Max Verstappen wins fourth F1 world title after Las Vegas Grand Prix
24 November 2024, 08:33 | Updated: 24 November 2024, 10:44
Max Verstappen has won his fourth consecutive Formula One world title by finishing ahead of Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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Mercedes' George Russell won, and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was awarded second place.
Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen was awarded fifth place, followed by Lando Norris in sixth.
The 27-year-old has secured eight wins this season, and has stayed in the top spot after he failed to see the chequered flag for ten races in a row until winning in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Verstappen joins Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton in becoming the fourth time champion.
The Dutchman was focused on finishing before Norris, as opposed to catching the Mercedes duo.
Verstappen had to outscore Norris to become the sixth driver in Formula One history to win four titles or more.
Norris only took the chequered flag in the sixth, so Verstappen will get the world crown for the two remaining races.
Lewis Hamilton raced back from 10th to second to complete an impressive one-two finish for Mercedes.
Russell's third victory was the most dominant of his career so far, as he crossed the line 7.3 seconds clear of Hamilton.
But the most memorable moment of the night will be Verstappen securing his name among the greatest in sport.
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On the team radio, he was overwhelmed with emotion, saying: "Oh my God what a season, four times, thank you guys."
"It's a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys."
Verstappen joked that his fans were "spoilt" owing to his dominance last year, and said he thinks a "proper battle between a lot of cars" in 2025.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "It's incredible, he's done an amazing job, he's been outstanding all year and we are just very proud of him, he's driven brilliantly.
"He's won eight Grand Prixs, he's won the world championship with two races to go, you can't ask for more than that.
"He just gets in the car and he delivers, he's a great human.
"It puts him amongst the greats, statistics now put him there as well.
"He's only just turned 27 and he's in the form of his life so as long as we can keep giving him a decent car then he will keep delivering."
