In the annals of Formula One history, the 2023 season will forever be remembered as the year Max Verstappen rewrote the record books. The Dutch racing prodigy delivered a season of unparalleled dominance, leaving his rivals in the dust and cementing his status as one of the greatest drivers of all time.
Verstappen’s 2023 Masterclass
Verstappen’s 2023 campaign was a masterclass in consistency and raw speed. The 26-year-old won an astonishing 19 out of 22 races, setting a new record for the most victories in a single F1 season. To put this into perspective, only 17 drivers in the sport’s 78-year history have managed to win 19 races in their entire careers.
The Red Bull driver’s win percentage was a staggering 86.4%, shattering the previous record. He accumulated an incredible 575 points out of a possible 620, leaving his nearest rival, teammate Sergio Perez, a distant 290 points behind. Verstappen’s relentless performance also included a record-breaking streak of 10 consecutive race wins, a feat never before achieved in F1.
What Max has achieved this season is simply extraordinary. We are witnessing greatness, a driver operating on a different level to everyone else.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
Building on 2022 Success
Verstappen’s historic 2023 season was a continuation of his dominant form from the previous year. In 2022, he won 15 races and scored 454 points, both records at the time. He clinched his second world championship with several races to spare, underlining his superiority over the field.
However, 2023 saw Verstappen elevate his performance to stratospheric levels. He won nine of the final 11 races in 2022, and carried that momentum into the new season, winning the first seven races of 2023. This relentless consistency demoralized his opponents and turned the championship battle into a foregone conclusion.
Comparison to F1 Legends
Verstappen’s achievements in 2023 surpassed some of the most iconic seasons in F1 history. Prior to Verstappen’s emergence, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher jointly held the record for the most wins in a single season, with 13 apiece.
- Vettel won 13 of 19 races in 2013, including the last nine in a row, en route to his fourth consecutive world title.
- Schumacher also achieved 13 victories in 2004, clinching the championship with four races remaining.
Both Vettel and Schumacher’s best seasons pale in comparison to Verstappen’s 2023 campaign. The Dutchman’s 19 wins eclipsed their record by a staggering six victories, underlining the magnitude of his achievement.
Chasing Hamilton’s Records
While Verstappen now holds the record for the most wins in a single season, he still has some way to go to match Lewis Hamilton‘s overall tally. The seven-time world champion has won 105 races in his illustrious career, 19 more than Verstappen’s current total of 86.
However, at just 26 years old, Verstappen has time on his side. If he maintains his current level of performance, he could conceivably overhaul Hamilton’s record within the next few seasons. The prospect of a fully-motivated Verstappen chasing down the most prestigious records in F1 is a mouth-watering prospect for fans of the sport.
I’ve always said records are there to be broken. Max is a phenomenal talent and if he stays healthy and motivated, he has every chance of setting new benchmarks in our sport.
Lewis Hamilton
Looking Ahead to 2024
As the dust settles on Verstappen’s historic 2023 season, attention inevitably turns to whether he can maintain his dominance in 2024. With stable regulations and no major changes to the Red Bull car expected, the odds are certainly in his favor.
However, as Vettel found out in 2014 after his own record-breaking campaign, nothing is guaranteed in F1. The German failed to win a single race the following year as the sport underwent a major regulation change. While no such overhaul is planned for 2024, Verstappen will still face stiff competition from the likes of Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell.
Regardless of what the future holds, Verstappen’s place in F1 history is already secure. His 2023 season will go down as one of the greatest individual achievements in motorsport, a year in which he rewrote the record books and redefined what is possible in a single campaign. As he continues to chase down Hamilton’s all-time records, Verstappen is cementing his status as a true F1 icon.
