Max Verstappen finishes fifth in the GP Las Vegas and wins the Formula 1 world championship for the fourth consecutive time. The pursuit of Norris and McLaren was in vain. The Dutchman held firm until the end, winning the world title in Nevada.
No roulette can hold up in Las Vegas: Verstappen wins against everyone
In Formula 1, it is often said about champions: it is all down to the car, as if the drivers were taxi drivers. It has been said about Vettel, about Hamilton and, finally, also about Verstappen. The 2024 season, confusing and unpredictable like it hasn't been for a long time, should silence the many nonsense that has been spent on the Dutchman. The title, this year, is thanks to Verstappen the driver and, above all, to the adult Max. The internal political struggles within his team were not enough, just as the recovery of the rival teams in terms of performance was not enough. The newfound competitiveness found by McLaren was not enough, which with Norris perhaps threw us into a collective hallucination up to Brazil, when the championship seemed to be strongly in doubt. We all thought so except one: Max Verstappen who, against everything and everyone, won another world title.
The turning point of the championship came perhaps in Hungary, after the Dutchman's worst race in recent years. From there it was necessary to reset everything, find yourself and draw the right mental strength by looking back at the path taken up to that point. A path that lasted years, which saw Max grow and mature. This season the new world champion has raised the bar considerably, showing his pursuers what a driver needs to triumph. Despite some dormant traces of unmotivated exaggeration that emerged in the first laps of the Mexican GP, Max Verstappen has learned to wait this year. Indeed, quoting the actor Marco Giallini in Perfect strangers, Max has learned to “defuse”, or rather, to defuse himself.
Verstappen after the race: “I didn’t expect to win the championship four times”
A know-how to defuse that has changed the way of approaching races. Today, in Las Vegas, we saw the completion of a long maturation process. Despite a deficient car, also looking at Perez's difficulties, Verstappen managed to maximize the possible result by crossing the finish line in fifth position, without aiming for the impossible by risking more than necessary. On the other hand, we had to put aside the memory of last season, dominated far and wide unlike this last one. "Yes, it was a long season. We started in a fantastic way, we controlled the races and then there was a difficult period. But as a team we remained united, even in finding improvements. We achieved the objective and we must be proud of everything. I feel relieved in some ways but at the same time also very proud.
So much effort and so many difficulties above all that resulted in the fourth world title, an unexpected result for Max, which allows him to reach previous illustrious colleagues such as Vettel and Prost. “Did I expect to win the title four times? Not when I started racing. I was happy to be there and I hoped to get on the podium and win races: normal things. Which are already very difficult to achieve. Then we started this ride after some difficult years. Finally with the new concept (2022 regulations) we started again with momentum”. Momentum that, compared to last year, seems to have stopped, predicting a 2025 that will not be easy to face. “I prefer seasons like last year, where I had a lot of fun. But this season taught me a lot. I am very proud of how we managed everything as a team. So, in some ways this season is special and it is beautiful”.
At the end of the race Verstappen is tired, but, as he himself declared, also relieved. A burden, that of reaching the objective that has weighed on him with so much pressure managed to perfection and, consequently, also on his team, increasingly in difficulty, and on his fans. Both, both team what supporters, thanked by the Dutchman in his usual post-race statements. “As for the fans, it’s great to see them everywhere for the support they give me. Last year they were too spoiled with too many victories. This year they had to wait longer in the middle of the season. For the team, what can I say? We’ve been through a lot together. All these high points are really special to be able to reach with the people here and those in the factory”.
An epilogue, in some ways predicted by everyone at the beginning of the season, which however arrived after a tortuous journey. The same, which probably Red Bull and Verstappen will have to face McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes next year. Verstappen has already warned everyone: "I'm still hungry".
