Max Verstappen is on fire!
The Formula One icon recently proved his greatness again by winning the fourth World Drivers’ Championship in a row. He clinched the ultimate prize during the Saturday, November 4, 2024, Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Thankfully, he’s also shared the reasons for his successes on the track.
Max Verstappen had to scale many hurdles to achieve the feat. The 27-year-old endured a troubling mid-season of a ten-game winless streak. But the Red Bull driver wouldn’t back down from his determination to clinch the title. He finally bounced back with an impressive 17th-to-first charge in Brazil, which led to victory in Las Vegas.
With this feat, the Dutch driver has cemented his place as one of the very best behind the wheels. Only 5 other drivers have ever won four Driver’s titles before him. The list includes legends such as Michael Schumacher, Luis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel. Among the list, only he and Vettel bagged their first four titles consecutively.
Aside from his morale-draining winless streak, Verstappen also had to surmount a hectic racing schedule. New changes to the Formula 1 schedule had drivers competing in a record 21 races. Also, each race is held in a different country and all across 5 continents.
Drivers had to cope with jet lag from entering so many different time zones, as well as their usual tasking practices, dates with their mechanics, and the races themselves. A while before the race, Verstappen disclosed how he was able to overcome all these odds and more.
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Max Verstappen Shares His Winning Formula
Max Verstappen had to adjust to waking up at noon to beat the hurdles. “You go to bed like 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. just because of the time zone differences,” he told journalists. But for a super-determined sportsman like Verstappen, this price wasn’t too big to pay.
Verstappen has been doing whatever it took ever since he began his Formula 1 journey in 2015. He was just 17 at the time. About the jet lag, Verstappen admitted that “It’s a tough one.” But he found a way around it.
“I mean, always for me, I struggle to sleep. Make sure that the room is very dark,” he stated. “Communicate with friends or family a little bit and make sure that you push yourself to stay up, stuff like that,” he added.
He also talked about his pre-race eating menu. “Well, before the race, it’s quite boring,” he revealed. “It’s like chicken, rice, nothing too crazy that can upset your stomach,” he added. Fortunately, his hard work and sacrifice paid off as he finished in fifth place—enough to bag the title.
How Did Max Verstappen Race in Las Vegas Go?
Max Verstappen’s only major hurdle left in the Las Vegas race was outperforming his fiercest rival, Lando Norris. Despite starting the race in 5th, one place ahead of Norris, both drivers found themselves side-by-side in the opening lap.
However, in the end, while George Russell was the first to cross the finish line with his Mercedes, Verstappen made it to fifth place, one position ahead of Norris and his McLaren car. This meant that he was too far ahead for any of the drivers to catch up with, even with two more races to go. He led Norris by 63 points, with 60 points up for grabs in the other races.
How Old Was Max Verstappen When He Won His First Race?
Max Verstappen was 18 years and 227 days old when he won his first Formula 1 race in 2016. He became the youngest driver in history to win one. A year before, he also made history by becoming the youngest-ever driver to start a race. He was just 17 years and 165 days old at the time.
Verstappen stuck with Red Bull Racing from the beginning of his career, even till 2021, when he was slugging it out with all of the top dogs. That year, he beat Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes to clinch his first drivers’ title.
Since then, he has maintained the energy and repeated the feat. But can he do the same next year? Knowing the stuff he’s made of, no one can rule that out. But for now, he will bask in the present just like he did when he won the 2024 Drivers’ title. “What a season,” he said to his crew over the radio. “It was a little more difficult than last season, but we pulled through,” he added.
“It has been a long season, and we started amazing, almost like cruising, and then we had a tough run, but we kept it together as a team, kept working on improvements, and pulled it over the line. To stand here as a four-time world champion is something I never thought possible, so standing here relieved in a way but also proud,” he also stated.
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How Many Race Wins Does Max Verstappen Have?
According to ESPN, Max Verstappen has participated in 196 races since he began professional racing in 2015. He has won 62 of those races. For the first time, he hit double digits of race wins in 2021, when he was first to cross the finish line on ten occasions.
His highest yearly race win so far was in 2023 when he won 19 times. Verstappen is having the time of his life right now. His net worth has climbed to $81 million. He also has a super-supportive girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, a Brazilian model and blogger.
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