Verstappen delivers verdict on "most satisfying" F1 title success

Max Verstappen has delivered his verdict on which of his back-to-back F1 titles over the past two years has given him the most satisfaction.

The championships were won under very different circumstances, with the Red Bull driver's maiden crown in 2021 clinched via an overtake of title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi, concluding an epic season-long duel.

Verstappen, however, had to wait four days to be officially confirmed as champion after Mercedes threatened an appeal to the race result after initial protests were rejected.

This past season, Verstappen crushed the opposition, winning his second title with four races to spare before going on to secure a record-breaking 15 victories overall.

Assessing the two championships, in an interview with this writer for The New York Times, Verstappen said: "The first one was honestly the more emotional, but the second was definitely the most satisfying.

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"That's because of what we did this year in terms of the amount of race wins, but also just working with the team, the whole season.

"So they are very different but that's the same with having your first win. The emotion is completely different than winning right now because the first one is always more special than the second.

"I do think this year has been a better year in terms of performance, so definitely this title is better. I'd say it like that, but the first one is way more emotional."

As to why this year's title was better, Verstappen added: "Performance-wise, but also just this season itself was great.

"We had a rough start, but after that we did very little wrong, and even though you cannot be perfect, we will always strive to achieve that."

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