Max Verstappen Claims Fourth World Title, Joining F1 Greats

Under the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip, where fortunes are made and lost in a heartbeat, Max Verstappen didn’t leave his destiny to chance. The Dutchman was calm, calculated, and assured, knowing what risks to take, overtakes to make, and when to push, hauling his Red Bull across the chequered flag to secure his fourth consecutive World Championship. But this championship hasn’t been a smooth ride. What began as a seemingly unstoppable march to glory soon became a battle against unexpected technical challenges, mid-season upgrades gone wrong, and a resurgent McLaren team.

From Dominance To Technical Difficulties

Red Bull kicked off the year in dominant fashion, with Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez securing 1-2s in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan. The Dutchman secured seven victories in the first ten races, but cracks in their performance began to show as early as the Spanish Grand Prix, and their dominance began to wane.

Team principal Christian Horner revealed a disconnect between the wind tunnel data and the car’s on-track behavior, describing it as a situation where they couldn’t “trust the tools.”

The RB20, once untouchable, began to show handling issues, particularly understeer where the car wouldn’t turn in the desired direction, after a mid-season upgrade disrupted the balance between its front and rear ends. Horner said, “Recent upgrades… disconnected front and rear. Our wind tunnel doesn’t say that, but the track says that.”

In terms of tire wear, the RB20 struggled to say the least. The new upgrades placed additional load on the tires, leading to faster degradation and making it harder for drivers to maintain competitive race pace over long stints. Perez felt the brunt of these issues first, with Verstappen managing to mitigate them through his driving adaptability, but soon the issues began to affect him too.

Under Pressure From McLaren

The technical woes coincided with a resurgence from Lando Norris and McLaren. Norris’s consistent podium finishes, including victories in Miami and Singapore, slashed Verstappen’s once-commanding lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Along with Oscar Piastri, the Woking-based outfit managed to jump Red Bull to lead the Constructors’ standings.

Moreover, this season saw multiple race winners from different teams, with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes also in the mix for the win, making Verstappen’s job that much more difficult to hold onto that lead. Despite these challenges, Verstappen’s ability to adapt kept him ahead of the competition. He may not have always had the fastest machinery, but he sure had the grit.

There were times when Norris and Verstappen clashed, when competition perhaps got a little too close for comfort. Incidents leading to punctures like in Austria or overly-ambitious lunges leading to penalties like in Mexico. But this is common when two are in a fight for the title—who would want to yield? The margins were fine.

Norris meanwhile demonstrated his potential by learning from his mistakes. Though quick on multiple occasions, errors at the start—like in Barcelona and Budapest, where he lost the lead into the first turn—cost him potential victories. Despite these setbacks, Norris displayed resilience, frequently recovering to secure podium finishes. His growth and tenacity kept him firmly in the championship battle, but when it mattered most, Verstappen rose to the occasion with unrelenting precision. His experience fighting for the title perhaps giving him the edge he needed.

Red Bull Upgrades

After a poor Monza Grand Prix weekend where Verstappen described the car as “undriveable,” Red Bull brought in floor upgrades to Azerbaijan, aiming to improve aerodynamics. Chief engineer Paul Monaghan described it as a subtle but vital step following defeats to McLaren in the Netherlands and Italy.

In Austin, more upgrades were brought in, including a reprofiled floor and a revised coke/engine cover with minimized louvre openings, which enhanced cooling efficiency for the circuit-specific demands of Austin. While these upgrades were a step forward, Red Bull acknowledged they may not be enough to reclaim dominance, as Max Verstappen remained cautious about the car’s potential for significant improvement in the remaining races.

Sealing The Deal In Vegas

After his brilliant victory in Brazil, Verstappen only needed to finish ahead of Norris to claim the title. Starting from the third row, he climbed to the podium positions during the race when drivers ahead began to pit. The Dutchman strategically avoided fighting the faster Ferraris, careful not to take unnecessary risks, eyes on the bigger prize. Verstappen crossed the line fifth, ahead of championship rival Norris, to secure his fourth consecutive world title.

Verstappen said, “It’s been a long season and of course we started off amazing, it was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run.

“But as a team, we kept it together, we kept working on improvements and we pulled off the win. Incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me… So at the moment I’m just feeling very relieved, in a way, but also proud.”

His remarkable performance this season places him among the legends of Formula 1, joining the elite group of Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton as drivers with four or more World Championships. Perhaps in the land of the casino, the house doesn’t always win—sometimes it’s Verstappen who takes it all. His name, now etched on another page in the annals of F1 history; for Max Verstappen, it’s certainly “Viva Las Vegas!”