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Dnevnik Express
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Max Verstappen’s third world title in Formula 1 is a matter of time, as the Red Bull pilot can mathematically secure it in the next start.
After 16 rounds since the start of the season, the Dutchman has an impressive 400 points and leads by 177 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez (223). The weekend of October 7 and 8 sees the two starts in Qatar, a sprint and a classic race, with Verstappen needing to be ahead of Perez in the first of these to be the champion ahead of schedule.
The season of Verstappen and “Red Bull” can be described as perfect, since from 16 starts the “bulls” have 15 victories (13 with Verstappen and two with Perez) and 11 pole positions (9 to 2). Six of Red Bull’s victories so far have been double wins.
In the last race for the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen also improved a record. For the 13th time in a row, he won a race in which he started from pole position. So far, the Dutchman was level with Michael Schumacher with 12 consecutive victories from the first position. Earlier in the season, he also became #1 for consecutive victories in Formula 1 after recording ten such victories.
And since there is no intrigue for the title, logically the most asked questions are which other records can the current champion in Formula 1 improve by the end of the season.
Most wins in a season: Verstappen has 13 so far in 2023 and is close to his own record set a year ago. He finished 2022 with 15 wins. There are six more races until the end of the current season, and at the current rate, that record will also fall.
Most points in a season: Verstappen’s asset is 400 points from 16 past weekends, and last season he finished with 454 points. This record can also be improved, since by the end of the season the total number of points he can be won is 180.
Biggest gap to second: As recently as last year, Verstappen could have beaten that record of 155 points between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso from 2013. However, the Dutchman finished 146 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in 2022.
He currently leads by 177 points over teammate Perez.
Most fastest laps in a season: After 16 rounds, Verstappen has set the fastest lap in races seven times. The record is 10 in one season, having been achieved three times – Michael Schumacher in 2004 in 18 races, Kimi Raikkonen in 2005 and 2008 in seasons of 19 and 18 starts respectively.
Most laps led: Verstappen has so far led 712 laps since the start of the 2023 season. The record is a close second, with 739 set by Sebastian Vettel. Verstappen can also become the first to lead 1,000 laps, as more than 360 laps must be completed by the end of the season.
He’s also very close to being the #1 percentage of laps he’s led. So far, Verstappen has led the column in 74% of the laps completed, sending him ahead of Jim Clark’s 1963 record (71.5%).
However, the Dutchman failed to improve another record in the history of Formula 1 – that of consecutive races in which he climbed the podium. His streak ended at 15 (from Abu Dhabi 2022 to Italy 2023) after finishing fifth at the Singapore Grand Prix. This record is still held by Michaela Schumacher of 19 consecutive races in the top three.
