Max Verstappen's astonishing triumph: Rewriting Formula 1 records in a spectacular season

His 19th win in 22 races places him in rarefied air, joining an exclusive group of drivers with three world championships.

Among the elite, Verstappen stands tall with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, the only other drivers to claim seven titles each. Juan Manuel Fangio follows closely with five championships, while Verstappen shares the three-title club with Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet Sr, and Ayrton Senna.

Verstappen's quest for greatness extends to the record books. With 54 race wins, he now ranks third all-time, surpassing Sebastian Vettel in just 185 races compared to Vettel's 299. Only Hamilton and Schumacher have more victories, with 103 and 91 respectively.

The Dutch dynamo's season was a masterclass in breaking barriers. Verstappen secured a remarkable 10 consecutive race victories, eclipsing Vettel's previous record of nine in 2013. His total of 19 wins shattered his own single-season record set the previous year, a remarkable feat considering only 14 F1 seasons have featured 19 or more races.

While the modern scoring system and season length played a role, Verstappen's points tally of 575 stands as a colossal record, eclipsing his own 454 from the previous season. The winning margin was equally staggering, with a lead of 290 points over teammate Sergio Perez, more than doubling the second-place finisher's points.

Verstappen's dominance was not confined to the statistics; it extended to the track. Clinching the title with six races remaining, he equaled Schumacher's 2002 record. His win rate of 86.4%, a record in itself, surpassed the previous mark set in 1952, during F1's third-ever season.

The Dutch driver also etched his name in the history books by leading 1,000 or more laps in a season, smashing Sebastian Vettel's 2011 record and matching the combined total of the legendary 1988 McLaren duo, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Notably, Verstappen completed every lap of the season, adding two second-place finishes and a fifth in Singapore to his unparalleled 19 victories.

As Verstappen basks in the glory of his historic season, the Formula 1 world eagerly awaits to see if he can extend his reign and match the consecutive title feats of Schumacher, Hamilton, Fangio, and Vettel in the upcoming season.

 

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