Nobody will catch Max Verstappen this year - Mercedes boss Toto Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists Max Verstappen's fourth consecutive title is already a foregone conclusion after the Red Bull driver cruised to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen returned to winning ways in dominant fashion as the reigning drivers’ champion triumphed at Suzuka.

Having retired last time out in Australia, it was normal service resumed for the Dutchman as he led home a Red Bull one-two with Sergio Perez finishing second.

Verstappen twice led into the first corner off the line after the race was restarted following a first-lap incident which saw both Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon crash out after making contact.

From there, Verstappen controlled the pace and the result never looked in doubt, as he took the chequered flag and the fastest lap to open up a 13-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.

His brake failure in Melbourne aside, Verstappen has looked in imperious form in the opening four rounds of 2024.

In what is Formula One’s longest-ever season there are still 20 races remaining, but Wolff was in no doubt that he feels Verstappen will once again be untouchable.

"No one is going to catch Max this year," he said.

"His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see the way he manages the tyres and basically this season now is best of the rest.

"If I was to look from a pure sporting point of view it is P1 [place one] what matters, not P2, P3 or P4 but this is the reality that we are facing at the moment.

"We’re trying to do the best out of this new reality and that is to beat our competitors whilst acknowledging that somebody is just doing a better job and setting the benchmark that we eventually need to set ourselves again."

Wolff’s prediction of another year of Red Bull dominance