LAS VEGAS: Max Verstappen claimed a fourth consecutive Formula One world title under the lights of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Dutchman came home in fifth place in a race won by George Russell of Mercedes as he became just the sixth man after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost to claim four championships.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was Verstappen’s only title rival, finished in sixth place.

“Oh my god what a season, four times, thank you guys,” Verstappen told his Red Bull team on the radio.

“It’s a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. Thank you so much guys.”

Russell came home 7.313 seconds clear of seven-time champion and Mercedes teammate Hamilton, who had started from 10th on the grid.

The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were third and fourth places respectively.

Norris, in sixth, was 43 seconds adrift ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Haas ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull.

Norris, who needed to outscore Verstappen by three points to keep his title hopes alive, took an extra point for fastest lap, but his challenge was over.

On a dry, windy and milder night in the Nevada desert, the air and track temperature was 18 degrees as Russell made a perfect start from his fourth pole position to lead with Leclerc, from fourth, leaping to second off the grid.

Everyone except Fernando Alonso started on mediums, the Spaniard taking softs that lasted only four laps while, at the front, Leclerc made an early bid to pass Russell and Verstappen swept by Pierre Gasly for fourth.

The Dutchman, looking imperious, made more progress on lap nine by passing Leclerc for third as Norris overtook Gasly for fifth while Hamilton moved up to eighth.

Piastri was given a five-second penalty for a false start, from outside his grid box, as Sainz, Leclerc and Norris pitted for hards, followed by Verstappen and Russell on lap 12.

Hamilton profited from the frantic action to lead the race for a lap before the order settled with Russell leading ahead of Perez, who made an early stop, and Verstappen.

On lap 15, Perez waved Verstappen through to second behind Russell and Gasly retired with engine failure in his Alpine.

Hamilton, showing great speed, climbed to fifth by lap 20 behind the two Ferraris, leaving Norris struggling in sixth.

“The front right looks like it is about to go any lap,” reported Norris. His title dream, like his tires, appeared to be evaporating as McLaren slithered in pursuit, unable to find any grip.

By half-distance, Russell led Verstappen by 11 seconds with Sainz, complaining about his tires, third ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton before, on lap 28, both multiple champions pitted.

Hamilton was hampered by Sainz, crossing in and out of the pit lane as Ferrari ordered him to stay out and swap places with Leclerc. The Spaniard pitted a lap later, falling to sixth.

All this saw Norris rise to third before he pitted again on lap 31 falling to seventh while Hamilton, in the mood, cruised past Verstappen for second behind Russell.

Irked by suggestions that his “shelf life” was ending, Hamilton, on older tires, trimmed Russell’s lead from 11 seconds to six in five vintage laps.

Verstappen, concentrating on the big prize, was passed by Sainz but kept Leclerc behind him with Norris 10 seconds adrift in sixth until lap 47 when the Monegasque passed him for fourth.

NAPLES: Angel Yin was making putts from across the green and threatening to build a big lead until Jeeno Thitikul finished eagle-birdie for a 9-under 63 to share the lead Saturday going into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship with $4 million on the line.

Yin had a 69 after another day of big putts and one chip-in from some 60 feet for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole that put her comfortably ahead at Tiburon Golf Club.

She holed a 30-footer on the eighth hole, another birdie from about 25 feet on the ninth hole and another one from the 30-foot range on the 12th.

Thitikul seemed to be an afterthought until she lit it up on the back nine for a 30. The Thai started the back nine with three straight bogeys, but she made up quick ground at the end with her eagle on the reachable par-5 17th and a birdie on the closing hole.

The birdie briefly gave her the lead until Yin made birdie on the 17th to join her. They were tied at 15-under 201, three shots head of Ruoning Yin, who birdied her last two for a 66.

Charley Hull had seven birdies in her round of 66 and was at 11-under 205, along with Narin An of South Korea.

Nelly Korda, who got back into the mix on Friday after a sluggish start, lost ground with a 69 on a pleasant day that left her six shots back going into the final round. Korda has won four of her seven LPGA titles this year coming from behind. This could be a tall order.

At stake is the richest payoff in women’s golf, $4 million to the winner, nearly as much as Korda has made all year in her seven-victory season.

Thitikul already picked up a $1 million bonus this week through the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a competition based on how players score on a designated hole each week. Now she could leave Florida with a total of $5 million.

“Actually, $1 million is really good enough for me,” Thitikul said. “If I can get more, it’s definitely going to be nice, because as my team know I spend a lot of money. That’s why I have to keep playing good golf, like spending on shopping day.”

Angel Yin heard plenty of cheers for her long birdie putts, and the chip-in for eagle. She also was helped by a couple of pars after bad drives. She went well to the left at No. 10, did well to blast out on a blind shot just short of the green and then got up-and-down with a pitch to 4 feet.

And then on the 13th, another tee shot went well to the left. She tried to get it back in play from just in front of some bushes, and from 50 yards hit wedge to about 15 feet. She holed that putt, too, that kept her in front.

“I’m scoring still,” Yin said. “Making some mistakes, but saving a bunch, so a lot of positives.”