Verstappen claims fourth consecutive F1 title in Las Vegas Grand Prix

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Despite finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix early Sunday, Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive Formula One championship, beating McLaren's Lando Norris for the title.

Verstappen, 27, took a 63-point lead in the championship series with two races remaining in the season.

George Russell won the race and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton joined him on the podium in second place in Las Vegas.

"It's been a long season and we started off amazing. It was almost cruising, then we had a tough run. But as a team, we kept it together, we kept working on improvements," Verstappen said after the race.

"I'm incredibly proud of everyone, of what they've done for me, and to stand here as a four-time world champion is something I never thought was possible, so at the moment I'm feeling relieved in a way, but also very proud."

Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton have driven to four championships in F1 history. Verstappen and Prost are the only two to win four consecutive titles.

Next season, Verstappen will set his sights on Schumacher, who has five.

Russell also won the Austrian Grand Prix in June, his only other F1 victory this season, though the Englishman has consistently finished in the top ten this season, including notching third-place finishes in Azerbaijan and Canada. He is currently in sixth place overall in the series.