“At his age,” stated Verstappen, “to be so strong, not make large errors, and naturally additionally beat your skilled team-mate, he is simply pushed unbelievable, and I am very pleased with him, how he has dealt with himself this entire season.”
Lando Norris, the outgoing world champion, was additionally effusive in his reward.
“It could not have gone to a greater individual,” he stated. “He is a real man, very, very sort, and he has pushed unbelievably effectively this yr, higher that what everybody was anticipating of him.
“He is actually not had a simple season when it comes to his competitors being extremely excessive. He has gone up towards one of the best drivers on this planet, all in excellent automobiles, and he is blown everybody away.
“I hope everybody provides him sufficient credit score for what he is achieved this yr. He is made everybody else look foolish. He is pushed that effectively and he is been capable of click on together with his automotive, he is labored exhausting to grasp tips on how to drive this automotive and he is exploited it higher than anybody else.
“So he must be very proud. He has achieved historical past and I’m very, very blissful for him.”
For Antonelli, the difficulties of final yr have been formative, and important in what he has been capable of obtain this.
“The truth that some folks stated that I wasn’t belonging to F1,” he stated, “or I wasn’t prepared for it – which in some unspecified time in the future final yr I most likely seemed like I wasn’t – with the ability to expertise these moments made me far more prepared forward of this yr.
“Experiencing actually low and tough conditions, high-pressure moments, actually helped me to face sure conditions this yr and positively they made me mature so much as a driver, as an individual.
“Nonetheless this yr I’ve had moments the place I might have finished higher, so much higher, so it is only a fixed studying course of.
“Final yr with the ability to race straight into Mercedes, clearly straight below the highlight, made me develop a lot sooner than if I might have gone to a smaller group, for instance.”
