Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 World Championship in a Red Bull for the fourth time in a row. After his fifth place at the Grand Prix, the 27-year-old Dutchman can vegas will no longer be caught by his pursuer Lando Norris in the McLaren in the two remaining races of the season. With this victory, Verstappen is one of the six most successful drivers in the history of the premier motorsport class.
“Oh my God, what a season,” Verstappen shouted on the pit radio after crossing the finish line. “Thanks, guys. We gave it our all.” He started the race from fifth place on the grid; his World Championship rival Lando Norris was never able to put Verstappen under pressure and finished sixth in the McLaren. The Briton missed catching up with the necessary at least three points on Verstappen in order to still have a chance of winning the title.
The race victory in Las Vegas went to George Russell in the Mercedes ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who are also behind in the overall standings. Carlos Sainz came third in the Ferrari, fourth place went to his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Grand Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are scheduled for the next two weekends.
Schumacher and Hamilton remain the most successful Formula 1 drivers in history
For Verstappen, it is the fourth world title in a row; he already won in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with the Red Bull. The German former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel also had such a series with the Austrian team from 2010 to 2013 inclusive. The Frenchman Alain Prost also won the title four times in his career.
In terms of World Cup successes, only the two record world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton with seven world championship titles each and the Argentinian Juan-Manuel Fangio with five are more successful than Verstappen, Vettel and Prost.
