Max Verstappen set several new records in F1 this year in arguably the most dominant season by a driver in the sport’s history; Verstappen became a three-time world champion and has now left a mark on the sport which puts him up there with F1’s greats
Formula 1 in 2023 will go down as the season of records as Max Verstappen and Red Bull ripped up the history books in an almost perfect campaign.
Verstappen’s 19 wins have put him into territory with some of the sport’s greatest ever drivers as he surpassed Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and, on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel to become the third most successful driver in terms of wins.
His 54 victories put him only behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103). Verstappen is still some years off getting near Hamilton, but what records did he break this year?
Most wins in a season and highest percentage of wins
Verstappen already took this record in 2022 when he won 15 races to beat the 13 triumphs by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.
But, the Dutchman has gone four better in 2023 by winning 19 of the 22 races. That means 86 per cent of the Grands Prix this year have been won by Verstappen, which breaks Alberto Ascari’s 1952 benchmark of 75 per cent.
There were a lot fewer races in that era too as Ascari won six out of eight events, so Verstappen’s 86 per cent is quite incredible. Will it ever be beaten? Probably not.
Most consecutive wins
When Vettel won the final nine races in 2013, nobody thought anyone could win more Grands Prix in a row. However, Verstappen went on a remarkable winning run this season from his comeback drive at the Miami Grand Prix in May all the way to September’s Italian Grand Prix by standing on the top step of the podium 10 times.
Just to warn you ahead of 2024, Verstappen is on another victory streak of seven wins, which began with the Japanese Grand Prix.
These runs meant Verstappen ended the season with 575 points – the most in a season and his 290-point margin over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez is the biggest ever difference between first and second in the Drivers’ Championship.
First driver to lead over 1000 laps
Verstappen was aware he could go beyond the 1000 laps led mark during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he did it, just, ending his 2023 campaign with 1003 laps at the front of the pack.
The previous benchmark was Vettel’s 739 laps led in 2011 and Verstappen also made history with the highest percentage of laps led in a season with 75.7 per cent versus Jim Clark’s 71.47 per cent from 1963.
During the Abu Dhabi race, Verstappen told Red Bull it was fine to pit Perez first, so he could stay in the lead and ensure he surpassed the 1000-lap mark.
“I knew it was on the cards going into the race. Also, from the engineering side with the strategy, we wanted to try and plan it in a way that I wouldn’t pit too early, so just wait for the others to pit” explained Verstappen.
“Of course, to try and achieve that it was maybe not always the, let’s say, the fastest strategy. But I wanted to stay in the lead, to get the laps in.”
Imagine if Singapore didn’t happen
You just have to think what would have happened if Red Bull didn’t have their one-off poor weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix where Verstappen finished fifth after being eliminated in Q2.
He finished second to Perez at the Saudi Arabian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix, then has won every other race so has taken a record 21 podiums this season and the most consecutive top two finishes with 14.
Three of Verstappen’s wins came in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – so he becomes the first driver to win three times in one country in the same year.
Other records broken by Verstappen
As as well as all the above, Verstappen has also done the following this year:
- Most consecutive wins from pole (16 – a streak that began at the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix)
- Most wins from pole in a season (12)
- Most consecutive races as championship leader (39 – a streak that began at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix)
- Most consecutive points scored
- Most pitstops by the winning driver in one race (Dutch Grand Prix)
- Most Sprint wins in a season (4)
Verstappen proud of Red Bull team spirit
Verstappen has lauded his Red Bull team all season and the technical prowess from the likes of chief technical officer Adrian Newey, technical officer Pierre Wache, aerodynamics designers Craig Skinner and Enrico Balbo, plus head of performance engineering Ben Waterhouse have been pivotal.
The hundreds of other people back at Milton Keynes have all contributed to, statistically, the greatest ever season by a team in F1.
Verstappen was asked what he will remember most from this year and said: “I think just the team spirit. Not so much the wins or poles or laps led. I think just the enjoyment we had as a team.
“The wins are great of course but I think it’s also very important to have a good atmosphere in the team and have a lot of fun.
“The people that you work with, there’s a lot of smart people in the team and I know that whatever you do in motor racing, I think it never will top that. Just seeing everyone at work, trying to do the best they can every day and give it their all out there for you. That’s really nice to see.”
