Though George Russell led a one-two victory for Mercedes in the second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, it was once again Max Verstappen’s night. The 27-year-old Dutchman nabbed his fourth consecutive F1 Driver’s Championship by coming in fifth place.
This surprised no one, since Verstappen arrived in Las Vegas already on the brink of victory. Thanks to winning the previous race in Brazil, the 27-year-old Dutchman needed only to finish ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren. (McLaren came in sixth.)
No Verstappen Him
This makes Verstappen only the sixth driver in F1 history to win four Driver’s Championships. His record ties Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel, with only Lewis Hamilton (seven), Michael Schumacher (seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) ahead of them.
“To stand here as a four-time world champion is something I never thought would be possible,” Verstappen told actor Terry Crews, who moderated a press conference in front of the Bellagio’s grandstand.
“It was a very challenging season and I had to be calm,” Verstappen said. “I think this season taught me a lot of lessons and we handled it well as a team, so that of course makes it a very special and beautiful season.”
Pole Cat
Russell began the race in pole position, thanks to logging the fastest qualifying time, and never gave it up — despite a charge from his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The win marks his third career victory. (Earlier this year, he was disqualified from a first-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix.)
Russell was followed across the finish line 7.3 seconds later by Hamilton, giving Mercedes its first one-two sweep since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished third for Ferrari, followed by his teammate, Charles Leclere, in fourth.
Despite the achievements of both Verstappen and Russell, however, Red Bull Racing is currently third in the Constructor’s Championship standings, behind McLaren and Ferrari. And Mercedes is in fourth.
Only two races remain in the season — the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on December 15 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 22.
This was the second year of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which converts the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding streets into a 3.8-mile racetrack. Though it brings economic benefit to several corporate-owned casinos, dozens of local businesses claim it costs them millions in total revenue by cutting off access to their regular customers for months.
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