Even to the most casual observer of Formula One throughout the 2023 season, it was obvious to see Max Verstappen found himself in a league of his own.
The Dutchman cantered to a third world championship title and rarely did he find himself under much duress.
Red Bull’s poster boy stood atop the podium in Abu Dhabi at the season-ending race to toast a 19th race win of the season. Across the 22-race calendar only once did a Red Bull driver – Carlos Sainz in Singapore – not finish first.
Verstappen’s dominance was a sight to behold as he demolished records from yesteryear.
Such was his advantage across the rest of the field, Verstappen began rewriting records he himself had set 12 months ago en route to his second drivers’ championship title.
Max Verstappen’s victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi race made it 19 wins in 2023 season
The three-time world champion was in a league of his own and he has rewritten history books
With that in mind, VegasInsider.com have trawled the record books to find the 18 records Verstappen chalked up across this most dominant of campaigns.
Firstly, let’s start with his own records that he has now improved on.
Victory in Abu Dhabi meant that Verstappen broke his own record for the most championship points in a single season.
Verstappen previously set this record at 454 points won in 2022. Fast forward a year and he finished 2023 with 575 points.
Also, Verstappen broke his own 2021 record for the most podium finishes in a season with 21 – his 2021 record was 18.
His 21 total also meant that Verstappen joins. old adversary Lewis Hamilton as the only driver to have 17 or more podium finishes in three separate seasons – Hamilton has had 17+ podium finishes a record-breaking five times.
As mentioned earlier, Verstappen bettered the number of race wins he needed to win the title in 2022, winning on 19 occasions this season.
But along with that toppled record Verstappen also broke Alberto Ascari’s record for the highest percentage of wins in a season.
In a record that has not been broken since 1952 – Ascari won six races out of right that season with a percentage win rate of 75 – Verstappen’s win-rate of 19 out of 22 left him with a better percentage of 86.3.
Verstappen brought the curtain down on his dominant season with victory at the Yas Marina
In 2022 Verstappen (middle) set the record for most wins in a season but he has beaten it now
As well as Hamilton, Verstappen’s latest championship – and the expectation is that more will follow – puts him in esteemed company with the sport’s greatest.
Verstappen has became only the second driver ever to win three world championships by the age of 26, only after Sebastian Vettel.
To put Vettel’s accomplishments into context, the German had won four titles by the time he was 26.
Verstappen has also now joined the top five of drivers with the most consecutive seasons with at least one Grand Prix win.
The Red Bull superstar is currently tied for 5th place with Nelson Piquet with eight seasons.
He’s got a way to go yet to get top spot given the great Michael Schumacher is top of the pile with 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win.
Full list of records and accomplishments below…
The Red Bull driver
THE RECORDS MAX VERSTAPPEN BROKE OR EQUALLED IN 2023
- Max Verstappen became only the second driver ever to win 3 Formula 1 championships by the age of 26 after Sebastian Vettel (Vettel won 4 titles by the time he was 26)
- Max Verstappen clinched his championship win with the the highest # of races remaining – 6, tying Michael Schumacher who also clinched his win with 6 races remaining in 2002
- Max Verstappen joined a group of only 10 other drivers who have ever won 3 or more Formula 1 championships and he is currently tied for 6th place with 5 other drivers for the most overall championships won (Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are tied for #1 win 7 wins each)
- Max Verstappen joined a group of only 4 other drivers with 3 or more consecutive championship wins (Schumacher, Fangio, Vettel, Hamilton) and he is currently 5th overall (Michael Schumacher is #1 with 5 consecutive championship wins between 2000 and 2004)
- Max Verstappen broke his own record for the most races won in a season with 19 wins in 2023 (previously he set a new record in 2022 with 15 wins); Verstappen also broke Alberto Ascari’s record that has not been broken since 1952 – the highest percentage of wins in a season – Ascari won 6 races out of 8 with a percentage win rate of 75% and Verstappen won 19 out of 22 with a percentage win rate of 86.36%
- Max Verstappen broke the record for the most consecutive races won in a season since he won 10 races in the 2023 season, thus he broke Sebastian Vettel’s record of 9 consecutive wins from 2013
- Max Verstappen also joined the top 5 of the drivers with the most consecutive seasons with at least one Grand Prix win, he is currently tied for 5th place with Nelson Piquet with 8 seasons (Michael Schumacher is #1 with 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win)
- Max Verstappen joined a group of only 4 other drivers with more than 9 fastest laps in a season – he has 9 fastest laps in 2023, tying for 3rd place with Mika Häkkinen (Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen are tied for #1 with 10 fastest laps in one season with Räikkönen achieving this feat twice)
- Max Verstappen broke his own 2021 record for the most podium finishes in a season – 21 (his 2021 record was 18), and he joins Lewis Hamilton as the only driver to have 17 or more podium finishes in three different seasons (Hamilton had 17+ podium finishes record-breaking 5 times)
- Max Verstappen joined the top 4 of the drivers with the most consecutive podium finishes with 15 podium finishes between Abu Dhabi GP 2022 and Italian GP in 2023, tying for 3rd place with Fernando Alonso (#1 is Michael Schumacher with 19 consecutive podium finishes between 2001 and 2002)
- Max Verstappen is now the #2 driver with the most consecutive podium finishes from first race of a season (he had 14 podium finishes between Bahrain GP and Italian GP, which makes his second only to Michael Schumacher who had 17 podium finishes in the 2002 season)
- Max Verstappen has come closer to breaking Lewis Hamilton’s record for the most consecutive points finishes (48) – Verstappen’s current run started in 2022 at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and is still ongoing with 41 consecutive point finishes
- Max Verstappen broke Lewis Hamilton’s record for the most consecutive points scored (998) – Verstappen’s current run started in 2022 at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and is still ongoing with 1004 consecutive points scored
- Max Verstappen has come closer to breaking Lewis Hamilton’s record for the most consecutive race finishes (48); Verstappen’s current run started in 2022 at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and is still ongoing with 41 consecutive race finishes
- Max Verstappen broke Nigel Mansell & Sebastian Vettel’s record for the most wins from pole position in a season from 1992 (9 wins from a pole) – Verstappen has achieved 12 wins from pole position in 2023
- Max Verstappen broke his own record of most championship points in a season (he previously held the record with 454 points achieved in 2022, and he has achieved 575 points in 2023)
- Max Verstappen climbed up in the rankings for scoring the most hat tricks (thus pole, win and fastest lap in one race) – he did so 6 times in 2023, bringing his career total to 11 and putting him in 3th place overall, tying Jim Clark (Michael Schumacher is #1, achieving hat trick on 22 occasions); Verstappen also climbed up in the rankings for scoring the most grand slams / chelems (thus pole, win, fastest lap and led every lap) – he did so 2 times in 2023, bringing his career total to 4 and tying him for 5th place with 4 other drivers (Jim Clark is #1 with 8 grand slams)
- Max Verstappen equaled Jenson Button’s record for the most pit stops by a winning driver in one race (6) at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix (Button did so in 2011 at the Canadian Grand Prix)