The reigning double world champion Max Verstappen, the won his tenth consecutive Grand Prix on Sunday at the Monza circuit in Italy, sets a new record in Formula 1 and could beat others by the end of the season, scheduled for November 26 in Abu Dhabi. Here are the most important ones:
Number of points in a season: After the Italian GP, the Dutchman has 364 World Championship points. This is 90 units less than last year at the end of the season, when he finished the season with 454 points, destroying the absolute record of 413 points set by Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
But with eight rounds left and 232 points still up for grabs, it’s a safe bet the Dutchman will better his 2022 performance, especially as six sprint races have been added to the calendar this season – compared to three last year – which earns you additional championship points.
Number of wins in a season: With 15 wins in 22 races in 2022, “Mad Max” erased the record of 13 joint successes held by Sebastian Vettel (2013) and F1 legend Michael Schumacher (2004) last year. With twelve wins so far and eight GPs remaining in 2023, Verstappen can easily break his own record at the end of the season.
In terms of win rate, however, “Schumi” and Vettel are currently at the top with 13 victories from 18 races for Schumacher (72.22%) and 19 for Vettel (68.42%). The Dutchman is in third place with 68.18% wins last year.
Number of consecutive podiums: Since November 2022 and the Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen has never performed worse than second place. In Italy he achieved his 15th podium finish in a row. With this achievement, he is now on a par with double world champion Fernando Alonso, who achieved 15 podiums in a row between 2005 and 2006 – but above all four podiums from Michael Schumacher’s absolute record (19 podiums in a row between 2001 and 2002).
Difference between first and second at the end of the season: Verstappen now has a lead of 145 points over his closest rival, his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez. He can still break the record set by Vettel, who ended the 2013 season with a significant lead of 155 points over Alonso (Ferrari).