Max Verstappen hailed his fourth successive world crown as his most impressive yet and revealed he did not believe it would ever be possible to join Formula One’s pantheon of greats.

Verstappen finished fifth at Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, one place ahead of British driver Lando Norris, to emulate Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as a four-time world champion. Only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher (both seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) lie ahead of him in the record books.

“To stand here as a four-time world champion is something I didn’t think was possible,” said Verstappen, 27, after securing the title with two rounds to spare. “In a way, I am relieved, but I very happy, too. It is just incredible and very special.”

Verstappen beat Hamilton in deeply contentious circumstances to claim his maiden championship in 2021 before going on to win his next two titles amid a period of dominance rarely, indeed possibly ever, seen in the sport.

And after he raced to four wins from the opening five rounds, many F1 observers were expecting the Dutchman to run away with the title.

But Red Bull’s superiority suddenly evaporated. McLaren, Ferrari and even Mercedes – who scored their first one-two finish of the season in Nevada on Saturday with pole-sitter George Russell leading home Hamilton – at times boasting speedier machinery.

Since the turn of the century, only Hamilton in 2008 with McLaren, and Verstappen in 2021, have taken the individual honours when their team did not win the constructors’ championship. And on both occasions, McLaren and Red Bull finished runners-up. This season, Red Bull are on course to be only third.

In the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez, who crossed the line 10th on Saturday, is a lowly eighth in the drivers’ standings.

Christian Horner described his driver’s latest title as the most impressive to date. And after arriving for his champions’ press conference sipping from a can of beer, Verstappen said: “I think so, too.

“For most of the season, I would say for 70 per cent of the season, we didn’t have the fastest car, but we extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I’m very proud of.

“When you grow up, and you see all the stats of the legendary drivers, you’re like ‘that’s very impressive and I hope one day that I can even just be on the podium, win a race, maybe win a championship’. It’s already hard enough to win one.”

Verstappen opened his defence with team principal Horner fighting for his job after he was accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague. Horner was exonerated twice. But Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed at the curtain raiser in Bahrain in March that Red Bull would “explode” if Horner remained.

Horner stayed on only for design guru Adrian Newey to announce his sudden departure on the eve of the sixth race in Miami. Those at Red Bull insist the two were not linked. However, Red Bull’s slump started following Newey’s exit.

“The beginning of the year was, let’s say, a bit messy,” admitted Verstappen, with Jos a notable absentee in the Las Vegas paddock this weekend.

“But I think I’m quite calm in those situations. It is very difficult to disturb me with anything. I am very focused on the racing side of things. And I know that when I sit in the car, I forget about everything. I just focus on what’s ahead of me – driving the car as fast as I can.”

The scandal at Red Bull even raised questions about Verstappen’s future. Mercedes made no secret of their pursuit of Verstappen as a replacement for Ferrari-bound Hamilton.

Verstappen, under contract with Red Bull until 2028, continued: “To be honest, every year there are always thoughts going through your head from ‘how long do I still want to do this?’ ‘Where do I want to do this?’ ‘How do I want to do this?’

“There are things in your private life that happen and in your racing life, too. But I’m not someone that makes very drastic decisions.

“I’m very loyal to the team. I appreciate what they have done for me. So, when there are tough times, it’s very easy to say goodbye or forget about it or ignore it. But I think it’s actually way more important to actually face them and go through it together and deal with it and just try to just move on from there.”

Verstappen could now be forgiven for having Hamilton and Schumacher’s record haul of seven in his sights.

But he concluded: “It’s not something that I set out to do.

“I’m already very proud to win four. At the end of the day, winning one or seven, it’s the same thing, right?

“I am very excited to see what we can do next year. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”

Norris might have taken Verstappen to the wire but for mistakes by team and driver along the way. However, McLaren could yet win their first constructors’ title since 1998. They hold a 24-point lead over Ferrari.

“Max deserved to win it, because he drove a better season than I did,” said Norris. “Max just doesn’t have a weakness. When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always.”