Max Verstappen has won his fourth Formula 1 World Drivers Championship in Sunday morning’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, as George Russell wins second race of the season.
Verstappen wrapped up the drivers championship by extending his championship points lead to 63 ahead of rival Lando Norris. With only 52 points available in the final two races, Verstappen is declared champion.
Despite winning the championship, Verstappen did not stand on the podium. The Mercedes drivers of Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished first and second, marking the team’s first ‘1-2’ finish since the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix. Hamilton also earned the ‘Driver of the day’ award, after starting the race in tenth position.
Verstappen was running in third position heading into the closing stages of the race, however he was overtaken by the Ferrari’s of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. This strong result from Ferrari closes the deficit to Mclaren in the constructors championship to just 36 points.
The retaining champion Verstappen then came home in fifth place, to seal the crown. This was the third occasion a championship was won in Las Vegas, with Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg both doing so in 1981 and 1982 respectively. Both Piquet and Rosberg also finished in fifth place on their coronation day.
Verstappen said he is “relieved in a way, but also very proud” to win the championship. RedBull Racing team principal and CEO, Christian Horner, described it as the team’s “hardest championship” to win. This is due to not only the challenge from McLaren, but also the internal problems within the team such as key personnel leaving and Horner’s internal investigation.
Norris finished in sixth, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri in seventh. Piastri received a 5-second time penalty during the race for a ‘false start.’
Nico Hülkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez rounded out the points finishers. Hülkenberg’s six points have promoted Haas ahead of Alpine in the constructors standings.
Alpine did not score points despite Pierre Gasly starting in third. His engine exploded on Lap 16. Esteban Ocon’s race was also jeopardised, this however was due to his team calling him into the pitlane, and then not being ready to service the car. Aston Martin also made the same mistake with Lance Stroll. The only other non-finisher along with Gasly, was Alexander Albon.