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Max at the F1 Grand Prix of Spain

Top 5 records that Max Verstappen looks destined to break in the 2023 F1 season

Max Verstappen's 2023 F1 season is off to one of the most dominant starts we've seen in a while. The worst result that the driver has secured this season was a P3 finish in the sprint at Baku. Out of the seven races this season, Verstappen has won five and finished second twice.

Given the advantage that Red Bull's RB19 enjoys over the rest of the grid, the Dutch driver is on his way to breaking quite a few records this season.

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After his dominant display in the 2023 F1 Spanish GP, where he completed a Grand Chelem, here's a look at the records Verstappen could break this season:

Note: There are a few records that are already held by Max Verstappen, but the magnitude of these achievements cannot be ignored.

#1 Most wins in a season (15: Max Verstappen)

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Verstappen holds the record for the most wins in a season, which he accomplished last year with Red Bull in a far more competitive season. In 2023, he has already won five of the season's first seven races. There are 15 more races this season, out of which, he needs to win 11 to break his own record.

While it's a long season and there's always the threat of the opposition catching up, Red Bull's gap over the rest of the field looks big enough to be sustained throughout the year.

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#2 Most number of points in a season (454: Max Verstappen)

Verstappen also set the record for the most points recorded in a season last year (454), under vastly different circumstances. There are six sprint events this year, compared to last year's three, which means that more points are up for grabs. Red Bull also has a more clear advantage over the rest of the field this season.

The Dutch driver suffered two DNFs in the first three races of the season last year and still ended up with 454 points. This season, his average points haul (excluding the result in the sprint) per race is 23.6.

If we extrapolate the data, we're looking at Max Verstappen scoring close to 500 points even if we exclude the points scored in the six sprints. Unless something drastic happens, Verstappen should extend his record in 2023.

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#3 Biggest Championship winning margin (155: Sebastian Vettel)

Sebastian Vettel won the drivers' championship by the biggest margin (155 points) in 2013. Verstappen fell marginally short of the record last season, as he had a 146-point lead over second placed Charles Leclerc. This year, Verstappen already holds 53-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez after just seven races. It's hard to discard how good Perez is, but when you have the two-time world champion in the other car, it's hard to beat him.

Ending the season more than 150 points ahead of his teammate would be a very impressive feat, which Max seems likely to achieve this season.

#4 Most consecutive races leading the championship (37: Michael Schumacher)

Michael Schumacher was the drivers' championship leader for 37 consecutive races between the 2000 US GP and the 2002 Japanese GP with Ferrari. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, took over the lead in the championship in Barcelona last season.

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Verstappen has been in the lead for 23 races now and if he is still the championship leader after the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, then he would have broken Michael Schumacher's 20-year-old record.

#5 Most pole positions in a season (15: Sebastian Vettel)

This will probably be the most difficult record for Max Verstappen to break as he doesn't have the most pristine record in qualifying this season. The driver has four pole positions in seven races.

However, Verstappen is still a very strong qualifier and with 15 races left, he'll need to be on pole for 12 to beat Vettel's record.

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Edited by
Arshit Garg
 
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