Verstappen’s road to the 2024 title
28 November 2024Max Verstappen secured his fourth F1 drivers’ championship crown in as many years after a subdued race on the streets of Las Vegas. Although there are still two races yet to run, it’s already been a long and gruelling 22-event season, of which Max hasn’t been in the fastest machinery for the majority.
READ MORE: Verstappen joins the four-time F1 champions club
In a sport where the car is often given as much kudos as the one behind the wheel, Verstappen has made the difference on more than one occasion in 2024. He’s used all the skill and guile we’ve come to expect from him to coax his RB20 to the title, even with faster cars on the grid since the Miami Grand Prix 17 races ago.
Since arriving in F1, Max has become known for his cutthroat racecraft that often plays with the limits of the rulebook, and a sixth sense for where to place the car when the heavens open. Those characteristics have been the differentiators in 2024, enabling him to outperform his car and rivals.
So, where exactly did the Dutchman become the master of his own destiny? What were the key moments when he deployed defensive tactics and conquered the conditions?
Four wins from five
The reigning champion took four clinical wins from the opening five events in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China. As if 100 points to open his championship account wasn’t enough, each of those wins came with a margin exceeding 12 seconds to his nearest competitor.
The Sprint win in Shanghai also went the way of the Red Bull driver, as well as all five pole positions from those opening races. Only brake failure at Round 3 in Australia could deny him a 10th win in a row, and a clean sweep to start the year.
It seemed like fans were in for a repeat of the complete domination Red Bull exhibited in 2023. In the races that followed, that all changed. The rest of the pack turned up the heat and suddenly, Verstappen was on the back foot.
Imola: Under pressure
With Red Bull’s crushing pace from the first handful of races evaporated, Max had to fight for victory at Imola.
Having gotten away in the lead, Verstappen controlled the race comfortably for much of its 63 laps, but in the final 10 tours, Norris closed a five second lead to just one.
Both drivers were on the edge, pushing the limits of their skill and the boundaries of the track, but Max wouldn’t be so easily unsettled. He resisted intense pressure from Lando in the final laps to take victory. This time though, it was only by a whisker.
Montreal: The right calls at the right time
Although Norris and George Russell were the faster combinations in the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen still got the better of the British pair with his wet weather prowess to take another win.
Russell made ‘too many mistakes’ by his own admission, allowing the Red Bull driver through into second after taking to the run off at the final chicane.
Then, a pitstop under a Safety Car enabled Max to take the lead from Norris. At the next stops, McLaren opted to stay out longer when switching to slicks and Lando emerged side-by-side with the Red Bull, but was easy prey for Verstappen whose tyres were already up to temperature.
From then on, Max was unchallenged at the front of the field, securing another unlikely victory without the fastest car.
Red Bull Ring: Rules of engagement
The Austrian Grand Prix may have seemed like a low point in both Lando and Max’s seasons, but in reality, it was pivotal in setting the tone for the rest of the season.
They had already fought over the same piece of tarmac in 2024, but they were yet to go all out in a no-holds-barred joust, scrapping for the lead lap after lap. The first time they did, Max’s aggressive style held dire consequences for Lando who retired after they made contact.
Norris left Austria knowing that any wheel-to-wheel combat in the future would mean putting everything on the line.
Silverstone: Breaking British hearts
Once again, Max and Red Bull were far from competitive at the British Grand Prix. With the two Mercedes drivers out front, the charging McLaren duo relegated him to fifth in the first stint. Just like Montreal though, the Dutchman would harness the unpredictability of the conditions to bring himself back into the mix.
Verstappen kept his cool as the rain fell and made the right calls at the right time, making the switch to intermediates earlier than those ahead of him to leapfrog Russell.
When the track dried later in the race, Max then switched back to slicks at the opportune moment, enabling him to close the gap to Lando in the final stint. Coupled with a tyre advantage for Verstappen, the Red Bull driver seized the opportunity to take second, and crucial championship points from his title rival with four laps to go.
RESULTS: Hamilton takes record-breaking ninth Silverstone win
Circuit of the Americas: Defence on the limit
Lando and Max came to blows once again in Austin, and it was once again Max’s ruthless racecraft that got the better of the Brit.
Into Turn 1, Verstappen lunged up the inside of Norris sending him onto the run off and when the McLaren driver attempted to come back past later in the race, Max defended to the limits of the regulations.
Lando eventually took the position, but the stewards deemed that the move had been completed outside of the boundaries of the circuit. The penalty that followed dropped him behind Max and off the podium.
Interlagos: A champion’s drive
Even heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, there was a sense that Norris could deal a serious blow to Verstappen, who had an engine penalty to overcome before he’d even arrived at the circuit.
In the Sprint, the McLarens were on imperious form too, taking a comfortable 1-2. Things got worse for the Red Bull driver when he dropped out of qualifying in Q2, owing to a late session red flag to recover a stricken Lance Stroll.
Max lined up 17th for the Grand Prix and with Lando on pole, the potential for a championship-defining result mounted. As soon as the lights went out, it became clear the Dutchman wasn’t going down without a fight. He scythed his way through the field, making moves when others couldn’t in a performance reminiscent of his 2016 Interlagos drive.
With the front runners – Lando among them – having pitted for fresh intermediates, Max moved into second and as the rain intensified Franco Colapinto crashed heavily into the barriers at the infamous Turn 14, bringing out the red flags.
On the restart, Verstappen held his nerve to maintain position and when another Safety Car-induced restart came about, he spied an opportunity. A decisive move on Esteban Ocon into Turn 1 secured the lead, and he went on to sprint clear by 19 seconds.
On a weekend where Norris held all the cards, Verstappen overcame the odds, and the treacherous conditions to unequivocally regain control of the championship. Just one race later, he was crowned four-time champion in Las Vegas, and there was no doubt of his claim to that crown after a São Paulo drive that will be remembered for many years to come.
