Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen is approaching legendary status in Formula 1 despite being only 27 years old.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was the perfect venue for Max Verstappen to win his fourth consecutive world championship.
Red Bull didn’t make it easy for Verstappen this season, as teammate Sergio Perez’s struggles have proven.
Perez looks set to finish 8th in the Drivers’ Championship and is more than 250 points behind the Dutchman, proving just how amazing Verstappen has had to be.
Even when Red Bull have struggled, Verstappen has over-delivered, and when McLaren driver Lando Norris has gone on to win races, the Dutchman has been right behind him.
That consistency is reminiscent of the legendary Alain Prost even if Verstappen has a very different driving style.
Prost was the first driver in F1 history to reach 50 Grand Prix victories during an era where there were only 16 races in a season and reliability was much more of an issue for teams.
Only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Verstappen have surpassed that feat and Prost sent a message to the Dutchman after he levelled his record of winning four world championships.
Alain Prost congratulates Max Verstappen after winning the 2024 Formula 1 world championship
Speaking to Canal+ after the race, Prost said: “It’s a great pride in a way to be joined by Max [Verstappen] at the same time as Sebastian [Vettel], people and drivers I like.
“This year, the championship was very different for Max, but it reflects exactly what Max has become over the years.
“This year, he showed something a little different.
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“So of course he deserves his title. When you consider everything that’s happened since the start of the year, both sporting and non-sporting, the car that works pretty well at the start and then, incomprehensibly, stops performing.
“If you don’t have a driver like Max Verstappen in a team like this, well, it can really go to shreds.
“He’s shown a lot of composure, a lot of calm, again on and off the track, and he’s become a more than complete driver, certainly one of the best of course in history.
“So I’m very proud to be joined in the exclusive club of four titles.”
Max Verstappen is in the conversation to become Formula 1’s greatest-ever driver
Michael Schumacher is the only driver in F1 history to win five championships in a row, but Verstappen could match that achievement if he wins the title next year.
Unless Red Bull make significant steps forward over the winter, Verstappen won’t be able to build up the same advantage that he did at the start of this year to keep Norris or an improving Ferrari team at bay.
READ MORE: Alain Prost pinpoints where Max Verstappen is ‘the same’ as Ayrton Senna
Martin Brundle compared Verstappen to Ayrton Senna ahead of the race in Las Vegas and as Zak Brown joked with Verstappen after the Grand Prix, he’s now surpassed the legendary Brazilian’s championship tally.
Whether Verstappen is F1’s greatest-ever driver is a debate for another time when he and Hamilton have both retired.
Another pair of superstars will step up into their place when that happens, making the conversation one that will never have a conclusive answer.
