Horner: No one can take the world title from Verstappen

Christian Horner was convinced that the tournament had made the right decision, dismissing Mercedes' appeal in Abu Dhabi and confirming Max Verstappen as world champion.

Mercedes filed a complaint in Abu Dhabi, where they complained that during the race, several selected ferrule cars were allowed to overtake safety cars on the last lap, allowing Verstappen to approach Lewis Hamilton on the last lap. The Dutchman overtook Hamilton on the track with updated tyres, taking the lead in the most dramatic situations and becoming the world champion for the first time by beating seven-time champion Hamilton.

Instantly after the verdict was confirmed, Horner told reporters he was pleased with the outcome of their discussions.

Announcing the news, the red bull team leader said: "We are disappointed that we had to go through this, but it has been an amazing year and we are very, very proud of Max and I am incredibly proud of the whole team. He's a world champion, he's a well-deserved world champion... Well, no one can take this world championship from him. ”

Mercedes had the right to appeal the race's ruling, but Horner gave ample credit to his Red Bull Racing staff, who allowed his driver to win the championship.

He said: "I think they're a fantastic team and they've done their job this year. Max drove with passion and determination, he had had bad luck before, but tonight was a little lucky. The race has made the right decision and we want to 'let them play' and that's what we've been talking about for years. Nikki Lauda pioneered the idea of 'let them play' and that's what he did... Verstappen deserves this championship and we are proud of him. ”