MOTORSPORT: Verstappen’s incredible legacy
Records fall across the board as Red Bull decimates the competitionFuture generations of racers will have their work cut out to beat the long list of records set by Max Verstappen during the 2023 Formula 1 season.
From the 22 races he contested, Verstappen claimed an unprecedented 19 victories, finished on the podium 21 times and, setting another record, scored 575 points – more than second and third place in the 2023 F1 standings combined.
In fact, Verstappen would have easily claimed the Constructors’ Championship on his own, scoring nearly 50 per cent more points than second-place Mercedes!
During the season, the Dutchman became the first driver to lead more than 1000 laps during a season, with his benchmark of 1003 circuits led accounting for over 75 per cent of the total laps run in 2023.
His 12 victories from pole is also peerless, ditto his 10 consecutive race wins, and on six occasions he won the race from the pole with the fastest race lap – another record.
Perhaps the most impressive attribute of Verstappen’s domination is that he was unflustered when behind the eight ball, with multiple calculated drives to the front of the field placing an emphasis on tyre conservation.
The only true challenge for the three-time F1 champion came early in the season from his Red Bull stablemate Sergio Perez, who was victorious in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, although his charge faded throughout the season.
Ultimately, the Verstappen-Perez one-two was a first for the Red Bull outfit in its 19 years in the sport.
The only blemish on the Red Bull scorecard came in Singapore, where Carlos Sainz registered a surprise victory for Ferrari, in what proved to be a classic battle to the finish involving the McLaren of Lando Norris and Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, for his part, was quiet and consistent throughout the year, and registered third in the final standings, getting the better of Fernando Alonso in the ultimate rundown.
At age 42, Alonso was a revelation, replacing Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin at the start of the season and registering eight podium finishes before the team faded late in the season.
At the other end of his career, Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri finished his debut campaign marked as a star of the future.
Ninth in the standings with a fast-finishing McLaren, the Aussie claimed a pair of Sunday podiums, backed up by two race fastest laps, as well as an F1 Sprint win in Qatar and a second place on Saturday in Belgium.
A highlight of the season proved to be the debut of F1 on the Las Vegas Strip, where the race evolved into a brilliant battle to the finish, although the early weekend running was mired in controversy when a stray utility cover wreaked havoc on Friday practice.
Other highlights of the season included a wild Australian Grand Prix, which was repeatedly restarted in the closing laps as carnage reigned on the streets of Albert Park.
Similarly, wet weather wreaked havoc at the Dutch GP, although it wasn’t enough to take the win away from Verstappen on home soil.
The 2024 F1 season kicks off in Bahrain on March 2, with the Australian Grand Prix slated for the third slot on the schedule on March 24.
Related: MOTORSPORT: Verstappen dominates Abu Dhabi
Related: MOTORSPORT: Verstappen outlasts Las Vegas
Related: MOTORSPORT: Piastri wins F1 sprint
Related: MOTORSPORT: Sainz wins in Singapore F1 Grand Prix thriller
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