Max Verstappen’s Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix was off to a rocky start after Red Bull had to take a saw to the RB20’s rear wing—literally. Three mediocre practice sessions didn’t inspire much confidence that quali would fare much better. Still, as Verstappen often does, pulled a rabbit out of a hat come Friday night and landed P5 for Saturday night’s race. The rest was history because the wunderkind did exactly what he had to do to mathematically clinch his fourth F1 World Championship by finishing fifth place. George Russell won the race for Mercedes-AMG.
Despite temperatures being a couple of degrees warmer than on Friday’s qualifying session, drivers struggled to find their footing at the start of the race. Everyone sought to cash in on the others’ struggles, but the truth is that just about everyone was on a level playing field in terms of grip. By the end of Lap 1, pole-sitter Russell was remained at the front while championship contenders Lando Norris and Verstappen remained in their starting positions of fifth and sixth, respectively.
Carlos Sainz kicked off the first round of pit stops on lap 11, and it was quickly evident that most drivers would try to pull off a one-stop strategy, though some stayed out longer in case another yellow would force them onto a two-stop strategy like in 2023. Once the field shuffled after the pit stops, it was Russell who remained dominant in the lead, with Charles Leclerc in second and Norris following in third place. Verstappen had a slow pit stop on lap 28, which put him in front of Lewis Hamilton but behind Norris.
A fiery Lewis Hamilton took advantage of the pit rotation—and many switching to a two-stopper—and passed for second place on lap 32, making it a Mercedes one-two with just 17 laps to go. With just seven laps to go, Hamilton was just 5.5 seconds away from Russell and was closing in quickly.
As the race neared its closing stages, Verstappen had a scrap with both Ferraris which ultimately demoted him from third to fifth. Regardless, cameras showed the Red Bull Racing camp already on a mellow yet joyful mood about Verstappen’s position, knowing it was just a matter of time until their man won his fourth title in just 10 seasons. A truly incredible feat that, despite all the drama and controversy surrounding his 2021 campaign, establishes Verstappen as one of the greatest. He also ties other F1 stars like his former Red Bull colleague Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Alain Prost.
Earlier this week, at a special test organized by Honda where Verstappen drove an Acura GTP prototype, the F1 champ told The Drive that he didn’t have a certain number of championships in mind. He stated that he has “no desire to win eight or nine championships” and he no longer needs to “prove himself” to others. Quite the contrary, he showed his desire to have more free time and enjoy life a bit more once the end of his current contract arrives, which is in 2028.
The F1 circus now heads to the Middle East to close out the 2024 season with the Grand Prix of Qatar on Dec. 1, and the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 8.
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