By Rory Carroll
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) -Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched the Formula One world championship for the fourth time, and fourth year in a row, after finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.
With two rounds to spare, the 27-year-old Dutch driver took an unbeatable 63-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris in the championship.
George Russell won the night race from pole position in a Mercedes one-two finish with team mate Lewis Hamilton, who started 10th.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third with team mate Charles Leclerc fourth.
Norris, who finished sixth, made a late pitstop to secure a bonus point for the fastest lap.
“What a season. Four times. Thank you guys. Thank you to everyone,” Verstappen said over team radio after taking the chequered flag and being congratulated on becoming a four-times champion.
“It was a little bit more difficult than last year but we pulled through and we gave it all.”
In the constructors’ standings, Ferrari closed the gap to McLaren to 24 points.
(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Peter Rutherford)
