Helmut Marko agrees that Max Verstappen would have confirmed his status as a four-time World Champion sooner in the McLaren or Ferrari.

Verstappen went into the Las Vegas Grand Prix in a commanding position to seal his fourth successive crown and did exactly that, officially ending the, by that stage, faint title hopes of McLaren's Lando Norris.

Verstappen and Red Bull began F1 2024 in a dominant fashion reminiscent of their record-breaking 2023 campaign, but the emergence of McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes as race-winning outfits brought an end to that rampant form, with Verstappen expertly navigating his way to the title despite being restricted to just one win in his last 12 grands prix.

And after securing his fourth title on the trot, Verstappen was asked whether he could have pulled off that achievement in the McLaren MCL38, Ferrari SF-24 or Mercedes W15.

He replied: "Yes, even earlier… So further ahead. [With Ferrari], pretty much the same, I think.

"The Mercedes, no. I think that would have been trickier."

Verstappen's rather unfiltered comments would later be put to Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, who was asked by OE24 whether Verstappen is allowed to say such things?

"Yes, because he's certainly right," was Marko's reply.

"No other driver than Max would have won the World Championship for us this year. He certainly didn't have the best car."

F1 2025 will be the final season with the current regulations and teases to be a classic considering the grid convergence seen in F1 2024, with seven different drivers winning at least one race.

So, can Verstappen make it five in a row next year?

"We just have to provide him with the right car, then Max will do it," said Marko, "a car that is not as erratic as the current one, which is consistently at the front."

But before thinking about any of that, it was time to celebrate Verstappen's fresh achievement of a fourth straight title in Red Bull colours, and celebrate Marko did.

"There wasn't much time. The award ceremony wasn't until midnight, and it was still a lot of fun at the race track. After that, we continued individually," Marko revealed.

"I got to the hotel between four and half past four. But hardly anyone gets to sleep there. I had to be at the airport at half past eight, which was tough!"

Marko had been critical of the Las Vegas GP ahead of its 2024 staging, claiming the inaugural event last year fell far below F1's expectations, though it turns out to be a pretty handy scene for a title celebration.

"When the lights are switched on, then it works. That's when the romance is there," said Marko. "And I realised at the weekend that it's the ideal place to party."

Marko said he has not spoken to Verstappen in the days since he secured the title in Las Vegas, but the duo soon "will go out to eat in Dubai in peace" for a catch-up ahead of the penultimate round of F1 2024 in Qatar this weekend, with the season concluding a week later in Abu Dhabi.