The Dutch driver has taken the 2024 Formula One drivers’ title – his fourth in a row – to cement his place as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has won the 2024 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix despite his nearest title rival Lando Norris snatching a bonus point on the last lap.
Verstappen finished fifth behind winner George Russell, who led a Mercedes-AMG one-two with Lewis Hamilton ahead of the two Ferraris, securing the title with a 63-point advantage over the McLaren of Norris.
In a race where both title contenders simply weren’t fast enough to challenge for a podium finish – let alone a win – Norris came sixth, a single place behind Verstappen and ahead of McLaren team-mate, Australian Oscar Piastri.
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The result saw Norris’ unlikely title challenge dashed, the Brit needing to outscore Verstappen by three points to keep his championship hopes alive going into the final two races with only 60 points left to fight for.
“Oh my God what a season – four times, thank you guys,” Verstappen said to his Red Bull Racing team over the radio from his car after the race.
“I mean it was a little bit more difficult than last year, but we pulled through – we gave it all – thank you so much.”
Verstappen joins Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton, who the Dutchman beat to his first world title in 2021, as the only drivers to win four consecutive Formula One (F1) drivers’ championships.
He now sits alongside Vettel and Alain Prost as a four-time champion, behind only Fangio’s five, and Schumacher and Hamilton’s seven apiece.
“Incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me, and to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something that I never thought was possible,” Verstappen said in post-race interviews.
“At the moment [I’m] just feeling relieved in a way, but also very proud.”
Verstappen’s devastating 2023 form – where he won a record 19 from 22 Grands Prix, including 10 in a row – looked set to continue in 2024, with the number-one Red Bull driver winning seven of the first ten races.
That was despite pre-season controversy surrounding Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner, as well as news of the high-profile departure of celebrated design guru, Adrian Newey, from the team at the end of this year.
Yet after winning the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Verstappen and Red Bull were winless for 10 races as Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari and McLaren all posted multiple victories, chances of the Dutchman winning a fourth title looking slimmer race-by-race.
Red Bull’s dry spell saw maiden career Grand Prix wins from Australia’s Piastri and McLaren team-mate Norris, with the latter becoming Verstappen’s biggest title threat – involving yet more controversy over the Dutchman’s defensive driving tactics in close on-track battles between the pair.
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A remarkable drive to victory by almost 20 seconds in wet conditions from 17th on the grid in Brazil – where Norris started from pole to finish sixth, more than two minutes behind Verstappen – stunned rivals.
“It’s been a long season,” said the now four-time champion, his Brazil win the eighth so far this season, with two rounds left to run (Qatar, Abu Dhabi) after Las Vegas.
“Of course we started off amazing, you know, it was almost like cruising – but then we had a tough run, but as a team we kept it together, we kept working on improvement and we got over the line.
“[There were] many good races but many tough races. It was all about just optimising and trying sometimes to limit the damage, but at the end of the day I’m just very proud of what we’ve achieved.
“At times it looked very tough – I didn’t want to give up at all; that’s how I am anyway – but at times yeah, it was not easy with the car clearly lacking pace in places, but we still managed to get the best result out of it, or sometimes even more than we deserved.”
“At the end of the day, most of the time you create your own luck and I think that’s what we also did.”
Norris – who alongside team-mate Piastri, won his first career Grand Prix in 2024 – set the race’s fastest lap on the final time around the Las Vegas street circuit in 2024 for an additional World Championship point, but it was not enough.
“I’ll start by saying congrats to Max,” Norris, who has won three Grands Prix this season, said after the race.
“Knowing the championship is 100 per cent over – you always have [a] little hope inside – but he drove an incredible season.
“When he had the quickest car he dominated, when he didn’t, he was still there, always on my heels. He made my life tough; we made his tough at times I’m sure, but he drove a better season and of course should be congratulated.”
Verstappen has now led the F1 World Drivers’ Championship since the Spanish Grand Prix held on 22 May 2022 – an all-time record as the longest driver to remain at the top.
The Dutchman won his first title in controversial circumstances in 2021 in a last-race battle with arch-rival Hamilton, the start of his run to now four F1 crowns.
“Every championship is different. I think last year is still my favourite one – people didn’t appreciate it enough, what we achieved, winning 10 in a row,” Verstappen said.
“Of course we had a dominant car but I don’t think it was as dominant as people think it was, but this one also definitely means a lot, how we handled everything.”
While the drivers’ title has been decided, there’s a fierce battle for the Constructors’ Championship as F1 heads to Qatar next weekend (29 November to 1 December), and then the final round in Abu Dhabi from 6-8 December.
With a maximum of 103 constructors’ points available, McLaren holds a 24-point lead ahead of a closing Ferrari, while Red Bull is third only 29 points adrift.
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