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Max Verstappen said he did not expect to be fighting for the title, with their performance last year. The Dutchman said in a press conference, however, that he is grateful to be sitting in the last race of the season in a position to be fighting for the title.
Speaking at the FIA drivers' press conference, Verstappen said:
“It's been really enjoyable. After last year I didn’t have a lot of hope that we would be sitting here, end of the season fighting for the title. But I think from the start we were very competitive.”
According to Verstappen, in view of their performance in Abu Dhabi in 2020, he did not expect to be fighting so closely for the title just the following year. His misgivings were forgone when he felt his team had been competitive this year right from the start and they look forward to claiming the title.
Max Verstappen is proud of his team to come this far
According to the Red Bull F1 driver, although he and his team have been competitive all year round, they have had their share of tough luck in some races. Max Verstappen said he feels proud of his team and their efforts to fight for the title so closely at this stage in the season.
Summarizing their season so far, Verstappen said:
“Yeah, we had some good results and a bit of bad luck as well. Overall we can really be proud of the whole team effort to be sitting here and fighting for this title.”
Both Verstappen and the Red Bull F1 team will make history if they claim the Drivers' and Constructors' title on Sunday, ending Mercedes’ dominance. While the Constructor’s title is more in the favor of Mercedes, the Driver’s title still can be won by the Dutchman.
A victory in either of those championships could signal a return to the winning ways of yore for Red Bull. The last time they tasted either championship win was in 2013, at the end of a four-year winning spree with Sebastian Vettel.
