Max Verstappen crowned first Dutch Formula 1 world champion

Max Verstappen took home the Formula 1 world championship during the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The 24-year-old is the first Dutch race car driver to take home the world title.

"It's insane. It's insane. I don't know what to say," Verstappen said in a post-race interview. "Our goal was, of course, to win this championship. And now we've done that," the Red Bull driver said. The Dutch driver surpassed his rival Lewis Hamilton in the final round of the Grand Prix. "Unbelievable. This is crazy," Verstappen said. "I fought the entire race. All of a sudden, I grabbed the chance in the last round.

Despite starting in the pole position, Hamilton overtook Verstappen initially. Hamilton was still ahead of Verstappen after the first series of pit stops.

Verstappen thanked his teammate from Mexico, Sergio Pérez, who prevented Halminton from reaching the leading position in the 20th round on the Yas Marina circuit. "Checo is a legend," Verstappen said. After one round, Hamilton managed to surpass Pérez.

Hamilton dominated the race until the safety car came out five laps before the end, following a crash by Nicholas Latifi. Verstappen was about 12 seconds behind the Mercedes driver at the time.

The two rivals raced neck to neck in the closing rounds, but Verstappen beat the 36-year-old Brit in the final lap. Hamilton congratulated Verstappen afterward, "Congratulations to Max and his team. I think we did an amazing job this year."

Around 5,000 Dutch supporters witnessed the historic race. Verstappen stepped onto the tribunal with a Dutch flag in his hands, joined by his team captain Christian Horner.

With his Grand Prix prize, Verstappen has won 20 Formula 1 races. He has climbed onto the 16th place in the eternal ranking. He graced the podium a total of 18 times this season, another new record. Verstappen is the first Formula 1 driver who is neither British nor German since Kimi Räikkönen from Finland won the title in 2007. He is the fourth-youngest Formula1 driver to be crowned world champion.