Max Verstappen has secured his fourth Formula One World Championship, becoming just the sixth driver in history to achieve this milestone. The Red Bull F1 driver finished the Las vegas Grand Prix in fifth-place fending off rival Lando Norris to claim the title.
With his fourth title, Verstappen now joins an elite group of multi-champions like Juan Manuel Fangio (five titles), Alain Prost (four), Michael Schumacher (seven), Sebastian Vettel (four), and Lewis Hamilton (seven).
Max Verstappen 2024 F1 seaon
After a dominant start to the season, where Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races to built a massive lead, the dutch driver suffered dip in performance mid-season, during which his aggressive driving style was questioned. Verstappen's loss of form saw emergence of Lando Norris as a title challenger.
Verstappen, who had gone 10 races without a win before the Brazilian Grand Prix three weeks ago, ended his drought with a spectacular victory from 17th on the grid, keeping his championship defense on track.
Las Vegas GP highlights
Heading into the Las Vegas GP, Verstappen had a 62-point lead over Norris, who had 331 points. With 60 more points up for grabs after the Vegas race, all Verstappen needed was to finish ahead of Norris to seal the championship
Verstappen showed great form earlier in the race and seemed like a potential contender for pole position, he was overtaken by both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who finished first and second. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc also passed him, securing third and fourth positions. Verstappen in the end finished fifth, while Norris finished sixth
Red Bull to miss out on constructors championship
The drivers world championship may have been decided but the constructors championship is still up for grabs. McLaren leads in the standings, ahead of Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.
Red Bull won the constructors championship in 2022 and 2023, but it is unlikely to repeat that feat this year, largely due to the persistent struggles and weaker performance of its second driver, Sergio Perez, who has had a winless season.
