Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Las Vegas as he crossed the chequered flag ahead of his main title rival, Lando Norris. Unsurprisingly, the Dutchman had a massive celebration in Sin City before heading to Qatar for the penultimate weekend of the season.
During a lighthearted moment in Qatar, George Russell and Verstappen entertained reporters with a playful exchange about their time in Las Vegas. When asked if they had crossed paths during their celebrations — as Russell had claimed his third career win — the Mercedes driver revealed a humorous observation.
“I don’t think he saw me,” Russell quipped as shared by @f1gossippofficial on Instagram. “But I saw him in the bar at nine in the morning when I was leaving for the airport,” gesturing to Verstappen, who was standing nearby.
When the interviewer asked Verstappen if it was true, the Briton responded before the Red Bull driver could say something, “He didn’t see me. He was, you know, nodding…nodding away so… (mimicking Verstappen’s drowsy state)”
Verstappen didn’t deny the scenario, instead, he laughed and added, “I was thirsty. I thought it was 5:00 pm somewhere.” The playful back-and-forth continued, with Russell jokingly praising the Dutchman’s versatility.
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“Max is a pro racing driver, pro FIFA player, paddle player, drinker… you know, ticks all the boxes.” The Dutchman amusingly chimed in, “Many talents.”
Verstappen had a massive night in Vegas
The #1 driver’s celebrations in Vegas began almost immediately after he secured his fourth title. Though he finished the Grand Prix race in fifth place, missing out on the podium, Verstappen didn’t let that dampen his spirits.
Right after his first interview with Formula 1 as a four-time champion, he was spotted with a Heineken can in hand. As the night unfolded, Verstappen continued to enjoy himself. He was even seen giving interviews in the media pen while sipping beer.
Max getting progressively more drunk as he goes through his interviews (the drink in his cup was G&T)
byu/OutlandishnessPure2 informula1
By the time he reached the FIA press conference, he ran out of beer and later switched to his drink of choice — Gin and Tonic. A post on F1’s official subreddit shows Verstappen becoming progressively more drunk as the interviews went on, showing just how much he was soaking in the moment.
