Max Verstappen's fourth F1 world championship is his best ever - but he won't beat Lewis Hamilton's record

The Red Bull driver won the driver’s title with two races to spare after finishing fifth in Sin City, only needing to beat McLaren’s Lando Norris (who finished sixth) to secure the crown.

It’s the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive title, an achievement echoed only by Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Only Schumacher, Hamilton and Juan Manuel Fangio have won more world championships in the history of the F1.

Previous titles have been marred by controversy, in the eyes of some fans. The 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi will go down in history as one of the most scandalous ends to a championship fight, and Red Bull found itself in the middle of a cost-cap scandal the following year.

Last season, Verstappen cruised to the title, with Red Bull winning all but one race all season. This year, however, has been Verstappen’s finest achievement.

When the Dutch driver romped away at the opening round in Bahrain, many fans slumped in their sofas and mentally prepared themselves for another season of Red Bull dominance. But the rise of McLaren - returning to the front of the grid after more than a decade in the doldrums - gave Verstappen some food for thought.

After Norris won his first grand prix in Miami, he slowly clawed away at Verstappen’s 53-point lead in the championship standings. The McLaren soon became the fastest car on the grid, and to fans and pundits alike it seemed like the tide was turning.

But Verstappen remained resolute. Yes, the line of what was considered to be an acceptable driving standard seemed to blur in COTA and Mexico, but the 27-year-old followed these races up with what will arguably go down as his magnum opus in grand prix racing.

His sensational performance in a rain-soaked Brazil, where other drivers could barely keep it on the track, winning the whole thing after starting 17th on the grid, was one of the most incredible drives I have ever seen in F1. The result never even looked to be in any doubt.

The hallmark of a truly great driver is to win the championship without the fastest car on the grid. It’s something very few have actually achieved... Schumacher in 1994 with Benetton, or Keke Rosberg winning the title for Williams in 1982 - he had the third-fastest car that season, and didn’t even win a single race on his way to the title.

That is the boat Verstappen has been in this season, and yet he still emerges victorious, and hungry for more silverware. After the Las Vegas Grand Prix he said: “I’m already very proud to win four. I am very excited to see what we can do next year. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”

But while Schumacher and Hamilton’s record of seven world championships sits on the horizon, and Verstappen has a contract up to 2028, I get the impression he won’t match or beat their tallies.

In the same interview as above, he said: “It’s not something that I set out to do - at the end of the day, winning one or seven, it’s the same thing, right?” The Dutchman has reiterated on multiple occasions that he doesn’t plan to stay in Formula 1 for the long-term.

Regardless of how long he stays in the sport, Max Verstappen has cemented his legacy as one of the best drivers of all-time - and this championship was practically the icing on the cake.