8 F1 records that Verstappen can still SMASH in 2023

Max Verstappen’s 2023 season has almost been perfect – and with ten races still to go, it’s hard to imagine anyone else will take the championship title.

He sits top of the drivers’ standings with a huge 125 point lead from his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.

Three world championships would put him level with some big names in the record books, including Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda. He is still quite far away from the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton’s joint-record of seven titles, but at only 25 years of age, it doesn’t seem too impossible.

Verstappen already holds the records for youngest driver, youngest winner, most podium finishes in a championship winning season (18 in 2021) and most points in a season (2022).

The record number of world championships is still very distant for the Dutchman at the moment, but there are many more records that his dominant 2023 season could break.

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1: Highest percentage of wins in a season

The record currently belongs to Alberto Ascari, who won 75% (six out of eight) of the races in 1952. This is when the seasons were much shorter, so a record like this was easier to fulfil, although reliability would have been a strong factor in the early years of the sport.

In 2023, to break this record, Verstappen would need to win eight of the remaining races. He has won eight out of ten of the Grands Prix so far, with the other two victories going to Perez in the other Red Bull. Considering the dominance that the Verstappen/Red Bull combination has shown so far, eight more wins seems very doable.

2: Most consecutive wins

This record is one of the much more likely records to be smashed this season. So far, Verstappen sits second, behind Sebastian Vettel, by just one win.

If Verstappen were to win his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix, he would equal Vettel’s tally of nine. Winning Monza as well would give him the top spot on his own.

3: Most pole positions in a championship winning season

The current record is, again, with Vettel. In his 2011 championship winning season, he took 15 pole positions, also with Red Bull.

Although Verstappen was quickest in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix this year, he took a grid penalty for fitting his fifth gearbox of the season and didn't actually start first. Instead, Charles Leclerc took that point for his tally of poles.

As such, he currently has seven pole positions in 2023, eight more in the ten remaining races would see him level with Vettel.

4: Most fastest laps in a season

Michael Schumacher currently holds this record from the 2004 season, when he win his final world championship. He put in the fastest lap of the race ten times that year.

Verstappen has already claimed fastest lap six times so far in 2023.

5: Most podium finishes in a championship winning season

As mentioned at the top of the article, Verstappen already holds this record from the sensational Hamilton vs Verstappen season. He picked up 18 podiums out of the 22 races in that year.

In 2023, he has already achieved a podium in every race. In the races that Perez won (Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan), Verstappen finished second to his team-mate.

6: Most consecutive podium finishes

Verstappen only needs another six podiums in the next six races to equal Schumacher’s impressive record of 19 consecutive podium finishes.

Excluding a retirement, this record is very achievable, considering the pace of the Red Bull and their mighty record of podium finishes with Verstappen already this season.

7: Wins from pole position in a season

This particular record is only two away from Verstappen. Two more wins from pole in the next ten races would put him equal with Vettel and Nigel Mansell.

8: Most points achieved in a season

The Red Bull ace actually already holds this record, having taken it last year with a massive total of 454 points. So far in 2023, he already has 314 points to his name. We’re just over half way of the season so this record (excluding a disastrous run of races) seems almost certain.

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