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Motorsport

Verstappen claims he would have won 2024 title with McLaren or Ferrari

OR McLaren Ferrari Max Verstappen Red Bull Zak Brown F1 Lando Norris Mercedes

Max Verstappen is convinced he would have won the 2024 Formula 1 world title if he had been driving for McLaren or Ferrari instead of Red Bull.

Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive crown with two races to spare with a disciplined fifth place in Saturday night's Las Vegas Grand Prix, taking nearest rival Lando Norris out of contention.

The Dutchman started the year with a dominant Red Bull RB20, but then saw McLaren take a giant leap forward in May while Red Bull's own campaign started stuttering. Ferrari also took turns at the front, as did Mercedes on occasion.

But with Verstappen asserting that for 70 percent of the campaign he didn't have the fastest machine, he is convinced he would have won it driving his closest rivals' cars too.

When asked if he could have won the title with McLaren, he replied: "Yes, even earlier, so [I would have been] further ahead. [With the Ferrari], pretty much the same I think. The Mercedes, no. I think that would have been trickier."

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 (Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images)

Verstappen also commented on him confronting Zak Brown on Sky Sports with the McLaren CEO's comments that he could only win the title in the dominant Red Bull, when the American came over to congratulate him.

"You know, things like that only motivate me. When people are critical or think I can only win in the best car, I will prove them wrong," he said. "If I don't get [that credit] now, then I don't know what I to do."

In fairness to Brown, those comments were made right after Norris' maiden win in May's Miami Grand Prix, when Verstappen had won four of the first six races and the depth of the RB20's flaws had yet to fully emerge over time.

Brown's claims that six or seven drivers could win the title in that Red Bull also looked nowhere near as outlandish then as they would have done today.

When asked whether with the benefit of hindsight anyone else could have won the 2024 title in the Red Bull, Verstappen quipped: "Well, we are in the right place for that question here in Vegas, because you can bet on that!

"All I can say is, I wish them the best of luck with that..."

Photos from Las Vegas GP Race

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, the rest of the field at the start

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Nigel Mansell poses for a picture with a Scuderia Ferrari team member

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Paris Hilton

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, with his girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Nigel Mansell

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Liam Lawson and his girlfriend Hannah St. John

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Scuderia Ferrari Puma guest Marcell Jacobs Italian sprinter

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Paddock atmosphere

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, during the drivers parade

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Nigel Mansell with Moko in the pitlane

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, with Gianluca “QCP” Conte, Food content creator and Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Paddock atmosphere

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Terry Crews

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing race engineer

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, leaves the garage

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, on the grid

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Red Bull Racing team members

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, at the race start

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, at the race start

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, in the pit lane

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524, makes a pit stop

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Sylvester Stallone waves the chequered flag

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his team in Parc Ferme

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, celebrates with his team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, on the podium

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, is sprayed with Champagne on the podium

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, drinks Champagne on the podium

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, lifts the winners trophy

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 2nd position, sprays George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, with Champagne

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 2nd position, the Mercedes trophy delegate, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 1st position, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 3rd position, on the podium

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, celebrates with his team after the race

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

World Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Saturday

Formula 1

67

In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

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