LAS VEGAS — Last season, Max Verstappen won an unbelievable 19 races, including an incredible streak of 10 in a row, in what would arguably go down as one of the greatest years in Formula 1 history.

And yet, it is this year's eight-win season — his lowest victory total since 2020 — that Verstappen considers a career-defining campaign. Those eight wins were enough to win him a fourth consecutive F1 championship on Saturday night with his easy drive at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

He only needed to finish ahead of Lando Norris of McLaren to seal the title with two races remaining in the season, and he did it with a fifth-place finish. That was all that was needed in a year in which Red Bull's dominance has been tested by Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.