to Max as a result of I believe it is fairly an achievement to do quite a bit higher than that.
“It was an exquisite yr for myself. A variety of achievements, lots of enchancment from myself, however I additionally know I must step it up and do greater than I did this yr, so I am excited to stay up for subsequent yr and attempt to do the identical,” the McLaren driver concluded.”
As McLaren celebrated its first title in virtually three a long time, Zak Brown revealed that the Woking outfit had virtually gone below in 2020.
“Closing Abu Dhabi ’20, we had been positively on the brink,” admitted the American. “We had been paying all our payments, however we had been months away, not a number of months,” he continued.
“We knew we might make it by the yr however we had been in a scenario the place if we did not have a money injection we’d have been in danger.”
Aside from authorized proceedings to guard itself from insolvency, McLaren took a mortgage from the Nationwide Financial institution of Bahrain while additionally shedding round 25% of its workforce.
“It wasn’t a snug place in any respect,” mentioned Brown. “I used to be at all times assured the shareholders would by no means let it get there,” he added, referring to insolvency, “but it surely was additionally clear we wanted the funding.
“I might put my head on the pillow at evening realizing they’re going to again us up in the event that they must, but it surely was going to be the ninth inning, to make use of a baseball time period, earlier than they introduced within the aid pitcher.”
Valued in 2023 by Forbes at $2.2bn, it’s anticipated that the Woking outfit’s share of the 2024 prize cash will exceed $210m.
Image Credit score: FIA
