There was much anticipation and plenty of momentum for Max Verstappen, following his iconic drive through the wet in São Paulo — and with that, the inevitable happened in Las Vegas.
George Russell’s Mercedes had the pace to triumph in qualifying and then from pole on the Strip; Lewis Hamilton completing a one-two finish.
But the attention flicked back to Verstappen’s Red Bull, which finished off the podium but crucially, ahead of Lando Norris. That was enough to secure his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship.
It was a difficult weekend for McLaren, with Norris P6 and Oscar Piastri P7. Add in Sergio Perez managing only P10 in the other Red Bull, and Ferrari upped the pressure in the constructors’ championship.
However, there was also tension between Carlos Sainz (P3) and Charles Leclerc (P4) as they disagreed with each other’s actions on the track. So far in Qatar, those tensions appear to have eased.
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Inside Max Verstappen’s Las Vegas F1 title clincher: Relief, elation and beer
