27-year-old Dutchman, Max Verstappen, has clinched his fourth consecutive Formula One world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.
He finished fifth in the race, which was won by George Russell of Mercedes.
This victory makes Verstappen the sixth driver in history to win four championships, joining legends like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost.
Verstappen expressed his joy over the team radio, saying, “Oh my god, what a season, four times, thank you guys. It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys.”
Seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton, secured second place, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finishing third and fourth, respectively.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen’s only title rival, finished sixth.
Norris, who had been steadily closing the gap on Verstappen in the latter half of the season, started from sixth on the grid.
He pitted early, dropping to 17th, while Verstappen pitted two laps later, rejoining in sixth place.
After the pit stops, Russell led the race, with Verstappen in second and the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, along with Hamilton, forming a buffer between Verstappen and Norris.
Hamilton, starting from 10th, made his way through the field, eventually passing Verstappen to take second place.
By the 33rd lap, Russell was 11 seconds ahead of his Mercedes teammate.
Despite being overtaken by Sainz and Leclerc, Verstappen’s fifth-place finish was enough to secure the title.
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