Lewis Hamilton was quick to give his congratulations to Max Verstappen after the Dutchman claimed his fourth consecutive F1 world title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen finished the race in fifth, one spot ahead of closest contender Lando Norris, to claim the 2024 drivers’ title with two races left.
It makes Verstappen the fifth man to win four titles in a row, with seven-time champion Hamilton one of those.
Hamilton claimed four in a row with Mercedes from 2017-2020.
Speaking on the podium, Hamilton said: “A big congratulations to Max for winning the championship with several races to go.”
Verstappen joins Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel in winning four Formula 1 world championships, with only Juan Manuel Fangio (five), Hamilton (seven) and Michael Schumacher (seven) ahead of the Dutchman now.
George Russell claimed the win in Vegas, leading home a Mercedes one-two ahead of Hamilton, with Carlos Sainz finishing third.
“Oh my god, what a season, four times!” Verstappen said over team radio.
“Thank you, thank you to everyone. A little bit more difficult than last year but we pulled through, thank you so much guys.
“I never thought it was possible but thanks to you guys it is, thanks again.”
He then added on the podium: “It’s been a long season. We started off amazing, cruising, then we had a tough run. We kept it together, working on improvements. Incredibly proud.
“To stand in as a four-time world champion is nothing I thought was possible. I’m feeling relieved but also very proud.
“We got on that run after a tough few years, we hit the ground running with the new concept. To be standing here four-time world champion is incredible.
“It was a very challenging season, as a person at times it’s very challenging. I had to be calm. This season taught me a lot of lessons, very proud of how we dealt with it as a team. It makes it a beautiful and special season.”
Asked about the prospect of winning five titles in a row next year, a year which sees Hamilton move to Ferrari, Verstappen said: “It’s going to be a proper battle between a lot of cars.
“I’m hungry, but I’m going to enjoy this. We go at it again next week.”
