As the fireworks exploded over the Las Vegas skyline in honour of Max Verstappen’s coronation as a four-time Formula One world champion, the Dutchman, visibly moved by securing what was his toughest title yet, allowed himself a long breath and a smile to take in what is a remarkable achievement.
He had done it beneath the lights and the excess of the Strip but with nary a gamble or a risk, instead the same clinical execution that he has displayed all season was crucial in securing the championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen took only fifth place for Red Bull in a race that was won with consummate skill by Mercedes’ George Russell but the world champion did exactly what he needed. It was a nerveless display of control that would make the casino owners wince, as he played precisely the hand he had to then cashed out, while his title rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris, could manage only sixth.
It was another textbook case of Verstappen making the most of the situation, as he has repeatedly done this season. A win was not really on the cards given how the Red Bull has struggled for pace here and the speed of both Ferrari and Mercedes. So he did enough to close out the title, leading by 63 points with only 60 left at the final two meetings in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
This second absorbing spectacle on the streets of Sin City confirmed that the track not only looks fantastic but delivers great racing too as Lewis Hamilton gave a superb comeback drive to claim second place from 10th on the grid, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth.
Russell’s win was no mean feat but it was largely overshadowed by Verstappen’s achievement and rightly so. He now stands alongside an elite group of drivers, matching the world championship tally of Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Only Juan Manuel Fangio with five and Michael Schumacher and Hamilton on seven apiece have more. It was, he admitted, all but unthinkable when he became the youngest driver in F1 at 17 years old in 2015.
It was also the most challenging of the 27-year-old’s four world championships. Having been outpaced by a wickedly quick McLaren for almost all of the second half of the year and struggling with a car that lacked balance, to then grind out the results and hold his nerve to seal the title was an impressive demonstration of determination and resilience.
Moreover, to do so during a season when the team endured no little turmoil and controversy, was indicative of Verstappen’s maturity and his ability to focus on the job at hand despite the overwhelming noise that engulfed the team. As the whirlwind raged around Red Bull and their car was stalled by developments that robbed it of pace rather than making improvements, Verstappen repeatedly turned up and out-drove the machinery with preternatural calm. His drive in Vegas, a controlled piece of execution to do exactly what was required, was a case in point that sits alongside the more sublime wins such as Montreal and Brazil.
For Russell, who led from pole to flag, this was a moment of redemption after the heartbreak of having his victory in Spa annulled when his car was found to be overweight. His unbridled joy and outpouring of emotion was unsurprising.
At Mercedes too it clearly meant a lot having endured yet another torrid season. They have four wins this year, far from their peak, but they will surely embrace that return with open arms given at certain points they were left all but poking at their car with a stick to see whether it would be a sweet compliant ride or a snarling beast. Certainly on the streets of Las Vegas, in cool temperatures, it was purring and Russell emphatically tickled its tummy to seal a hard-fought race.
Behind him tyre wear and a frenetic series of passing moves lit up the competition on the track that, unintentionally yet entertainingly, resembles an upside down pig, with the best spot for passing at turn 14, where its curly tail should be. Verstappen, however, was fixated on the jackpot, which required him to finish in front of Norris, and crucially he had maintained his place in front when the lights went out from their starting positions of fifth and sixth.
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While Norris then struggled with his tyre wear Verstappen was enjoying perhaps the best performance his car had shown all weekend. He moved forward while Norris dropped back. As Hamilton came through the field and Russell consolidated, Verstappen played the numbers to perfection.
When a charging Hamilton caught him he did not resist and let the British driver ease past. As the two Ferraris enjoyed the better pace at the close and Sainz and Leclerc both passed him, once more the world champion chose not to risk defending too vigorously. Younger Max might have been powerless to resist turning it into a fight but world champion Max has long since moved on.
By the flag, Verstappen and Russell had done enough, the championship and the race, respectively, secured. Las Vegas had delivered another spectacle, a suitably grand backdrop for a deservedly celebratory Verstappen who would, he declared, allow himself no little indulgence afterwards in the city where few would bet against there being more titles within his grasp.
