F1
Max Verstappen: 2023, the season of all records
Max Verstappen, the man of all records © Florent Gooden / DPPI
Head-turning numbers. Winner again on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen broke new records this season and in his career. The Dutchman, simply untouchable in 2023, pushes the statistics even further and has already established himself, at only 26 years old, as a legend of the Formula 1. Here is an exhaustive list of the main records broken by Max Verstappen this year.
1 laps in the lead over a season
In Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen was not really worried about victory. Starting from pole position, the driver Red Bull stayed in the lead at the start and quietly won. The Dutchman led 52 laps out of the 58 in the UAE Grand Prix. These 52 loops spent in the lead add to the impressive total of 1 laps in the lead covered in 003 by the Batavian. The previous record was held by Sebastien Hag (739 laps in the lead, in 2011).
575 points over a season
Max Verstappen became the first driver in history to score more than 500 points in a season. Obviously, the current points scale, which appeared in 2010, the increase in the number of GPs and the introduction of Sprint Races distort this statistic a little but let's not turn a blind eye to this remarkable performance. After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver has 575 points, already 131 more than the previous record achieved by… himself, in 2022 (454 points).
54 career victories
After Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel! With his 54th career victory at Yas Marina, Max Verstappen overtook the four-time German champion on the charts. The Dutchman had already overtaken the Brazilian after the Australian Grand Prix and the Frenchman during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Now third in the statistics in terms of number of victories in Formula 1, Max Verstappen only has two drivers ahead of him, but we will have to wait a long time before picking them up: Michael Schumacher (91) et Lewis Hamilton (103) are still far ahead…
21 podiums in one season
In addition to the victories, it is also the number of podiums over a season that Max Verstappen has beaten in Abu Dhabi. With a 21st podium won in 22 Grands Prix, the three-time world champion equaled his own mark achieved in 2021, the year of his first F1 title.
19 victories in one season
This is the main record broken this season. With a 19th victory in 2023, Max Verstappen pushed back his own record for the number of successes in one year. An incredible performance with a win/GP ratio of 86,36%, another broken record since the latter was set by Alberto Ascari... in 1952 (75% wins).
10 consecutive wins
At Monza, the Batavian also broke an exceptional consistency record: with 10 consecutive victories between the Miami Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen became the driver who has won the most races consecutively. The old record, established by Sebastien Vettel in 2013 with 9 successes, has been erased. Carlos Sainz ended this series with his victory in Singapore.
3 world titles
Certainly, three world titles is not a record and Max Verstappen is still far from matching Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, both holders of seven Formula 1 crowns. Nevertheless, at just 26 years old, the Dutchman is the youngest triple world champion in history and can legitimately hope to seek other titles in his career. He still needs to have the desire, the motivation and the car to do this…
(figures as of November 26, 2023, after the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP)
ALSO READ > Verstappen ends the season with… a victory: “I was a little emotional in the parade lap”
Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
Continue reading on these topics:
Read also
Comments
*The space reserved for logged in users. Please connect to be able to respond or post a comment!
2 Comment (s)
To write a comment
PJ Petit
27/11/2023 at 07:38 a.m.
It's beautiful to see a young prodigy become a man, and reach the fullness of his abilities. Among his masterpieces of the year, Spa (race), Monaco (qualifying), etc. There were a lot of them and as a result the year was not boring, especially since other drivers did some very nice things (Alonso's defense in Brazil, Leclerc's poles, etc.).
06/11/2023 at 04:36 a.m.
He still needs to have the desire, the motivation and the car to do this... everything is said knowing that he is openly against Sprint races, the increase in the number of Grand Prix per season and artificial tracks. ..