Verstappen secures his fourth consecutive F1 championship despite enduring one of the most challenging seasons of his Red Bull tenure.

Max Verstappen achieved an extraordinary feat last season by winning 19 races, including a remarkable stretch of 10 consecutive victories, marking what many consider one of the finest seasons in Formula 1 history.

However, it is this year's eight-win season—his lowest tally since 2020—that Verstappen regards as a pivotal moment in his career. These eight victories were sufficient to secure his fourth consecutive F1 championship on Saturday night during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

To clinch the title with two races left in the season, he only needed to finish ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, which he accomplished with a fifth-place finish. This was particularly significant in a year where Red Bull faced challenges from Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes.

With this championship, Verstappen became only the sixth driver in F1 history to win four or more titles, joining the ranks of legends such as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, and Juan Manuel Fangio.

The season began smoothly for Verstappen, who secured seven wins in the first 10 races, establishing a strong lead in the driver standings. However, after his seventh victory in June, competition intensified, leading to a 10-race winless streak where Norris began to close the gap in the championship standings.

His comeback in Brazil earlier this month, where he achieved his first win in several months, helped restore his momentum, leading Verstappen to assert that this season will be remembered as one of his best.

“For sure. I mean, you know, it was a very challenging season,” said the 27-year-old Dutchman. “I think also as a person, at times it’s very challenging and I had to be calm. And I think in a way, of course, I still prefer last season. I enjoyed that a lot.

“But I think this season, definitely, again, taught me a lot of lessons that I’m very proud of. How we handled it also as a team. So in a way, of course, that makes it also a very, very special and beautiful season. I would say for 70% of the season, we didn’t have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I’m very proud of.”

For Verstappen, his concentration is so intense that any concerns regarding team performance, his personal life, or matters unrelated to racing vanished the moment he settled into the cockpit of his Red Bull. The team was experiencing significant upheaval, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner facing an investigation over claims of inappropriate conduct towards an employee, while Verstappen’s father, Jos, appeared determined to see Horner ousted from his position.

Despite Verstappen's victories at the beginning of the season, other key executives departed, forcing him to maintain his own mental resilience throughout each race weekend.

“The beginning was quite, let’s say, a bit messy, but I think I’m quite calm in those situations,” he said. “I think it’s very difficult to disturb me with anything. I’m very focused on the racing side of things. And I know that when I sit in the car, I forget about everything, even positive, negative stuff. And I just focus on what’s ahead of me, and that’s performance, and drive the car as fast as I can.”

The duration for which Verstappen can maintain this level of performance is uncertain.

He has explicitly stated that he does not aspire to a career that lasts for several decades. Although his passion for winning is unparalleled, he recognizes that it will not provide him with lasting fulfillment.

“I think in your life, every year there are always thoughts going through your head from ‘How long do I still want to do this? Where do I want to do this? How do I want to do this?’” he said. “There are things in your private life that happen, of course, in your racing life. There are always things that you have to deal with and think about.

“It’s very important to split your private life and racing life. But it’s fine to have these thoughts in your head about what you want to do. But at the same time, I’m also not someone that makes very drastic decisions at the same time. And I’m just very happy where I’m at at the moment. When there are tough times, it’s very easy to say goodbye or forget about it or ignore it. But I think it’s actually way more important to actually face them and go through it together and deal with it and just try to just move on from there and focus back, of course, on the performance side of things and have fun out there. That’s at the end of the most important. If you’re not having fun, then there’s no point to continue.”

He has secured four titles over a decade in Formula 1 and, in theory, could eventually surpass the seven championships held by Hamilton and Schumacher. However, achieving this would require a long-term commitment, and Verstappen currently has no intention of continuing to race into his 40s.

“I’d like to win another 10 championships, but I know I’m not going to be in Formula 1 in 10 years,” Verstappen concluded before heading off to find another alcoholic beverage. After beers, a champagne celebration and double-fisting gin and tonics, Verstappen for a second year in a row was ready to celebrate being the biggest star in Sin City.