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At the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen picked up his second consecutive victory and fourth overall at the Red Bull Ring. In doing so, he also became the youngest driver to earn 50 Formula 1 podium finishes, at the age of 23 years and 277 days. The record was previously held by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel (25 years, 327 days).
Since his arrival at Red Bull in 2016, Verstappen has been one of the most consistent drivers on the grid. He is often the only man to take the fight to the all-conquering Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton on a consistent basis.
Quick and aggressive, the Dutchman can always be counted on to pounce on any gap that opens up in front of him. Fans who've grown weary of the Silver Arrows' relentless run of form see the young Red Bull driver as a beacon of hope. Many have even tipped him to become a multiple world champion.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the best podium finishes of Verstappen's career thus far:
2016 Spanish Grand Prix
Verstappen was promoted to the senior Red Bull team at the age of 18, after Dani Kyvat was downgraded to their "B'" team, Scuderia Toro Rosso. The move raised a few eyebrows, with many being of the opinion that he was too young to be thrown in at the deep end. But he proved all his detractors wrong by winning the Spanish Grand Prix in his very first race with the team!
Verstappen qualified fourth on the grid, four tenths of a second slower than Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo. In the race, he momentarily lost fourth place to Sebastian Vettel going into Turn 1. However, he soon repassed Vettel, sweeping around the outside of the German in the long, uphill Turn 3.
Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, running 1-2, collided at the end of the opening lap, setting up a Red Bull 1-2 led by Ricciardo. As the race wore on, both Ricciardo and Vettel opted for a three-stop strategy. Verstappen was able to slot into the lead with Ferrari's Raikkonen close behind with 22 laps to go.
The Finn was quicker but despite Raikkonen running within a second of DRS range for most of the final 20 laps, Verstappen did not put a wheel wrong. Displaying maturity beyond his age, he kept the 2007 champion at bay until the checkered flag flew.
He became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula 1 race, at the age of 18 years, seven months and 15 days.
2019 German Grand Prix
The 2019 German Grand Prix was one of the best races of the season and was even voted by Formula 1 fans as Race of the Decade.
Starting second on the grid, Verstappen had an awful start, as both he and teammate Pierre Gasly struggled to control wheelspin and fell way down the pack. But as his rivals scampered for grip on the rain-soaked Hockenheim surface, he held his own.
His team took a gamble, switching to the medium tires before realizing their mistake and calling him back to the pits for wet-weather rubber. With Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc crashing out and barely hanging on to the top 10, there was no challenger left, except for the track.
Verstappen mastered the treacherous conditions with aplomb, winning by a margin of 7.3 seconds over second-placed Vettel.
2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
Verstappen bagged the second pole position of his career at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. It was a chaotic race, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel suffering punctures while Valtteri Bottas was forced to retire with a smoking engine.
Hamilton, on a two-stop strategy, was first into the pits for a switch to soft tires. Verstappen responded with a pit stop of his own. Red Bull gave their driver a perfect service, but traffic impeded him on his way out of the pitlane as he almost came together with Robert Kubica.
There were cheers from the crowd as Verstappen quickly reined in Hamilton before speeding past his rival. The pair fought hard through the DRS zones, and the Mercedes man eventually retook the lead on Lap 25 with an audacious move. The Dutchman, however, reclaimed the lead yet again once his tires warmed up, and Hamilton radioed his team to say he couldn't match Red Bull's pace.
Following a Safety Car deployment, Red Bull switched their strategy, bringing Verstappen in for new tires. After rejoining the fray in second place, he soon overtook Hamilton around the outside to regain the lead and win the race.
2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
Another wet weather race, another Verstappen masterclass. At the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, the Red Bull ace qualified fourth for a race that started behind the Safety Car.
Once the Safety Car pulled off, Verstappen went into high gear and passed Kimi Raikkonen for third place. He then chased down Nico Rosberg and passed him for third, going through the Senna Esses.
Disaster struck as after Verstappen pitted for intermediates, the rain intensified and he was on the wrong tires. He dropped back to 16th place after having to pit again with 15 laps to go.
But from there, he showed his class as he produced a superb recovery drive, passing 11 drivers to finish third.
Many have considered it one of the greatest wet weather drives in Formula 1 history, and for some, the day Verstappen announced himself to the world.
2019 Austrian Grand Prix
Verstappen scored his second victory at the Red Bull Ring with a stunning comeback drive. As with many of his best performances, it was preceded by misfortune. In this case, it was a poor start from second on the grid after his RB15's anti-stall mechanism kicked in and prevented a quick getaway.
Verstappen kept his wits about him to survive the first corner and settle into seventh place before passing Lando Norris to move up to sixth on Lap 7. By Lap 31, he had cycled into the lead of the race and pitted, emerging in fourth place behind Vettel and ahead of Hamilton.
On Lap 50, Verstappen overtook Vettel for third place and was in pursuit of Bottas. The Dutchman's Red Bull was visibly quicker than Bottas's Mercedes, and on Lap 56, he passed the Finn for second place under braking for Turn 2. On Lap 69, the Red Bull driver took the lead by barging past Leclerc, the two drivers making contact in Turn 2 to massive cheer from the fans.
He went on to win the race and is regarded as one of the best comeback drives of his career.
