Max Verstappen has finally taken to social media to celebrate becoming the F1 drivers’ champion after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Dutchman overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the race following a controversial safety car decision.

Mercedes launched two appeals after the race;  claiming Verstappen overtook Hamilton behind the safety car, and that the rules were not applied correctly regarding lapped cars being allowed to unlap themselves when Masi removed the safety car with one lap to go.

Max Verstappen’s drivers’ championship was confirmed after the FIA rejected two protests from Mercedes

The Dutchman overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap following a late-race safety car

Mercedes launched two appeals and have now lodged a further intention to appeal

To the Dutchman and Red Bull’s relief, both of Mercedes’ protests were rejected – though the team have now lodged an intent to appeal the safety car decision.

Sky Sports showed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner informing Verstappen of the decision sparking wild celebrations in the team’s garage.

The 24-year-old has now taken to social media to give his reaction to his first championship win.

Verstappen celebrates with his Red Bull team shortly after the FIA made their decision

Verstappen and the team take a team photo with their Abu Dhabi GP winning trophy

In three posts on Twitter, he wrote: ‘World champion!!!! This is just unbelievable. I started racing with my dad many years ago. We dreamed of becoming a World Champion and now we are.

‘Thank you everyone at @redbullracing and at @hondaracingf1 for an amazing car, you guys were amazing once again. @SChecoPerez, you were an animal today.

‘To all my family and friends-thank you so much for all your support over the years. Couldn’t have done it without you!

‘Now, I’m going to enjoy this. Orange Army-you were amazing once again. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do.’

It was a race in which Hamilton dominated from the start taking the lead on the opening lap, despite some controversy over the Brit not having to give his position back to Verstappen after running wide when the Dutchman attempted to re-take the lead.

Red Bull looked like they didn’t have the pace of Mercedes and Hamilton was well on his way to his record-breaking eighth championship.

But the Williams of Nicholas Latifi provided the Dutchman some luck as he crashed out of the race which brought out the safety car.

Hamilton reacted graciously despite the shock of losing the title in the last lap of the race

Verstappen pitted for soft tyres and it looked like he would need to un-lap five cars before he could make a move on Hamilton on fresh rubber.

However, the decision was made for the five cars between the two rivals to unlap themselves giving Verstappen one lap to get the move done – which he did with a brave lunge down the inside of Turn 5.

Hamilton was gracious after the race despite his misfortune, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and higher-ups were not pleased and launched two protests against Red Bull.

Mercedes claimed the safety car decision was a breach of the FIA’s sporting regulations and requested the results be put back to the end of the penultimate lap, but the stewards dismissed the protest.

Verstappen won his first drivers’ title in what is his seventh season of racing in F1

The stewards’ bulletin explained that Mercedes argued there had been a breach of Article 48.12 of the regulations which state that ‘any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car’ and ‘once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap.’

The stewards said that although that article may not have been “applied fully” as the safety car came in at the end of the same lap, “Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message ‘Safety Car in this lap’ has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap.”

Masi was also present for the hearing, and said that it had been “long been agreed by all the teams that where possible it was highly desirable for the race to end in a ‘green’ condition” and not behind the safety car.