Written by Sofia Costantino, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
What a weekend we just lived in Sin City, it didn’t disappoint at all. Although finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris, who was the only rival with a mathematical chance of overtaking him, Max Verstappen was crowned Drivers' Champion for the 2024 season, with two rounds (Qatar and Abu Dhabi) remaining to finish the 75th Formula One campaign.
Now our flying Dutchman becomes the sixth driver in the top category of world motorsport to win four championships, alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton, and only the fifth driver to do so consecutively. Only three drivers in this list have won more than four titles: Fangio with five, and both Schumacher and Hamilton with seven apiece.
The setting was Las Vegas, a fabulous and glamorous party city that has hosted an F1 GP on only four occasions throughout history, but has witnessed the championship decider on three of them. Apart from Verstappen, it occurred for Nelson Piquet in 1981 (Brabham/Ford) and Keke Rosberg (Williams/Ford) in 1982, all coincidentally finished in fifth place in their respective races.
After two relatively easy seasons to clinch the championship crown, adding more to his stellar racing record, the Dutchman had to work slightly harder this year to achieve something similar as the first title in 2021.
Although this campaign began presaging the same results as in the previous two, with a 1-2 for Verstappen and teammate Sergio Pérez with the RB20 in the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, it soon became apparent that Red Bull no longer had the fastest car on the grid.
Even so, Verstappen won in seven of the first ten races. But it was also soon noted that the difference was the driver skill. As Sergio Pérez has demonstrated, he found it challenging to return to the podium after the fifth round in China, where he finished third behind Lando Norris.
Norris, who won the following race in Miami ahead of Verstappen, has shown that the McLaren MCL38 had become the fastest car on the grid. This was down to evolutionary developments of the machine, which Ferrari, Mercedes and, to a lesser extent, other teams would also successfully achieve.
Although the title clinch appear to be a breeze, Verstappen was required to carry a Newey car - without Newey - on his shoulders, chasing quicker cars for 3/4 of the season and certainly giving the impression at one point (Monza) that the Constructors' Championship was lost and that the Drivers' Championship possibly too, despite his initial triumphs.
But, after ten races without a victory, in Brazil he gave a masterclass in driving in the rain, reaffirming that in 75 years of Formula One, the driver skill still reigned supreme over the machines, including the championships. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Champion's team will most likely finish third in the Constructors' standings.
It is only the third time in the history of F1 since that championship was introduced in 1958, that the champion driver's team does not qualify first or second that year. Coincidentally, once again, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg were Driver Champions, while their teams, Brabham in 1983 and Williams in 1982 respectively, finished third and fourth.
With no changes to the technical regulations, 2025 may be even more of a difficult season for Verstappen to emulate Michael Schumacher, the only driver to secure five Driver Championships in a row (2000-2004). His enormous talent - amply demonstrated this season - is his greatest asset. Our flying Dutchman continues to amaze us with his unbelievable strength, dedication and passion.
Now, with this weekend ahead, we are still eager for the Constructors Championship. The battle continues between Ferrari and the Constructors’ leader McLaren. Heading our way to Qatar, will we see a new team champion? Or will the fight go on until the last race of the season?
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