Max Verstappen became world champion for the fourth consecutive time after finishing fifth behind George Russell at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Dutchman’s title was the hardest to win in his career and makes his name, 27, as bright as the attractions of the Strip, where he was to be transported in a Rolls Royce Phantom to celebrate in front of the Bellagio, with sparkling fountains.
Rightly so, because he is part of the pantheon of motorsport immortals.
They are followed by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, with seven titles each, and Juan Manuel Fangio, with five. But time is on his side and it is almost certain that he will move away from Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel, like him with four.
A tearful Verstappen was ecstatic over the radio. “Oh my God,” he moaned. ‘What a season. Four times. Thank you all. More difficult than last year. I thought it was impossible. But thanks to you… Thanks again.’
That night, Verstappen finished “only” fifth behind a one-two for Mercedes and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, but it was enough to take the honors with Lando Norris, his only theoretical challenger, again in sixth.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship
Verstappen gets into his Red Bull after winning his fourth world title
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull passes Planet Hollywood Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
This means that he wins the championship without having to compete in the two remaining rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
As for Russell’s composed performance, it was worthy of the third victory of his career. His Mercedes was inexplicably fast, but he exploited that advantage to devastating effect.
More on Russell later, but first an account of Verstappen’s career, which was emblematic of his superman powers. He may be considered a pantomime villain in Britain for his controversial beating of Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in 2021, but there is no doubting his ability to get more out of his Red Bull than any other driver would be able to. That was highlighted by Sergio Pérez, who finished tenth.
Surprisingly, Verstappen has achieved his feat, while Red Bull is third in the constructors’ championship. In fact, it is rare for a driver to succeed when his team does not win the constructors’ championship. In recent times only Hamilton, in 2008, and Verstappen himself, in 2021, have managed to perform the small miracle of man rising above the machine.
And that’s not all. Red Bull has been divided by divisions this year. They have been involved in a controversy: the Christian Horner scandal. With the departure of design guru Adrian Newey, they have gone from a reliable winning phenomenon to a ragtag group that has lost dominance in recent months.
Since Verstappen won in China on April 21, he hasn’t had the fastest car. McLaren took over in Miami on May 5. However, Verstappen still achieved crucial victories that his car did not entitle him to.
The race itself was won by Mercedes’ George Russell, his third career grand prix victory.
He stopped a Norris charge, one that with a steelier performer than the speedy Brit would have prevailed, Max or no Max.
As for the race itself, Russell was supreme from pole position. He pulled away very quickly and survived the wheel-to-wheel threat at the end of the fourth lap, keeping Leclerc at bay. A lesson in defiance for Norris.
Hamilton did very well from 10th on the grid (a poor qualifying on his part) to finish second, while overtaking three cars on the track and the Ferraris in the pits.
Poor victorious Russell. A bad day to win a race.