Max Verstappen's savage comment to McLaren boss Zak Brown after beating Norris to world title

Max Verstappen is a four-time world champion after he finished ahead of Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

It is the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship as he continues to dominate Formula 1.

After the race, during an interview with Sky Sports, the world champion had an amusing exchange with Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO.

Verstappen reminded Brown of comments he made earlier in the year which implied the four-time champion’s success was mainly thanks to the car provided to him by Red Bull.

Brown aired his controversial view on the Beyond the Grid podcast:

"I don’t think without a star driver, you’re gonna win, so you need both. First, it does start with the car – people ask me all the time: ‘is it car or driver?’ And it’s like: ‘well, it’s both’. I think the way I characterise it is; I think there are six or seven drivers on the grid that will be world champions in the Red Bull… As great as Max is, and he’s one of the best ever, I don’t think Max wins the world championship today in any other car, other than the Red Bull."

After his title triumph in Sin City, Verstappen was being interviewed by Sky Sports, where Brown interrupted to congratulate the champion. Verstappen made it clear straight away that he hadn’t forgotten about Brown’s comments.

As Brown congratulated him, Verstappen pointed out that Brown (and his driver Lando Norris) had "pushed us all the way" in the title race.

The McLaren boss replied: "We did but you earned it. Four world championships. Now you beat my [three-time world champion, Ayrton] Senna!"

Before the pair parted, Verstappen could resist letting Brown know that he remembered his words:

Verstappen’s championship victory in 2024 may have been his most difficult given his disappointing second half to the season and the strong challenge posed by McLaren’s Norris. The Dutchman went ten races without a win, allowing Norris to creep into title contention.

Since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May, McLaren appeared to have a quicker car than Red Bull, with that being a big reason for Verstappen’s struggles in the second half of the year.

Since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Verstappen has won just one race, but that win was a sensational one where he all but secured a fourth championship. He fought back from 17th on the grid to win in Sao Paulo, with Norris falling from pole position to sixth.

Another sixth place for Norris in Vegas meant that, with Verstappen finishing one place above him in fifth, it became mathematically impossible for the Brit to catch his rival.

Despite the fact that Norris won't raise individual honours this year, McLaren still lead the Constructor’s Championship.

However, their lead has been cut down to only 24 points after Ferrari’s drivers finished third and fourth in Vegas, with McLaren’s drivers disappointing, finishing sixth and seventh. Red Bull are in third, fifty-three points off of McLaren so it is a two-horse race with two races left.

Brown will be hoping his team can hold on to secure him some sort of bragging rights but, after winning four titles in a row, Max Verstappen holds bragging rights over everyone else in F1 until someone stops his dominance.