LAS VEGAS — Asked how he planned to celebrate his fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen did a quick scan of the room, searching for a drop of alcohol.
“Well, I ran out of beer, so I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe another one, and then maybe I switch to something else. I don’t need to drive anymore, so we don’t do the drink-and-drive. I don’t need to do that.”
He doesn’t need to do anything else to make the 2024 title his either, locking it up after finishing fifth Saturday night in the Las Vegas Grand Prix to beat Lando Norris of McLaren for the crown with two races remaining this season on the international open-wheel circuit.
The 27-year-old Dutchman is now a king of Las Vegas, a year after he arrived in Sin City extremely negative about the extravagant race on the famed Strip. He won and completely changed his tune last November, even singing “Viva Las Vegas” as he crossed the finish line.
This year, he used the street circuit to become only the sixth driver in F1 history to win at least four titles. Verstappen needed only to finish ahead of Norris to win the title in Las Vegas. He started fifth but was already up to second by the 10th lap, and the 25-year-old British driver never challenged.