Verstappen, from child prodigy to record numbers: these are his most brutal statistics

Max Verstappen won his third consecutive F1 world title this Saturday. At 26 years old, with a lot of future ahead of him, he won his third crown and thus equaled the three titles of other legends of this sport such as Ayrton Senna, his father-in-law Nelson Piquet or Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda. And what is left. Because if Verstappen has it, it’s time and a good chance to keep winning and compete for more crowns. He has the best car on the grid and next year, in 2024, with no rule changes, he will start again as favourite.

Time will tell if Max can challenge Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton’s record of 7 titles. That was something Max always said he wasn’t interested in. He went on to say that he doesn’t know if he has many more years on the grid because he wants to do more things outside of driving in F1. But if you want and can have a dominant car in both years that the German and English cars have, you can go for all the records you want.

For now, what he does have are multiple precocity records and one thing that no one will take away from him because of a rule change that prevents it: the title for the youngest driver to debut in a GP, at the age of 14. Then came many breaks in historical records in his youth. And in 2023, as a two-time champion, he went for more milestones.

In a superior car, he achieved a devastating streak of 10 consecutive wins, something no one had achieved in F1. And so far, with 6 races remaining, he has won 13 of 16 events in 2013, representing 8% of all races. If he continues at this pace, he could surpass the highest percentage in the history of victories in a campaign, held by Alberto Ascari since 1952. His 75% could be surpassed by Max’s victories. An atrocity. The child prodigy became a record-breaking person. He is a three-time champion. And what’s to come…

Generic data of Max Verstappen

• 16 races in 2023 (6 left to play): 13 wins.
• 10 pole positions in 17 classifications in 2023
• He arrived in Qatar with 177 points ahead of the runner-up, Pérez, in the lead.
• 10 seasons in F1 (2015, first full year)
• 179 Grand Prix
• 3 world titles: 2021, 2022 and 2023
• 48 wins
• 30 poles
• 92 podiums
• 9 Hat tricks
• 3 Grand Slams
• 28 fast laps

Precocity records: The youngest in…

• Compete in a GP: 17 years, 5 months and 15 days.
• Win a GP: 18 years, 7 months, 15 days (Spain 2016)
• Climbed the podium: 18 years, 7 months, 15 days (Spain 2016)
• Reaching 50 podiums in F1: 23 years, 9 months and 4 days
• Led a lap: 18 years, 7 months, 15 days (Spain 2016)
• Achieve the fastest lap: 19 years, 1 month and 14 days (Brazil 2016)
• F1 score: 17 years, 5 months and 29 days (Malaysia 2015)
• Achieve a Grand Chelem: 23 years, 9 months and 4 days
• First World Champion from the Netherlands

At 26 years old he is…

The 5th driver with the most victories:
1. Lewis Hamilton 103
2. Michael Schumacher 91
3. Sebastian Vettel 53
4. Alain Prost 51
5. Max Verstappen 48
6. Ayrton Senna 41
7. Fernando Alonso 32

Drivers with the most poles include:
1. Lewis Hamilton 104
2. Michael Schumacher 68
3. Ayrton Senna 65
4. Sebastian Vettel 57
5. Nico Rosberg 30
6. Max Verstappen 30
7. Juan Manuel Fangio 29

7th driver with most podiums:
1. Lewis Hamilton 196
2. Michael Schumacher 155
3. Sebastian Vettel 122
4. Alain Prost 106
5. Fernando Alonso 105
6. Kimi Raikkonen 103
7. Max Verstappen 92
6th most laps led:
1. Lewis Hamilton 5,449
2. Michael Schumacher 5,111
3. Sebastian Vettel 3,501
4. Ayrton Senna 2,931
5. Alain Prost 2,683
6. Max Verstappen 2,567
7. Nigel Mansell 2,091

Others:
– 5th with most hat-tricks: 9, compared to Michael Schumacher’s 22
– 10th with most Grand Slams: 3, for 8 by Jim Clark

Record in 2023:

• Record streak: 10 in a row (Miami-Italy 2023)
• Winning percentage on the year so far, with 6 races remaining:1. Max Verstappen 81% (13 of 16 so far in 2023)2. Alberto Ascari – 75% (1952)3. Michael Schumacher – 72% (2004)4. Jim Clark – 70% (1963)5. Sebastian Vettel – 68% (2013)