Red Bull boss Christian Horner reflected on a nerve-wrecking aftermath of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Mercedes' protest, the Red Bull man feeling the FIA and the Stewards took the right decisions.
As if the race wasn't dramatic enough, but the story of the 2021 Formula 1 season refused to reach a conclusion after the 58th lap of racing around the Yas Marina Circuit.
With Max Verstappen's last lap victory not going down well at Mercedes, the World Champions filed a protest, which put the Red Bull celebrations on hold, as the world was at the edge of its seat watching the developments, with no less interest than that of the race itself.
An emotional rollercoaster
With the protest behind him, his driver confirmed as the 2021 World Champion, Horner reflected on the whole race proceedings with F1's official website.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster," he said. "It started with a bad start, Lewis making a great start and they had a bit more pace than us today.
"They elected to do a one-stop, we went onto the two-stop and then when Latifi crashed we elected to take another set of tyres.
"They got the race going again and Max had to make it count, he had one lap to do it and he nailed it," Horner said.
A tense couple of hours
The Championship T-shirts Red Bull unboxed were not meant to be worn at FIA/Stewards meetings, but that's how they ended up being used, with Horner shedding some light on the emotions during those strained moments.
"So the elation of that moment...and then obviously the summons start coming through for the safety car and another one for other stuff.
"It has been a tense couple of hours but hats off to the FIA and the stewards who I believe have made the right decisions today," the Briton claimed.
An outstanding Max this year
Horner was full of praise for Verstappen, his Champion driver and the talent his team has nurtured and brought into F1 at the age of 17, a precedent at the time, that won't be repeated as the rules now mandate a minimum driver age of 18 to race in F1.
"You have got to look at this championship on balance over 22 races and Max has been truly outstanding this year," he said.
"He got unlucky at times but he always kept his head down, he has driven with heart and passion, with great skill and determination and I think he is a really deserving world champion," Horner went on.
"The fact he has managed to take on and beat Lewis, who obviously is a formidable [rival], the most successful driver of all time, only makes it more valuable.
"All credit to Lewis this season, he has driven again outstandingly well and I'm absolutely delighted with the result," the Red Bull boss said in praise of Lewis Hamilton.
"I'm sure it will be a long evening."
A young man living his dream
The fact that Verstappen came into F1 at such a young age, means that his seven seasons in F1, make him an experiences driver of the sport, but the fact remains that he is only 24.
Horner touched on that fact, and said: "We’re just incredibly proud of Max.
"You have to remember he’s a young man who’s living his dream.
"He’s taken on the best in the world, the best that statistically there’s ever been, he’s fought tooth and nail every single Grand Prix and he’s been outstanding this year.
"For a 24-year-old to do what he’s done, I think that’s pretty impressive," the 48-year-old concluded.
The protests Mercedes lodged post-race have been rejected, but the 2021 Constructors' Champions announced their intent to appeal the Stewards' decision. Whether they go through the appeal is yet to be seen.
Until then, Red Bull can celebrate.
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