On Saturday night, Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive Formula One world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Dutch driver finished fifth in a race dominated by George Russell of Mercedes, joining the elite ranks of Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost as a four-time champion.
Lando Norris, Verstappen’s closest competitor from McLaren, ended the race in sixth place.
“Oh my god, what a season, four times, thank you guys,” exclaimed Verstappen over the team radio. “It was a bit tougher than last year, but we made it through. Thanks a lot, guys.”
Russell finished 7.313 seconds ahead of his teammate, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who had climbed from 10th to second.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari claimed the third and fourth spots, respectively.
Norris trailed 43 seconds in sixth, just ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. Nico Hulkenberg took eighth place for Haas, followed by RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.
Norris, needing to outscore Verstappen by three points to sustain his championship bid, earned an extra point for the fastest lap, but it wasn’t enough to continue the contest.
On a dry and windy night in the Nevada desert, with air and track temperatures at 18 degrees Celsius, Russell made a flawless start from the fourth pole position. Leclerc quickly advanced from fourth to second at the start.
Except for Fernando Alonso, who opted for soft tyres lasting just four laps, all drivers started on medium tyres. Leclerc attempted to overtake Russell early in the race, while Verstappen moved past Pierre Gasly into fourth.
