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Max Verstappen should get a “boost” and feel less pressure after winning his first World Championship, say two people who know the feeling well.

Both Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso said the new champion should be able to relax a little bit more, now the intensity of his title battle against Lewis Hamilton ended with his preferred outcome in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen said himself that the “desperate must win” attitude he had previously held has now disappeared from his psyche, and will be able to focus on retaining his title without the distraction of questions being asked about when he will break his duck.

The German and Spaniard have six titles between them, having won their championships in consecutive years in 2005/2006 and 2010-2013 respectively, and Vettel was the last driver to carry the number one on his car in Formula 1 back in 2014.

He quipped that he had not experienced that champion feeling for a long time – but predicts Verstappen will feel a sense of “privilege” when the new car number appears on his Red Bull this season.

“From what I remember, it is a boost,” Vettel said, as per the PA News Agency. “It takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, and it is a great feeling to start the season as a World Champion.

“You have the number one on your car,