Max Verstappen wins the fourth Formula 1 World Championship in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Max Verstappen claimed his fourth Formula One world championship Saturday night under the bright lights of Sin City, cementing his position among the sport’s legends.

The 27-year-old Red Bull driver just needed to finish ahead of his only championship rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris, to eliminate him from contention and secure the trophy with two races and a “sprint” remaining in the 2024 season. He finished 5th while Norris finished 6th.

Verstappen will become just the sixth driver in F1 history to capture four world championships, joining an elite club of Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio.

“Oh my God, man. What a season,” said Verstappen, still in his car over the team radio. “Four times! Thanks… It’s been a little harder than last year, but we managed. And we gave it our all.”

With actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone waving the checkered flag, Mercedes driver George Russell won the race after 50 laps after qualifying on pole, ahead of Mercedes teammate Hamilton in 2nd and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in 3rd .

The international sport has brought a new level of glitz and glamor – and a title decider – to Las Vegas. Celebrities appeared in the paddock, with some attendees dropping tens of thousands of dollars for premium courtside tickets in hospitality suites.

“I love fast cars, I love racing and I love Las Vegas,” Paris Hilton, a fan of McLaren and Norris, told NBC News online moments before the race started. “So it’s a perfect combination of fun.”

The track is best known for its 1.2 kilometer straight along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard where the cars reached a top speed at around 221 mph as they zipped past the Venetian, Bellagio and other casinos on the Strip, providing a series of exciting overtaking for the fans in attendance.

Verstappen played it safe and took few risks, putting up little defense as the two fast Ferraris of Sainz and Charles Leclerc challenged and eventually overtook him. None of the Ferrari or Mercedes drivers were mathematically in the title race.

Before the race, Norris told reporters that the title was almost out of reach regardless of what happened in Vegas.

“It’s not going to change anything. He’s pretty likely to win the championship,” Norris said late Friday after qualifying. “But I’m here to drive and do my best in every race that I can, regardless of Max finishes in front or not. Such is life.”

The constructors’ championship, which pays out the lucrative prize money in F1, is still up for grabs. McLaren leads the standings ahead of Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.

Red Bull won the constructors’ championship in 2022 and 2023 but is unlikely to repeat that feat this year, largely due to the ongoing struggles and weaker performances of its other driver, Sergio Perez, who has had a winless season.

A new American team in F1?

The Las Vegas Grand Prix completed three races in the US – including Miami and Austin – in the 2024 season, more than any other country, a vote of confidence in the growing US market. It was the second race of the 10-year contract in Vegas.

Roadblocks and inconvenience to many locals aside, the race has been a boon for Las Vegas. A report from Nevada’s Clark County said the race’s economic impact was nearly $1.5 billion. Attendance at the race last year was 316,000, the report added.

And American interest may soon get another boost.

Insiders expect Formula 1 to bring an 11th team online, likely called Cadillac F1, in 2026, sources with knowledge told NBC News.

The expected move is linked to an earlier bid by Andretti and GM-backed Cadillac, which was green-lit by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, but rejected by F1’s commercial side. The shift comes amid a commitment by Cadillac to build its own power unit starting in 2028, and changes to the Andretti organization that have put investor Daniel Towriss (instead of Michael Andretti) at the helm of the bid. The news was first reported by Associated Press.

A spokesman for Formula 1 declined to comment. The sport’s commercial owner, Liberty Media, is facing a Justice Department investigation into potential antitrust violations after rejecting the earlier bid from Andretti, the company told investors in August.

If approved, the decision will put a famous American team and car manufacturer at the pinnacle of motorsport. It would happen in the same year that Red Bull is set for partner with Ford to build its power unit that established a clash between American auto giants.

For all his successes, it has been a turbulent season for Verstappen as he has navigated car problems, formidable rivals and seemingly non-stop drama around him off the track.

After winning seven of the first 10 races, Verstappen has won just one of the last 12 races. The early string of wins has been crucial in Verstappen’s quest for a fourth world championship.

It came after Verstappen had a record-breaking season in 2023, winning 19 of the 22 races during the season. The dominance of his Red Bull car continued into the early part of the 2024 season, but quickly waned as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes improved their cars and challenged for wins.

Verstappen’s campaign was also helped by the fact that several rival teams were catching up – if not surpassing Red Bull – around the same time. The season has seen a total of seven race winners: including the six drivers with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. In several instances where Verstappen struggled, others took points from Norris and hampered his quest to challenge the Dutchman.