Max Verstappen has revealed he received a congratulatory text message from Toto Wolff in the wake of his dramatic Formula 1 title win in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutchman passed Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season to leapfrog his Mercedes rival and win a first drivers' crown.
Race director Michael Masi's decision to allow backmarker cars to unlap themselves between Verstappen and Hamilton under a safety car proved crucial and contentious with Mercedes lodging a protest with race stewards afterwards.
An incensed Wolff called the call “unacceptable” over team radio but struck a more conciliatory tone later on.
"Toto sent me a text - congratulations on the season and that I deserve to win it," Verstappen said. "So that was very nice of him, of course. Emotions run very high to that last lap from both teams. It is what is."
Verstappen shed tears of joy in his cockpit as the enormity of his achievement finally hit him before celebrating with his team until 7am on Monday morning.
"All the emotions they come out," he said bleary-eyed on a video call on Monday. "So it was a lot of fun. Of course when I woke up it wasn't so fun. I maybe regretted that final drink."
It has been a season of wheel-to-wheel racing and verbal sparring between the two rivals and their teams.
But after finally securing the title Verstappen now feels ready to ease the tension between himself and Hamilton.
"In general I think we have really enjoyed it," Verstappen, who is set to collect his title at the FIA gala on Thursday, said of his season-long battle with the Brit.
"Of course we had our moments, but I think in a championship battle, that's part of it. And now that the season is over, I think we can relax a little bit more about it - but it's been tense.
"The competition, almost every race we have been pushing each other to the limit, within our cars as well. And I think that is just really nice to see."
