Max Verstappen wins fourth F1 world championship as Mercedes take out Las Vegas Grand Prix 1-2
Was there ever any doubt? Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is officially a four-time world champion in Las Vegas, as Mercedes take out the race in a 1-2 finish.
Was there really ever any doubt?
The best Formula One driver of his generation, Max Verstappen is now on the road to being perhaps the greatest of all time.
Still just 27, he’s won his fourth world championship, hitting the jackpot despite finishing fifth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
George Russell won the race with a brilliant front running drive from pole position,then vowed to kick up his heels after his third win of his career.
He held off his fast-finishing Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who charged through the field after starting from 10th place on the grid.
Carlos Sainz grabbed the third place on the podium ahead of his Ferrari partner Charles Leclerc after a wild 50-lap race on the high-speed street circuit on the Las Vegas Strip.
How fitting it was that Verstappen claimed the biggest prize of all in Sin City, sealing the drivers’ title with two races still remaining in Qatar and Bahrain.
Lando Norris, the only driver with a mathematical chance of catching the Dutchman before the lights went out in Nevada, could manage only sixth place for McLaren.
He’s now 63 points behind Verstappen with a maximum of 60 available. That’s game over.
In winning his fourth title, Verstappen moved into rarefied air. He now sits alongside Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as four-time world champions.
Only Michael Schumacher (eight), Hamilton (seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) have won more but Verstappen still has more time on his side.
MAX VERSTAPPEN IS THE 2024 F1 WORLD CHAMPION! ðŸ†
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 24, 2024
A brilliant fourth title in-a-row! Incredible!!!#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/kiBpPmV86H
“It’s been a long season, we started off amazing and we were cruising but then we had a tough run as a team but we kept it together, we kept working on improvements and I couldn’t be more proud of everyone and what they have done for me,” he said.
“To stand here as a four-time world champion is something I never thought was possible. At the moment I’m feeling relieved but also very proud.”
Tipped for greatness from the moment he broke into motor racing’s glamour category as a teenager, Verstappen hasn’t always been a universally popular figure in the sport.
He has been criticised at times for his aggressive driving style but no-one can question his incredible talent, which has not only produced four championships but also 62 race wins, including eight this season, five more than any of his rivals.
“It’s incredible, he’s done an amazing job, he’s been outstanding all year and we are just very proud of him, he’s driven brilliantly,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.
“He’s won eight grands prix, he’s won the world championship with two races to go, you can’t ask for more than that.
“He just gets in the car and he delivers, he’s a great human. It puts him among the greats, statistics now put him there as well.
“He’s only just turned 27 and he’s in the form of his life so as long as we can keep giving him a decent car then he will keep delivering.”.
This time, all the drivers joined in congratulating him.
But despite sealing the title, not everything went smoothly for Verstappen in 2024. After winning seven of the first 10 races, he’s won just one of the last 12 but showed is maturity to keep picking up enough points to stay out in front.
“It was a very challenging season,” he said. “As a person at times it was very challenging and I had to be calm. In a way I still prefer last season, I enjoyed it a lot but I think this season has taught me a lot of lessons.
“I am very proud of us as a team and in a way that makes it a very special and beautiful season.”
“If you look to next year right now I think it’s going to be a proper battle between a lot of cars, but I’m hungry.
“I’m going to enjoy this and there are still two more races that I want to do well. We take a little break and we try and go for it again next year.”
Oscar Piastri finished seventh but the good news for the rising Australian star is that he still has a great chance of winning some silverware as McLaren remained in front in the constructors’ championship. With two rounds to go, the papaya coloured team has 608 points with Ferrari next on 584, still 24 adrift.
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Originally published as Max Verstappen wins fourth F1 world championship as Mercedes take out Las Vegas Grand Prix 1-2
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