Max Verstappen secured his 4th consecutive world championship at Las Vegas this weekend and is now ranked among some of the best drivers in F1 history. The fourth was arguably more of a challenge than his third or second title was, as they were won in a dominant car.
The most recent one was won by grinding away at every race weekend and making the most of what he had under him. The driver accrued most of his championship lead early in the year only to see his rivals catch up to him with their first major upgrades.
Continuing with his motto of securing the maximum possible points every race weekend, Max Verstappen ended up sealing the title in Las Vegas. In the process, he has become only the 5th driver in F1 history to win four consecutive world championships.
Who are the other 4 drivers? Let's take a look.
F1 legends Max Verstappen emulated in 2024
#1 Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-57)
The original 'GOAT' of the sport and someone who is still revered by many in F1, Juan Manuel Fangio was the first driver who set himself apart on the grid. What stood out with the Argentinian was the ability to know which car was going to be the best for that particular year and, more often than not, find himself driving for that team.
Ending his career as a 5-time world champion, the driver won 4 consecutive titles from 1954 to 1957.
#2 Michael Schumacher (2000-04)
Michael Schumacher won 5 world titles on the trot with Ferrari from 2000-04. The German is considered by many as the GOAT, and similarities have been drawn between his approach to racing and Max Verstappen's.
The driver made the move to Ferrari in 1996 while he was on top of the world, having won the title the previous two years. He took it upon himself to build the Italian team with him. The process bore fruit for the first time in 2000, and he would go on a dominant run for the next 5 years.
#3 Sebastian Vettel (2010-13)
Max Verstappen is the second driver from Red Bull who has achieved the feat of winning 4 consecutive titles with the team. The first driver to do so was Sebastian Vettel. Vettel also became the youngest world champion in F1 in 2010.
The German also went on a 4-year run that included two very close title battles in 2010 and 2012 against Fernando Alonso, both of which were won in the last race of the season. The driver also had two very dominant years in 2011 and 2013 when he was unstoppable.
#4 Lewis Hamilton (2017-2020)
Lewis Hamilton's 4-year run came from 2017 onwards, after he lost the title battle to Nico Rosberg in 2016. The Mercedes driver beat Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and 2018 before having a dominant car win the title in 2019 and 2020.
The dominant run from Hamilton would come to an end in 2021 when he lost the title to Max Verstappen in the last race of the season.