Although the season still has three races, Max Verstappen already knows one thing for sure: he will have to do his best in the rest of his relatively young Formula 1 career to match his performance in this season.
He had already won his second world title more than a month before the end of the season in Abu Dhabi. On Sunday, the constructors’ title for teams was added in America. Now Verstappen only has to complete his dream year so that he enters the history books of the royal class with bold letters.
Statistically, Verstappen has ended up in a place where drivers have rarely been in the more than seventy-year history of the class. In Austin, Verstappen equaled the record number of victories in one F1 season. He now stands on thirteen wins in nineteen games. Only Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) have won so many races in one season.
Win rate
There is a considerable chance that Verstappen will be the only one to hold that record after the last three races. There is a caveat: Schumacher set his record in a year with eighteen races, Vettel drove nineteen in his record season. Verstappen is busy with a season with no less than 22 races, which also gives him more opportunities to win.
In order to properly place his performance in F1 history, it is therefore better to look at his win percentage. Even then Verstappen belongs to the elite. Only four drivers recorded a higher win percentage in a season than Verstappen currently (68 percent).
Only the winning percentage of Alberto Ascari, who won six of the eight races in 1952 (75 percent), he can no longer surpass. But if he wins all the remaining races, he will be above the three drivers in front of him in percentage: Schumacher, Vettel and Jim Clark. It is a realistic scenario that he succeeds. The circuits that Verstappen still awaits in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi are fine for his car. Furthermore, there is currently no size on him, it turned out in Austin on Sunday.
Impossible Mission
Actually, on paper it was not possible at all what Verstappen was doing there. After a failed tire change, which cost him no less than 8 extra seconds, his chance of victory seemed lost. He had to pass Ferrari driver Leclerc in the last twenty laps and then his rival from last season, Lewis Hamilton. Those duels would most likely demand too much from his tires.
So it looked like an impossible mission, but not for Max Verstappen in 2022. He quickly outwitted Charles Leclerc, took it easy for a few laps to get his tires back to the right temperature and then closed the gap to Hamilton. He immediately struck on his first overtake attempt.
It showed once again that Verstappen is actually unbeatable in his RB18 car this season. Thanks to the surplus of top speed in his car, which has also been significantly improved in terms of handling during the season, he is able to get even more out of his racing talent.
It is not for nothing that Verstappen led this season in almost half of the total number of laps driven (498 out of 1094). He is also on the point of breaking extraordinary points records, including those of biggest lead for a world champion (155 points from Vettel in 2013) and most points in one season (413 points from Hamilton in 2019).
Stoic
Verstappen himself has nothing to do with such statistics or comparisons. One Formula 1 era simply cannot be compared to another, is his mantra. It typifies the stoic disposition with which he is well on his way to becoming an F1 legend at the age of 25.
Leave it to others to describe how special his achievements are, such as his team principal Christian Horner. Horner won four world titles in a row with Vettel, but mentioned Verstappen earlier this month in an interview with The Guardian the most talented driver he has ever worked with. He also never saw a rider with such a thirst for success. It makes Verstappen better than the last every race. “For example, he now reads races incredibly well,” Horner said on Sunday.
Almost in love, Red Bull CEO Helmut Marko sighed in front of the Viaplay camera on Sunday, after a question about Verstappen’s performance in the US. “He’s so special,” said the Austrian. “How he drove at the limit after that pit stop and at the same time managed not to ruin his tires. At the end Lewis slipped on the tarmac more than he did. It shows that he has matured again this year. That’s why we believe that’s not all we’ve seen of him yet. There’s even more to come.’