The 2024 Formula One season was full of exciting battles for both the driver’s and constructor’s championships. We watched seven different drivers stand at the top step throughout the entire season, and saw both Mclaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, take their maiden Grand Prix wins. However, reigning world champion Max Verstappen seemed plenty confident, even as Norris presented a battle for the title, and eventually the Red Bull driver secured the first place position in Round 22 in Las Vegas, making him a four-time world champion in Formula One. 2024 was arguably his best season ever, so today we’re here to Max Out, and to remember the particularly memorable moments of Max Verstappen. Enjoy!
#5 – Emilia-Romagna (Round 7)
Max Verstappen started on pole position for Round 7 of the 2024 season, and from there he seemed to have the race win in the bag. He led the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix by a comfortable margin, until the race began to come to a close. However, he eventually realized that Lando Norris had crept up on him from P2. The margin came within the DRS zone, but Max’s dominance throughout the whole race shone through as he kept the Mclaren man at bay, and ultimately crossed the line to win, just 0.7 tenths ahead of Norris.
#4 – Austria (Round 11)
Yet again, drama came between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, this time costing them both. Verstappen had put his car on pole ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, with Norris just one spot back in P2. Verstappen was then able to maintain his lead off the line, where Norris continued to chase him until Lap 64. Norris had managed to cut the margin between the Red Bull and Mclaren down significantly, and the pair was side by side. The two inevitably touched, and the battle dramatically ended as both lost their positions to Russel and Piastri. However, all was not lost for Max Verstappen, as even though Norris was forced to retire his car, the reigning world champion managed to recover to fifth place. He was then handed a ten-second time penalty for the collision, but had enough time over Hulkenberg in sixth that he was, fortunately for him, able to retain his position.
#3 – Qatar (Round 23)
The Qatar Grand Prix was anything but calm as the race featured a safety car not only on the first lap, but twice more afterwards. Verstappen, energized off the back of Las Vegas, which we’ll talk about next, managed to surge to the finish line first amidst the chaos of the race. The Red Bull driver showed a stunning start after being demoted one place after a qualifying incident, and made it past the Mercedes of George Russell to take first place back. After that Verstappen led three safety car restarts before crossing the line first in Qatar to win the Grand Prix, and leaving for Abu Dhabi with a smile on his face.
#2- Brazil (Round 21)
The Grand Prix in Sao Paulo was a shock to all, especially when Alpine managed a double podium. But Max made an incredibly stunning comeback after he started the race in seventeenth position. Not one to back down, he surged through the field to eventually slot into first place, where he stayed until the checkered flag. The race was doused in drama, as well as rain and unpredictable weather conditions, but it seemed nothing could phase the champion, as he took his first win since Round 9.
#1 – Las Vegas (Round 22)
All Verstappen had to accomplish going into the Las Vegas Grand Prix was stay in front of Lando Norris, his closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship. Maybe Max only landed in fifth place at the end of the race, but the important part was that Norris had landed in sixth; behind him. Max Verstappen was crowned a four-time World Champion in Formula One. It was a night all Red Bull fans will remember, as Verstappen himself said, “[…] to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something I never thought was possible.” And yet, here he is. The one thing we’re all wondering… will he make it five next year?
