Las Vegas (AFP) – Max Verstappen claimed a fourth consecutive Formula One world title under the lights of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday. The 27-year-old Dutchman came home in fifth place in a race won by George Russell of Mercedes, becoming just the sixth man after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost to secure four championships. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was Verstappen’s only title rival, finished in sixth place.
“Oh my god, what a season, four times, thank you guys,” Verstappen told his Red Bull team on the radio. “It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much, guys.” Russell came home 7.313 seconds clear of seven-time champion and Mercedes teammate Hamilton, who had started from 10th on the grid. The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were in third and fourth places, respectively. Norris, in sixth, was 43 seconds adrift ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Haas, following RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.
Norris, who needed to outscore Verstappen by three points to keep his title hopes alive, secured an extra point for the fastest lap, but his challenge was effectively over. In the dry, windy, and milder night of the Nevada desert, the air and track temperature was 18 degrees as Russell made a perfect start from his fourth pole position, leading with Leclerc, from fourth, leaping to second off the grid. Everyone except Fernando Alonso started on medium tires, with the Spaniard opting for softs, which lasted only four laps. At the front, Leclerc made an early bid to pass Russell, while Verstappen swept by Pierre Gasly for fourth.
The Dutchman, looking imperious, made more progress on lap nine by passing Leclerc for third as Norris overtook Gasly for fifth, leaving Hamilton moving up to eighth. Piastri was given a five-second penalty for a false start from outside his grid box, as Sainz, Leclerc, and Norris pitted for hard tires, followed by Verstappen and Russell on lap 12. Hamilton benefitted from the frantic action to lead the race for a lap before the order settled with Russell leading ahead of Perez, who made an early stop, and Verstappen.
On lap 15, Perez waved Verstappen through to second behind Russell, and Gasly retired with engine failure in his Alpine. Hamilton, showcasing great speed, climbed to fifth by lap 20, trailing the two Ferraris, as Norris struggled in sixth. “The front right looks like it is about to go any lap,” reported Norris. His title dream, much like his tires, appeared to be evaporating as McLaren slithered in pursuit, unable to find any grip.
By half-distance, Russell led Verstappen by 11 seconds with Sainz, who was complaining about his tires, in third ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton. On lap 28, both multiple champions pitted. Hamilton was hampered by Sainz, who crossed in and out of the pit lane as Ferrari ordered him to stay out and swap places with Leclerc. The Spaniard pitted a lap later, falling to sixth. All this saw Norris rise to third before he pitted again on lap 31, falling to seventh while Hamilton, in good form, cruised past Verstappen for second behind Russell.
Irked by suggestions that his “shelf life” was ending, Hamilton, on older tires, trimmed Russell’s lead from 11 seconds to six in five impressive laps. Verstappen, focusing on the bigger prize, was passed by Sainz but managed to keep Leclerc behind him, with Norris 10 seconds adrift in sixth until lap 47 when the Monegasque passed him for fourth.
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