Lando Norris, who needed to finish ahead of Verstappen to prolong the championship fight for at least another week, struggled to a distant sixth place in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while Verstappen finishes fifth for the race that secures the title in a Mercedes one-two that was won by George Russell.
Max Verstappen has become Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time after clinching the 2024 title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen, 27, is the sixth driver in the sport’s history to win at least four world titles.
With 1950s Argentine superstar Juan-Manuel Fangio on five, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, and now Verstappen on four, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have each won a record seven.
Verstappen now follows Hamilton, Fangio, and Vettel in winning four straight Drivers’ Championships after winning his first at the contentious end of the 2021 season.
A run of five has only been accomplished by Schumacher.
Who has won the most F1 titles?
| Driver | Titles won |
| 1) Michael Schumacher | 7 |
| 1) Lewis Hamilton | 7 |
| 3) Juan-Manuel Fangio | 5 |
| 4) Alain Prost | 4 |
| 4) Sebastian Vettel | 4 |
| 4) Max Verstappen | 4 |
Verstappen had appeared certain to win the championship once more after taking home seven of this year’s first ten victories, following the most dominant season in history in 2023, in which he won a record 19 races out of 22.
However, Lando Norris had mounted a late-season threat due to an unexpected downturn in Red Bull’s form, McLaren’s rise as the grid’s most reliable front-runner, and Ferrari’s own improvement since the summer break.
Verstappen’s four title-winning seasons
| Seasons | 2021-2024* |
| Race starts | 88 |
| Wins | 52 |
| Win % | 59% |
| Podiums | 70 |
| Pole positions | 37 |
| DNFs | 6 |
| *two races left in 2024 |
Verstappen’s ability to continue scoring strong points meant that his advantage decreased at a more gradual rate from a season-high lead of 84 points following the British Grand Prix in July, while Red Bull lost the Constructors’ Championship leadership and fell to third due to Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles.
At the Sao Paulo Grand Prix earlier this month, Norris had cut the lead to 44 points and won the Sprint. However, the title race quickly swung back in Verstappen’s favor a day later, as the Dutchman made an incredible drive in the rain-soaked Grand Prix to win from 17th on the grid while his McLaren rival faltered to sixth from pole.
With his first race victory in five months, Verstappen restored his dominant lead of 62 points and guaranteed that he would win the race in Las Vegas by finishing ahead of Norris. He accomplished this on Sunday morning by finishing fifth in the race, one position ahead of his McLaren adversary, who had trouble keeping up.
Las Vegas GP result: Top 10
1) George Russell, Mercedes
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
8) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
9) Yuki Tsunoda, RB
10) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Although Verstappen moved up to second behind ultimate race winner George Russell in the early stages of the race, he was shuffled off the podium to fifth in the long second stint on hard tyres after being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and then the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
