Max Verstappen crowned as Formula 1 World Champion in Las Vegas

Max Verstappen has won the Formula 1 World Champion title for a fourth consecutive time earlier at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. All the predictions fulfilled and Verstappen was crowned in the night street circuit, even when he finished fifth.

Verstappen joins Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton as the sixth F1 driver to win four or more World Championships.

"It's been a long season and of course we started off amazing, it was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run", said Verstappen, who saw the title in serious danger after not winning a race for the whole summer... until early November in Sao Paulo.

"But as a team, we kept it together, we kept working on improvements and we pulled off the win. So at the moment I'm just feeling very relieved, in a way, but also proud".

Verstappen was not the only lucky one in Las Vegas. Mercedes got their first win and pole in four months, with George Russell winning the race and Lewis Hamilton second.

Carlos Sainz also smiled: after being unfairly penalished last year, he finished third. His Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth, getting closer to McLaren in the Constructors' standing.