2024 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Purple Bull Racing (lleft) celebrates with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase in parc ferme in the course of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. — AFP
Max Verstappen claimed a fourth consecutive System One world title beneath the lights of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Dutchman got here residence in fifth place in a race gained by George Russell of Mercedes as he grew to become simply the sixth man after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost to assert 4 championships.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was Verstappen’s solely title rival, completed in sixth place.
“Oh my god what a season, four times, thank you guys,” Verstappen instructed his Purple Bull workforce on the radio. “It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys.”
Russell got here residence 7.313 seconds away from seven-time champion and Mercedes teammate Hamilton, who had began from tenth on the grid.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc had been in third and fourth locations respectively.
Norris, in sixth, was 43 seconds adrift forward of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Haas forward of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez within the second Purple Bull.
Norris, who wanted to outscore Verstappen by three factors to maintain his title hopes alive, took an additional level for the quickest lap, however his problem was over.
On a dry, windy and milder evening within the Nevada desert, the air and monitor temperature was 18 levels as Russell made an ideal begin from his fourth pole place to guide with Leclerc, from fourth, leaping to second off the grid.
Everybody besides Fernando Alonso began on mediums, the Spaniard taking softs that lasted solely 4 laps whereas, on the entrance, Leclerc made an early bid to go Russell and Verstappen swept by Pierre Gasly for fourth.
