Max Verstappen explains what crossed his mind before beating Lewis Hamilton in F1 decider

Max Verstappen has opened up on his state of mind before beating Lewis Hamilton in December's F1 decider in Abu Dhabi. The Red Bull driver trailed for the majority of the race in the Middle East. Yet he ended up securing victory on the final lap, securing a first championship in the process.

Verstappen and Hamilton both went into he final race of the calendar hoping to win the F1 title.

And it was the Red Bull driver who ended up reigning supreme, with the 24-year-old claiming glory in controversial circumstances.

It was a dramatic end to a frantic F1 season where Hamilton and Verstappen's intense rivalry often boiled over.

Now, the Dutch star has opened up on what crossed his mind moments before he secured victory - admitting it was an emotional time for him.

"What was going on in my head?" he's quoted as saying by the Irish Times.

"I was like: 'I need to overtake him. There's only one option here. I'm not going to finish second.'"

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He then added: "I tried to be really on it with the restart.

"It was all working well until I crossed the line and started to feel cramp in my leg.

"It's one of the most painful things that can happen because you're going full throttle for a long time.

"You feel the muscle clenching and becoming like a tennis ball. Of course the adrenaline helps because, if it were to happen when you're just walking around, you cannot move. It's impossible.

"But there was no option; I had to. So I was just keeping it full throttle and I could feel my leg hurting more and more.

"Luckily, turn five arrived and I went for the [overtaking] move. I had like three seconds off throttle.

"You then have two very long straights and, on the second one where Lewis came back at me, I could feel my foot vibrating. I