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LAS VEGAS — Twelve months ago, as he sat in the back of a Rolls Royce Phantom en route to the Bellagio Fountains, Max Verstappen was ready to toast his victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Flanked by Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc in the backseat, Verstappen jokingly asked the driver: “Are we going straight to the nightclub?” Long crowned world champion, he was able to savor the moment.

This year Verstappen was in the same car again, but for a few minutes, all alone. He didn’t win the race and wasn’t even on the podium. The top three finishers – George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz – were crammed into the back of another Rolls Royce.

A second car was reserved for Verstappen in case he won the championship but was not on the podium. Fifth place may not have been his favorite result for achieving such a career milestone, but Verstappen didn’t care. It was enough to clinch his fourth F1 world championship.

Verstappen’s elation was heard on the radio immediately after crossing the line. His race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, had reminded him throughout the race to remember the bigger picture: a subtle warning not to embroil himself in wheel-to-wheel battles that could jeopardize his title. All he had to do was finish ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to wrap up the championship.

It meant that even when Verstappen slipped back from second place in the final stint of the race and his worn tires couldn’t give him the grip to keep Hamilton, Sainz or Charles Leclerc at bay in the closing stages, he knew it would be enough are. Norris had struggled throughout the race and was unable to prevent his title defeat from being confirmed when the checkered flag came out on lap 50.

When Verstappen crossed the line, he immediately felt relief. It was over. A tough season in which he struggled with an underpowered car would end with another crown.

Lambiase was the first to congratulate Verstappen on the radio, followed by team boss Christian Horner. “That’s a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement,” Horner said. “You can be incredibly proud of yourself, just like us. Amazing. Well done.”

Verstappen chuckled. “Oh my God man, what a season,” he said. “Four times! Thank you, thank you guys, thank you to everyone. It’s a little bit harder than last year, but we got through it and gave it everything. Thank you very much, guys.”

2024 was a far cry from last year’s dominance. But it didn’t make the coronation in Las Vegas any less special.

Verstappen celebrates with his Red Bull team after the championship win. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Growing up, the idea of ​​winning even one world championship always seemed far away to Verstappen. To now be a four-time champion, with only three drivers – Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio – with more titles, must have been beyond his wildest dreams.

And just reaching that monument in Las Vegas made it all the more surreal.

That drive to the Bellagio, the city’s famous fountain that served as the backdrop for his first interview as a four-time champion, gave Verstappen a chance to take in the sights and reflect on his journey so far. One who started karting with his father all those years ago, the memories of which would inevitably have flowed through his mind as he sat in the car, already wearing a new champion baseball cap.

Lambiase eventually joined him in the backseat. Ever the perfectionist, Verstappen tried to discuss his struggle with rear brake balance amid their shared congratulations. In front of the fountains he met actor Terry Crews and 2009 champion Jenson Button to answer a few questions in front of the F1 TV cameras. “To be here as four-time world champion was something I never thought was possible,” Verstappen told them. “I feel relieved in a way, but also very proud.”

By the time Verstappen completed the return journey to the F1 paddock, his Red Bull teammates were already wearing t-shirts with the text ‘M4X’ on the front. On the short walk between the TV interview pen and the press conference room, someone had put a can of Heineken into Verstappen’s hand. The Dutchman had said at least twice since crossing the border how thirsty he was, a nod to his desire to celebrate. He drank the contents of the can shortly before the cameras started rolling and hid it behind the couch.

“I ran out of beer,” said Verstappen when asked how he would celebrate. “So yeah, I don’t know. Maybe one more, and then maybe I’ll move on to something else.” He joked: “The ‘don’t drink and drive’ slogan works really well – I don’t have to (drive) anymore (tonight).”

Max Verstappen achieved another rare F1 milestone in Las Vegas. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

But while Verstappen would of course have been excited about the title celebrations, he also reflected on what Horner had called his most impressive championship year to date. It was an assessment that Verstappen agreed with, as he believed Red Bull did not have the fastest car for 70 percent of the year. “At one point it seemed like we were a little lost,” he said. “But at least now it feels like things are a bit more normal.” Recently, success in the championship has made Verstappen ‘normal’.

He also acknowledged that the start to the Red Bull year had been “messy”, referring to the off-track turbulence after a female employee made allegations of controlling behavior against Horner, with the complaint ultimately dismissed following a King’s investigation Counsel. As Verstappen always maintained at the time, his focus was on performing as well as possible.

“I think it is very difficult for anything to bother me,” said Verstappen. “I’m very focused on the racing side. I know that when I’m in the car I forget everything. Positive, negative, (it can) stop. I just concentrate on what is in front of me, which is the performance, and drive the car as fast as possible.”

A fourth world title puts Verstappen in thin air. But he has never been one to obsess over records, meaning the milestone of seven titles shared by Hamilton and Schumacher is not a goal in mind. For him, being a champion is the same, no matter how many times you succeed.

“In the end it’s the same, if you win one or seven, right?” he said. It is unlikely that that first title will ever be surpassed in 2021, as Verstappen then achieved his lifelong dream of becoming F1 world champion.

Las Vegas 2024 will forever be an important race in Verstappen’s F1 career, even if he won’t remember the result and performance itself too fondly. “When I look back on this season, probably in 20 years when I’m retired, Las Vegas ’24 as a race won’t be in my top 10,” he admitted. “But it remains very special to win it here.”

There will certainly be a tougher test in 2025, given the form of Red Bull’s rivals throughout this season. Verstappen said he was “very excited to see what we can do next year” as he bid for a fifth consecutive crown, something Schumacher has only achieved. “But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”

And with that, Verstappen received one last congratulations from the press conference MC, before he fished behind the bench for his empty can and started looking for a replacement. His thirst still needed to be quenched.

In Las Vegas, there will certainly be no shortage of opportunities to do just that on Saturday nights.

Top photo: Mark Thompson / Getty Images, ANP via Getty Images, Clive Mason/Formula 1 via Getty Images, Rudy Carezzevoli / Stringer, via Getty Images; Design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletics