Max Verstappen just grabbed his fourth Formula 1 world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, way earlier than anyone – including himself – thought possible.
The Dutch racing star sealed the deal with a dominant showing at Interlagos that left his critics speechless.
It was 3 AM in Vegas when Verstappen, already a few drinks in, cracked open a Red Bull to chat with Dutch media. The newly crowned four-time champ was in a pretty good mood.
Just a few races ago, things looked totally different. Verstappen was locked in a tight battle with Lando Norris, and nobody saw this early title win coming.
“I really thought we’d be fighting until the last race,” Verstappen said with a big smile. “Then the rain came in Brazil. That worked out pretty well for us.”
What makes this title special? Verstappen says he didn’t even have the fastest car for most of the season – about 70% of it since the Miami GP.
He couldn’t resist bringing this up when McLaren CEO Zak Brown came to congratulate him.
“People being critical only fires me up,” he said. “When they say I can only win in the best car, I love proving them wrong.”
He thinks this championship might finally silence his doubters. “If I don’t get respect now, I don’t know what else I need to do,” he laughed.
Here’s a bold claim: Verstappen believes he would’ve won the title even sooner if he’d been driving a McLaren this year.
But he’s realistic about other cars. He doesn’t think he could’ve done much better than Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari, and admits a Mercedes would’ve been really tough.
Looking back at his previous titles, Verstappen thinks he could’ve won in different cars in 2021, but 2022 would’ve been tricky with Ferrari’s reliability issues. As for 2023? “No chance,” he laughed.
Could anyone else have won these championships in his Red Bull cars? Verstappen couldn’t resist a Vegas-themed joke: “We’re in the right place to bet on that. All I can say is: good luck to them!”
