He was pushed harder than a season ago, but on Saturday night, under the bright lights of Sin City, Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
Verstappen entered the week with multiple paths to his fourth title in a row, while Lando Norris faced a narrow path to keep his own championship hopes alive. Verstappen checked off the first item on his to-do list on Friday evening when he qualified just ahead of Norris for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday evening. The two started next to each other on the third row, with Norris in sixth place and Verstappen just ahead of him on the fifth row.
That meant the battle for the title could be decided at the first corner on Saturday evening, and Verstappen maintained that lead over Norris before slowly breaking away from the McLaren driver. He ran third after the second round of pit stops, but did not finish on the podium. Under pressure from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. for the final podium finish, Verstappen eventually slipped back to fifth, satisfied with finishing ahead of Norris and capturing his fourth title.
Norris settled for sixth place and picked up a bonus point when he pitted for a set of soft tires in the closing stages to take the fastest lap of the race.
At the front, George Russell put in an impressive wire-to-wire performance to win from pole position and take his second win of the season. Teammate Lewis Hamilton, who started tenth, stormed through the field to finish second, helping Mercedes cap a dominant week in Las Vegas.
The Ferrari duo Sainz and Leclerc finished third and fourth respectively.
But the story was Verstappen, who, while not as dominant as a season ago, might well have been just as impressive in 2024. While the RB20 wasn’t the premium package of its predecessor, Verstappen’s consistency kept him fighting at the front throughout the week and withdrew, making him champion on Saturday evening.
“Yes, it has been a long season. And of course we started off great. It was almost like cruising, but then we had a rough run. But as a team we kept it together,” Verstappen said trackside to Terry Crews and Jenson Button. “We continued to work on improvements. And yes, we crossed the line. I mean, incredibly proud of everyone for what they’ve done for me. And to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something I never thought possible. So yes, right now I feel relieved in a way, but also very proud.
With this title, Verstappen is level with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel on the list of all-time driver champions. Only Juan Manuel Fangio (five), Michael Schumacher (seven) and Lewis Hamilton (seven) have won more drivers’ titles.
Verstappen admitted that winning a fourth title was not something he dreamed of when he started his F1 career.
“Certainly not. I was just happy to be there and dream of possible victories or being on the podium, the normal things that are already very difficult to achieve,” said Verstappen. “Then we just started that run, of course after a few difficult years where we kept trying, and then we started with a new concept, and like I said, to be here as a four-time world champion. champion is just incredible.”
Here are the full results from the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix:
The grid now shifts to Qatar for the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend. Although the drivers’ title has been decided, the race for the constructors’ championship remains exciting. McLaren’s lead over Ferrari was reduced to 24 points on Saturday evening, while Red Bull remains within striking distance, 53 points behind McLaren.