Verstappen secures fourth F1 title as Russell wins in Vegas

Max Verstappen, representing the Red Bull team, won the Formula 1 world championship for the fourth consecutive time. The decisive results came at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where the Dutchman ended up in fifth place. The race was claimed by George Russell from Mercedes.

Second place in Las Vegas went to Lewis Hamilton, also from Mercedes, and third to Carlos Sainz Jr. from Ferrari. Lando Norris from McLaren, the only driver who still had a chance to challenge Verstappen, ended the race in sixth place, which was not enough to continue his title fight.

Verstappen started from the fifth position and briefly moved up to second place. However, after pitting, he was overtaken by Hamilton. The Dutchman did not contest his position ahead of Sainz and Charles Leclerc from Ferrari.

Verstappen joined an elite group of drivers who have won at least four world championship titles. This accomplishment was previously achieved by the likes of Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost. Only a few, including Verstappen, have triumphed four times in a row.

Verstappen made history as the youngest driver to achieve the fastest lap, secure a podium position, and win a Formula 1 race.

In the constructors' standings, McLaren leads with 608 points, but Ferrari and Red Bull still have a chance to win. There are two races left in the season: the Qatar Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Before the race in Las Vegas, drivers complained about the smell of marijuana in the air, which is legal in the state of Nevada. "If they took us for doping tests now, we'd all test positive. It would be chaos," Verstappen joked, as quoted by PAP.

Results of the Las Vegas Grand Prix: 1. George Russell (Mercedes), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 3. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 6. Lando Norris (McLaren).