Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
Max Verstappen clinched his fourth World Drivers’ Championship this weekend by finishing one place ahead of championship rival Lando Norris. The Dutch driver is the third driver in the last fifteen years to “fourpeat,” and the second Red Bull Racing driver to “fourpeat.” Former racer Sebastian Vettel holds the first of both of these records.
In April this year, Norris had said, “Verstappen’s dominance could bore fans.” This, of course, was at the beginning of the season, when Verstappen had still been winning every race. Norris had yet to be a championship contender, and would not be one until May, with his maiden win in Miami putting him in second for the championship for the first time in his career.
From then on, for Norris to be able to win the championship, he needed to finish each Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen, a feat he has rarely been able to do.
It was the Las Vegas Grand Prix that would make or break Norris and Verstappen’s championship dreams.
Starting in fifth with rival Norris in sixth gave Verstappen an edge to where he could block him from taking the inside line on corners, as well as allowing Verstappen to block any undercutting from the McLaren driver. Undercutting occurs when a driver pits before the car or cars in front to try and gain a position, a strategy favored by McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella.
These strategy choices were what allowed Verstappen to maintain his fifth-place position, just one ahead of Norris, and to clinch his fourth championship.
Las Vegas also meant a hat trick for Mercedes Racing drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Hamilton and Russell topped all three free practices on Thursday and Friday, giving the pair an edge for qualifying.
While Hamilton struggled to break the top 10 in qualifying, Russell maintained dominance on the track and clinched pole position for Saturday’s race. Starting in pole, or first position, gave Russell an undeniable edge as he was able to lead by a margin of seven seconds.
A one-stop pit-stop strategy brought Hamilton up to second, but with the margin that Russell led by, he couldn’t catch up to his teammate. By the end of the 50-lap race, Russell and Hamilton had maintained their one-two positions, giving Mercedes the double podium.
With the Mercedes double podium, this also meant that the team had clinched a hat trick. With Hamilton and Russell leading in all three free practices, Russell claiming pole position and a Mercedes double podium, the team dominated the Las Vegas Street Circuit.
Formula One’s last two races of the season are Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, with the drivers traveling to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. While Verstappen has been crowned the World Drivers’ Champion, the Constructors’ Champion — where both drivers’ points combine for a team score — still has yet to be decided. McLaren currently leads with 608 points, with Ferrari just 24 points behind.
The Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will be streaming on ESPN+ and F1 TV.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
