SPORT
Final was this Sunday, during the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Published on November 24, 2024 at 10:05
Max Verstappen Credit: Reproduction
Max Verstappen is four-time Formula 1 world champion. The achievement, which is also his fourth in a row, was this Sunday, during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he started and finished in fifth place. His main competitor, Lando Norris, from McLaren, finished the race in sixth.
The GP victory went to Briton George Russell, his second of the year and third of his career. Completing the podium, Lewis Hamilton came in second, guaranteeing the one-two finish for Mercedes, and Carlos Sainz, in third.
With the result, Verstappen reached 403 points compared to 340 for Norris. With two stages remaining and 60 points up for grabs, the Dutchman became unreachable and was able to celebrate his fourth title with Red Bull. The Formula 1 circus now heads to the Middle East. Next weekend, the Qatar GP takes place in Lusail. The following week, the season ends in the United Arab Emirates, with the Abu Dhabi GP.
The Las Vegas GP began with a good start from Russell and Charles Leclerc overtaking Pierre Gasly, initially in fourth place.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri were fighting for seventh place. Kevin Magnussen and Liam Lawson had a similar fight for 12th place, finishing side by side at the end of the first lap.
Franco Colapinto, whose car was destroyed after hitting the wall during qualifying on Saturday, left the pits. Most drivers preferred medium tires at the start of the race. Pérez, Bottas and Colapinto started on hard tires, and Alonso was the only one to start on soft tires.
The start of the race also coincided with the end of Pierre Gasly’s good fortune. Still on the 16th lap, the Frenchman, who started second and achieved a podium at the São Paulo GP, complained about a lack of power. With smoke coming from his car, he returned to the pits and abandoned the race.
Alexander Albon also left the race due to problems with the power unit.
Lando Norris, who could have unseated the world champion driver, started and came in sixth.
In the constructors’ world championship, however, Red Bull, owned by Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, is in third place, with 555 points. Now, McLaren and Ferrari are separated by just 24 points. The British team has 608 points in the lead, while the Italians have 584 points.
Max Verstappen wins the title in a season of overcoming the problems faced by Red Bull. The Dutchman gave the impression at the beginning of the year that he would be able to repeat – or come close – to his 2023 feat, in which he won 19 of the 22 races. However, the year turned out differently.
After winning in Spain, in June, his seventh race in 2024, Verstappen faced a long drought of victories. While the good results didn’t come, the experience of the three-time world champion weighed in.
In this period of 10 Grands Prix without reaching the highest place on the podium, the Dutchman’s worst position in a race was sixth place. His main competitor, Lando Norris, won only two races (Holland and Singapore).
But at the last São Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen recovered his spirits with a memorable race. Starting at the back of the pack, the Dutchman had a perfect strategy to win the race at the Autódromo de Interlagos in the rain. In 2024, the four-time champion also won the GPs in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Imola and Canada.
Check out the final classification of the F1 Las Vegas GP
1.º – George Russell (ING/Mercedes), em 1h22min05s969
2.º – Lewis Hamilton (ING/Mercedes), a 7s313
3.º -Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari), a 11s906
4th – Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), 14s283
5.º -Max Verstappen (HOL/Red Bull), a 16s582
6.º – Lando Norris (ING/McLaren), a 43s385
7th – Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren), at 51s365
8.º – Nico Hulkenberg (ALE/Haas), and 59s808
9.º – Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/RB Honda), a 62s808
10.º – Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull), a 63s114
11.º – Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), a 69s195
12.º – Kevin Magnussen (DIN/Haas), a 69s803
13.º – Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Kick Sauber), a 74s085
14th – Franco Colapinto (ARG/Williams), at 75s172
15.º – Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin), a 84s102
16. – Liam Lawson (NZL/RB Honda), 91s005
17th – Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine), one lap away
18th – Valtteri Bottas, one lap behind
Not complete: Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine) and Alexander Albon (TAI/Williams).
