Max Verstappen had built up such a comfortable lead that he didn’t have to worry at all in this third-to-last Formula 1 race of the season in Las Vegas. He had put so many cars between himself and his closest title rival, Lando Norris, that he no longer posed any danger. Until the final phase of this Grand Prix with various maneuvers mixed up the order so much that Verstappen ended up directly in front of Norris again. His prospect of the podium with a champagne shower had turned into fifth place during the final laps, with Norris circling in sixth place. But the gap between the Red Bull and the McLaren was big enough – and the 27-year-old Dutchman still achieved the minimum goal: he crossed the finish line ahead of Norris. And thus world champions for the fourth time in a row.
“Oh my God, four times,” said Verstappen, audibly emotional on the radio. “What a season! When we think about this year, what we’ve been through… Thank you guys, thank you everyone!” Like the German Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013 – also with Red Bull – and the Frenchman Alain Prost, he has now won four titles. Verstappen has become one of the six best drivers in the history of his sport. So far, only the Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio has had more success with five titles, and the German Michael Schumacher and the Briton Lewis Hamilton with seven titles each, who celebrated a double success with Mercedes in Las Vegas: his teammate George Russell took victory ahead of Hamilton and came third Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Ferrari.
:Max Verstappen shows that he deserves the world title
And of course, after Verstappen got out of his car and took off his helmet, he was asked the obligatory question: Did he ever think this was possible? “I definitely didn’t think so. When I started, I was happy to be there,” he replied. “To be standing here now as a four-time world champion is simply incredible.” Once again he has proven that he is one of the most talented and strong-willed drivers that Formula 1 has produced.
Verstappen has collected 403 points, Norris has 340 points. He would have had to gain at least three points to keep his chance. But now Verstappen can no longer be caught in the final races in Qatar (December 1st) and Abu Dhabi (December 8th). “Congratulating him doesn’t hurt, but knowing the World Cup is over… you always have some hope,” Norris said. “We made life difficult for him at times, but he drove really well throughout the season.” At the beginning of the racing year, Red Bull had dominated, but then had major problems. McLaren had filled this gap and become a serious title candidate. There were also internal power struggles and a scandal surrounding team boss Christian Horner. Verstappen’s relief was even greater after this mixed season. “It was also challenging as a person, you have to stay calm,” said Verstappen. “I learned a lot of lessons again this season. I’m proud of how we handled it as a team.”
At the start, Verstappen has to be patient; he doesn’t succeed in the first maneuver
Verstappen had already shown his skills in an impressive way in the previous race. After ten Grand Prix without a win, he went from 17th on the grid to a triumph in Brazil that must have demoralized Norris and was decisive. Now the challenge wasn’t quite as big in this regard: Verstappen started the Las Vegas Grand Prix from fifth place, Norris from sixth place. To win his fourth title, he had to finish ahead of the McLaren, which was struggling with the low temperatures. And one could assume that Verstappen would have no objection to a bonus after the 50 laps: if he was an early champion, then he would be happy to be crowned with a podium finish.
However, the best view was enjoyed by George Russell. Mercedes coped best with the conditions and dominated all sessions from the first training session. Ferrari achieved this second best: Carlos Sainz Jr. started from second place, Charles Leclerc in fourth, with Pierre Gasly in the Alpine-Renault unexpectedly sandwiching in between. At the start, Verstappen had to be patient; the first maneuver was not successful for him, but for Leclerc, who got past Gasly and Sainz early on and watched Russell. On the fourth lap Gasly was due again, Verstappen took advantage of one of the three long straights along the glittering casinos and rushed past the Frenchman. Norris, on the other hand, was stuck at the back and must have suspected that this would not be a pleasant day at work for him.
Leclerc had problems. First his teammate Sainz overtook him, then Verstappen, who was not satisfied with that and also bagged the Spaniard on the tenth lap. The attack mode had long since been triggered. While he became Russell’s first pursuer, Leclerc and Norris had stopped in the pits to switch to the hard rubber compound, and Sainz followed them. Verstappen drove in the Mercedes sandwich of Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who worked his way up from tenth place. Meanwhile, the German Nico Hülkenberg was fourth, who ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth place and scored points. Russell was eight seconds ahead of Verstappen on the eleventh lap, time for fresh tires and he also had the hard compound fitted. One car after another followed.
“He brought the car home in a really big way,” says Red Bull’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko
The race was interrupted when, after 16 laps, Gasly frantically reported engine problems and said he had no more power. However, the yellow flag was not waved and the safety car was not deployed because Gasly turned into the pit lane in good time. And so Hamilton was able to pass Norris in peace. Instead of maneuvering the McLaren closer to Verstappen, Norris was now seventh. It seemed hopeless to counter him in this world championship fight. Verstappen didn’t have to fear his title rival, he could concentrate fully on his own race. To be on the safe side, he got fresh tires again on the 30th lap, and Hamilton also received new material – and benefited from it. In the duel between the two former bitter rivals, he drove past Verstappen without any difficulty. At that moment he didn’t even put up any resistance against a car that was clearly superior to his this weekend.
Because Leclerc drove into the pits, Russell and Hamilton were now in the lead. It was clear that Verstappen would win, the Mercedes were too good. The radio reminded Verstappen to keep his eyes on the day’s goal and not to take any risks. But Verstappen reassured him that he was far from carelessly wasting this chance. “He brought the car home in a really big way,” said Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
Verstappen even had the prospect of a champagne shower: he was on course for the podium with a comfortable lead. But the two Ferraris came closer. Russell had enough of a lead at the front that he could also have his tires changed without hesitation, and even then he was eleven seconds ahead of Hamilton, who was preparing to take the lead. The seven-time world champion had tires that were five laps older than Russell’s, but he minimized the gap with one fastest lap after the other. Meanwhile, Verstappen saw the Ferraris getting closer and closer in the rearview mirror. When Sainz overtook him with nine laps to go, he let him have his way, and soon afterwards Leclerc also started to maneuver and was able to pass. Verstappen didn’t care, his lead over Norris was more than 20 seconds: “Those in front were too fast, but today that’s okay.” And so, even if it was no longer enough for the podium, the old and new champion celebrated Las Vegas’ biggest party on Saturday night.
