Max Verstappen has called on his Red Bull team to learn from its mistakes of previous years in order to hit the ground running and be “s𓃲tronger” at the start of th𝕴e 2021 Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman ended the year on a winning note by claiming just his second victory of 2020 with a dominant performance at the Abu Dhabi Grand 𝄹Prix, as he beat both Mercedes to convert a first pole position of the season into a place on the top step of the podium.

Verstappen acknowledged the result was a “good boost” for everyone at Red Bull and he wants his 🅷team to carry that momentum through the winter and into 2021 💃as the Milton Keynes squad looks to put in a sterner challenge to Mercedes.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect before ♛I got here to win the race here and be on pole,” Verstappen said after the race in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s a great way to finish the season, it’s a good boost for everyo🌃ne in the team here, but also back at tཧhe factory.

“I just hope of course that we ဣlearn from the previ🐭ous years that we have to be stronger at the beginning of the season to be able to give then a little bit of a harder time.”

Red Bull has had a tendency to make slower starts to s💛easons before coming on stronger in the second half of the year, by which point it is too late t🐟o mount a serious title push.

The team made enc༒ouraging progress with the understanding of its complex 2020 challenger and is confident it will iron out any underlying is𓆉sues with its ‘b-spec’ replacement, the RB16B, in 2021.

Re🥂d Bull is also set to receive a boost from outgoing engine supplier Honda, with the Japanese manufacturer🌱 working on introducing a brand new power unit before it bows out of F1 at the end of the upcoming season.

“We know we have to work hard over the winter to be better and stronger because you can’t j꧒ust rely on this result,” Verstappen added.

“We know that we still h⭕ave to improve the car a lot and we know it’s some areas where we have to really work on and that’s not only on the car but also power-wise – we need more.

“I hope we learn from the last few years, it’s not like we do it on purpose but🐽 yeah, we will definitely go into the winter with a good feeling.

“It’s always nice to win the last race, I think, for the whole team, especially after a year like this when it’s very tough and a lot of races followed up after each other so yeah, it’s been hard on everyone, especially mechanics but also the people back in the factory manufacturing all the new parts because we brought quite﷽ a lot this 🍸year.

“I jus💧t hope that we learn from our♛ mistakes – also at the beginning of this year [those] we made and hopefully build a better car to start next year.”