Verstappen never thought that four titles were possible
Having just secured his fourth F1 title at Las Vegas a week ago, Max Verstappen reckons he will be eager to end the season on a high, trying to fight for Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.
The opening stages of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend saw Red Bull struggle for pace, but Max Verstappen looked a lot more comfortable in his RB20 in qualifying, managing to secure a fifth spot on the grid for Saturday's race.
The Dutch driver had an average start to hang on to P5, but he managed to pick off Alpine driver Pierre Gasly in the early stages of the 50-lap race. After the second round of pit stops, he found himself on the last spot of the rostrum, but he was then overtaken by the fast-charging Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Despite dropping off the podium, Verstappen did what he needed to do to see off the challenge of his last remaining title rival, Lando Norris to clinch his fourth F1 world championship title.
Reflecting on last weekend's Nevadan race, Verstappen added: "Winning the Championship was an incredible moment and I’m so proud of what we have achieved as a Team and of myself too. This win really means a lot to us and being a four-time World Champion is something I never thought possible.
"I want to thank everyone part of this success for all the support this year, what a season we have had. There were difficult moments but we stuck together, never gave up and came back stronger, and this is what makes the season so special."
Despite having clinched his fourth Drivers' title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen is intent on ending the 24-race 2024 season on a high.
"Looking to Qatar, we are still focused for this race and it will be a busy one being a Sprint. Of course the season is not over yet and we still want to keep the momentum going and bring home as many points as we can for the Team, so bring on the next two races," concluded Verstappen.