A logical outcome on paper, but almost miraculous on the ground. With a fourth F1 world title won on Sunday in Las Vegas, the Dutchman Max Verstappen joins the German Sebastian Vettel and the Frenchman Alain Prost on the list, closing in on the Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio (5), the German Michael Schumacher (7) and the British Lewis Hamilton (7).
The native of Hasselt, Belgium, also became the fourth driver to win four consecutive world crowns after Fangio, Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton. But this fourth title was not the ride predicted at the start of the season.
Verstappen, like Vettel before him, once again seemed to benefit from the technological superiority of the Austrian team, which exploited the new technical regulations in 2022 much better than its competitors. He then set the record for victories in a season with no less than 15 successes in 22 races, a mark shattered in 2023 when he won 19 of the 22 Grands Prix on the calendar.
Lando Norris and McLaren a little short
With seven victories in the first ten GPs, Verstappen's unchallenged domination seemed set to continue in 2024. But the machine stalled, with competition which clearly got closer, like McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
After his success in Spain at the end of June, the Dutchman went ten races without a victory, a first since 2020, and saw the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) come dangerously close.
But thanks to his talent, he compensated for the loss of speed in his car and always managed to limit the damage to maintain a comfortable mattress on the Englishman. His resounding victory at the Brazilian GP at the beginning of November, starting in 17th position in difficult weather conditions, reminded us of the champion that he is.
“You can't say who is the best”
Verstappen, who has never been a fan of statistics, refuses to be compared to other drivers. “He had a great season when he beat Lewis (Hamilton) for his first title. Then he had easy championships, like Lewis. And this year he fought. So it’s been a great season. But you can't compare Fangio's era to today. These are different eras. You can't say who among them is the best of all time. The sport has changed too much,” Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 F1 world champion, told the online betting site Grosvenor Sport a few days ago.
