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“The controversy did not worry [Dietrich] Mateschitz”– Christian Horner reveals how Red Bull doyen wasn’t concerned with questionable Abu Dhabi GP end that gave Max Verstappen his first title

Tanish Chachra
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"The controversy did not worry [Dietrich] Mateschitz"– Christian Horner reveals how Red Bull doyen wasn't concerned with questionable Abu Dhabi GP end that gave Max Verstappen his first title

Christian horner reveals how Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz reacted to the controversial win of Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had an incredible rivalry in 2021. However, the end to it wasn’t pleasant for Lewis Hamilton, who has yet to appear to f1 media since that day.

The allegedly questionable FIA race director Michael Masi allowed Max Verstappen to win the title in Abu Dhabi. Usually, with such massive controversy, the big fish enters the pool.

But Christian Horner reals that Red Bull’s owner Dietrich Materchitz showed no worries in the fashion Verstappen registered the title. The Red Bull team principal explains how Materchitz reacted after the end of the 2021 season.

“No. I think there’s been so much controversy throughout the year,” said Horner to RacingNews365. “I think there’s been so much bad luck that we’ve had during the season that these things tend to balance themselves out.”

“He felt Max was very deserving. He was very proud of what he’d done and what the team had achieved.”

Also read: Toto Wolff demands actions, not words, from FIA after Abu Dhabi GP results amidst ongoing investigation

Christian Horner credits luck but Max Verstappen deserves

Further, Horner claimed that the last season of the F1 title race was the most competitive in the last 30 years. He admits luck played a role in Verstappen’s win, but according to the Briton, the Red Bull star deserved to lift the title.

“I think that it was such an epic year,” Horner said. “It was probably the most competitive season in Formula 1 in the last 30 years, and I think, for Red Bull, for Max, for Honda, to come out on top.”

“Yes, we got a little bit lucky with the Safety Car at the end of the race, but so much bad luck [had] gone against us throughout the season. These things, I’ve always said, tend to balance themselves out over the course of a season.”

“I think Max, he led more than 50 percent of the laps in the year, more than every other driver combined. He had more pole positions, he had more race wins, and for me he was totally deserving.”

Also read: Former world champion urges Lewis Hamilton’s fans to show some backbone after Abu Dhabi GP title snub

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra

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Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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