Verstappen needed only sixth place in the sprint race, but that was beyond Perez's failure. The Mexican was thrown off and so the Limburger was unbeatable in the world championship.
For Verstappen, it means his third world title in a row, following previous championships in 2021 and 2022. In doing so, Verstappen equals
Michael Schumacher, who in a 2002 also became champion six GPs before the end of the season. Verstappen still has races to go this year in Qatar, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.