MAX VERSTAPPEN has won his fourth consecutive Formula One world title by finishing ahead of Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It was also a great day for Mercedes as George Russell won and team-mate Lewis Hamilton came in second.
GettyMax Verstappen has won his fourth world title[/caption]
GettyGeorge Russell led throughout to come home in first[/caption]
AFPRussell admitted he had no idea why his car was so quick through the Vegas street circuit[/caption]
Fifth was good enough for Verstappen today as Norris finished in sixth.
The 27-year-old won eight times this season and has been clinging onto top spot after failing to see the chequered flag for ten races in a row until victory in Sao Paulo, Brazil last time out.
Verstappen joins Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton in becoming a four-time champ.
Red Bull were in a business-like mood in Vegas and the Dutchman was solely focused on finishing above Norris rather than catching the Mercedes duo.
Their main man was encouraged to stay ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the latter stages of the contest, but he was overtaken by both yet calmly held off Norris.
On the team radio, Verstappen was overcome with emotion, saying: “Oh my God what a season, four times, thank you guys.
“It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys.”
Team principal Christian Horner added: “It’s incredible, he’s done an amazing job, he’s been outstanding all year and we are just very proud of him, he’s driven brilliantly.
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“He’s won eight Grand Prixs, he’s won the world championship with two races to go, you can’t ask for more than that.
“He just gets in the car and he delivers, he’s a great human.
“It puts him amongst the greats, statistics now put him there as well.
“He’s only just turned 27 and he’s in the form of his life so as long as we can keep giving him a decent car then he will keep delivering.”
Norris put fresh tyres on in the closing stages to land the bonus fastest lap point, which boosted McLaren’s chances at constructors glory.
Russell, who started the race from the front after a brilliant qualifying session, cruised to victory in a relatively quiet race as Sylvester Stallone waved the chequered flag.
The Norfolk-born driver then revealed he was cancelling his flight home to celebrate with a night out on the Vegas Strip.
The Mercedes pairing were too quick for anyone else on the street circuit.
But both Russell and Hamilton admitted they had no idea why their cars were so fast this weekend.
The latter climbed his way through the pack after starting tenth in the grid.
It was a superb drive from Hamilton and he now has a podium at 36 different tracks.
He delayed his first stop to close his gap to the top and then took his second early in lap 27 to emerge second after the Ferraris pitted.
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