Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins fourth F1 title in a row – live

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is speaking on the Sky Sports coverage.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, but Max has been truly outstanding,” says Horner. “Max got off to a flying start, we had a difficult summer but he has just been outstanding. I think it’s been his best and hardest world championship, he’s delivered on days where the car wasn’t quite there.

“This one has been hard won. All credit to the men and women in Milton Keynes. The others have pushed us really hard this year. Max joins an elite group of champions now, it puts him in amongst the all-time greats.”

Verstappen now joins Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as a four-time champion of F1. The only three names now ahead of him, five-time Juan Manuel Fangio and seven-time champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

Fireworks explode and the champagne flows as Russell celebrates his win.

Meanwhile, in the Red Bull garage, the celebrations of Verstappen’s win have already begun.

How it Finished in Las Vegas

For the second time this season, Russell takes the win. There’s been complications and controversy around his other race wins and non-wins this year, but this one is all his own.

The sounds of ‘God Save The King’ ring out across Las Vegas to mark the occasion. Pretty sure the Americans fought a revolution about that.

The newly crowned four-time champion takes the stage with Button and Crews.

“It’s been a long season,” Verstappen says. “We started off cruising, and we have to be proud of everyone. To stand here as a four-time world champion, I never thought it was possible. I’m relieved in a way, and very proud.

“We hit the ground running with the new concept, and to be a four-time champion is just incredible. It was a very challenging season, I had to be calm and in a way – I still prefer last season, but this season taught me a lot of lessons and I’m very proud how we handled it as a team.”

Crews has declared Verstappen’s run of title a dynasty. It’s a very American phrase but it we’re in Vegas, after all, and it seems an apt descriptor of his consistent dominance. Thoughts, inevitably, will already begin to turn to a fifth title and who could stand in his way in 2025.

“All these highs we are achieving right now, it’s very special to achieve with all the people here and back at the factory, it’s very special.

“Of course, if you look at next year right now, it will be a proper battle between lots of cars. But I need to enjoy this, there are still two races to come and then we have a little break before we go back at it next year.”

Button and Crews are now chatting with Hamilton and Sainz.

“Firstly I have to say a big congratulations to Max, winning the championship,” says second-place finisher Hamilton. “If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today. But I had fun coming from tenth, we don’t know why the car was so quick but that’s the best the car has felt. If the car drivers like that in the next couple of races, we’ll be able to challenge the guys in front.”

“It was a bit of a shock – the mediums, it lasted eight, nine laps for me and from there it was a damage limitation,” said Sainz. “We just didn’t have it today. This race has delivered a good show and I’m looking forward to coming back here in the future.”

Jenson Button has been joined by Terry Crews for the post-race interviews. Terry loves the F1.

Russell confirms that the initial plan was for him to be on a flight out of the States later that evening – the Doha GP is next week – but that this isn’t happening anymore; he’s headed wherever Crews is headed to celebrate.

“I was planning on flying in a couple of hours, but I am definitely not getting on that flight – I’m going to enjoy this with all my team,” he said. “Vegas is just a crazy, crazy place. To get pole, a dominant weekend, a 1-2 with Lewis as well – I was just waiting for something to happen, the last two I’ve had on pole have been crazy races with rain, red flags. But I’m so, so happy right now.”

The podium finishers have packed into a very expensive looking Rolls Royce as they make their way to the Bellagio for the post-race festivities, as has the newly crowned World Champion, Verstappen, alongside race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ can be heard blaring out across the circuit.

Somebody already has a special M4x signs and merch ready for this moment.

That’s preparation, right there.

We’ll bring you the full standings soon, but the top ten in Vegas were as follows: Russell, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and then Perez.

Lando Norris has crossed the line and he did end up setting the fastest lap of the race, earning himself a few extra points.

Max Verstappen wins the world championship!

George Russell wins the Las Vegas Grand Prix!

Lap 49/50: Russel with a comfortable lead as he takes the turn for the final lap. Perez, meanwhile, has moved into the top ten and is Tsunoda for ninth.

Lap 48/50: Russell leads from Hamilton and Sainz. Leclerc follows and then Verstappen.

Norris has gone into the pits, getting himself set to try to pick up a few extra points by setting a fastest lap of the race.

Lap 47/50: Hamilton briefly runs off the track as his tyres begin to go, costing himself nearly a second, and it looks like Russell has well and seen off the danger, it would appear.

Russell is going to win this race but Verstappen is going to win the title – sitting comfortably in fifth place ahead of sixth-placed Norris.

Lap 46/50: Russell still leads from Hamilton and Sainz but behind them, Leclerc has now moved ahead of Verstappen. It’s a one-two for Mercedes and a three-four for Ferrari – the two class teams of the Vegas GP taking the top positions.

Norris is now behind Verstappen but is nearly ten seconds back with only four to go.

Lap 45/50: Verstappen is keeping Leclerc at bay, with Sainz very slowly opening up a gap in third.

Russell gets some instructions over the radio to pick up the pace, suggesting we might begin to see him re-open something of a gap over Hamilton.

Lap 44/50: Russell’s lead over Hamilton is now less than five seconds, with the broadcast confirming the soon-to-be Ferrari driver is under no special instruction should he come up behind his teammate.

However, Russell’s tyres are six laps younger than Hamilton’s, so he should have some pace in the bank.

Further back, Hulkenberg has moved ahead of Tsunoda.

Lap 43/50: As it stands, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg’s battle for eighth has RB and Haas level on points in the Constructors’ Title, just a point back of Alpine.

Lap 42/50: Sainz has now begun to motor away from Verstappen but there’s a long way to go to catch up to Hamilton, who is now less than six seconds back of Russell.

Leclerc is now looking to get ahead of Verstappen but the Red Bull is now getting a slipstream and even some DRS opportunities from Sainz.

Norris is now more than 11 seconds back of Leclerc – his hopes of keeping the title race alive now resting on Verstappen making a mistake.

Lap 41/50: Leclerc is also putting together some lightning laps as he and teammate Sainz increasingly overhaul Verstappen – the Red Bull just doesn’t have the pace of the Mercedes’ or the Ferraris’ tonight.

And there it is! Sainz moves in front of Verstappen, with Leclerc now looking to do the same.

Down in the battle for eighth, Hulkenberg is all over the back of Tsunoda.

Lap 40/50: Another fastest lap for Hamilton – nearly half a second quicker than Russell – and the gap between he and his teammate in first is down to less than seven seconds.

Verstappen has now been informed that he’s 16 seconds in front of Norris with ten laps to go.

Lap 39/50: Verstappen is comfortably in front of Norris but he looks to be labouring a bit and now coming under some pressure from Sainz, with Leclerc not too far behind.

With little to gain from doing so, however, one imagines he won’t work too hard to keep those two at bay – even if his team suggests on the radio he should try and do so.

Lap 38/50: Russell leads Hamilton – that gap now down to less than eight seconds – with Verstappen rounding out the podium. The Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc come next, followed by the McLarens of Norris and Piastri. Then comes Tsunoda and Hulkenberg as RB and Haas battle for positioning in the Constructors’ Title and Alonso to round out the top ten.

Lap 37/50: Verstappen looks like he’s going to cruise to a fourth-straight title with ease. He’s sitting comfortably in third, while Norris is more than twelve seconds back of fifth-placed Leclerc.

Lap 36/50: In the Constructors’ Championship, eighth-placed Tsunoda has helped RB move ahead of Haas on the live rankings.

Lap 35/50: Hamilton is going like absolute lightning in second, setting another fastest lap. Surely he couldn’t hunt down Russell for the lead, could he?