Max Verstappen: Decoding his crunch career stats in Formula 1
On this day (October 3) back in 2014, Dutchman Max Verstappen, became the youngest person in history (17 years and three days) to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend. Red Bull had selected Formula Three driver Verstappen to replace Jean-Eric Vergne to test him as part of his preparation for a regular spot in Toro Rosso for the 2015 season. Here's more.
Verstappen makes his F1 debut in 2015
Verstappen made his F1 debut in 2015 with Scuedria Toro Rosso. He managed 49 points that season and finished 12th. After racing four races with Toro Rosso in 2016, he was promoted as one of the two drivers for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen collected 204 points and finished 5th. He won the Spanish GP on his Red Bull debut. He managed 7 podiums.
Verstappen shows consistency for Red Bull from 2017-2020
From 2017 to 2020, Verstappen grew in stature and showed a lot of consistency during a period where Lewis Hamilton was dominating F1. Verstappen finished sixth in 2017 with 168 points. He rose to 4th in 2018 (249 points) before taking two 3rd-placed finishes in 2019 and 2020 respectively (278 and 213 points). During this four-year period, he clocked 35 podium finishes (10 wins).
Verstappen won three successive F1 titles from 2021 to 2023
The last three F1 seasons have witnessed Verstappen dominate the sport. He won three successive honors. In 2021, he edged past Hamilton on the final race day to collect his maiden title. He finished with 395.5 points. In 2022, Verstappen claimed 454 points and backed it up with 575 points in 2023. During this period, he claimed 56 podium finishes (44 race wins).
Verstappen leads the 2024 F1 standings
Verstappen leads the 2024 season F1 standings. He has collected 331 points, winning 7 races and managing 11 podiums in total. However, Lando Norris is closing down on Verstappen.
Verstappen owns 3rd-most wins in F1 history
Verstappen owns the third-most race wins in F1 history. He owns 61 race wins with only Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (105) ahead. In terms of podiums, Verstappen has collected a tally of 109. He is fourth with Hamilton (201), Schumacher (155) and Sebastian Vettel (122) ahead of him.
Youngest winner in F1 history
By winning the 2016 Spanish GP, Verstappen made history by becoming the youngest driver in F1 to win a race. He was aged 18 years, 228 days. He broke Vettel's record of 21 years, 73 days at the Italian GP in 2008.
Notable records of Verstappen
Verstappen is ranked 7th in terms of fastest laps (32). With three F1 titles, Verstappen is tied alongside Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna. Verstappen has the 5th-highest number of pole positions (40). Verstappen clocked 19 race wins in 2023. It's the highest for a driver in a season. In 2022, he managed 15 race wins (2nd-highest).
