Verstappen needed only to outscore Lando Norris to become just the sixth driver in Formula One history to win four titles or more.
And, with Norris taking the chequered flag in only sixth, Verstappen is guaranteed the world crown with two races remaining.
But it wouldn’t have been an F1 race without an awkward Martin Brundle grid walk.
While Brundle is known for trying to strike up a chat with anyone he can find on the grid, he didn’t have any time for former Playboy Playmate of the Year-turned-actor Jenny McCarthy.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he told her as she turned towards the camera, while Brundle kept walking past.
While McCarthy denied being called “the face of the anti-vax movement”, she has been criticised for promoting anti-vax beliefs.
In good news for Brundle, though, he managed to catch up with Gladiator II star Paul Mescal and Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles.