Max Verstappen is rewriting the Formula 1 record books every time he races this season. While most of these records are for one season, he now has the chance to achieve something truly historic. Max scored his 49th win for Red Bull at the Qatar GP. He is now within touching distance of 3rd place in the all-time list of Formula 1 wins. He will need to overtake both Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel in the remaining 5 races of the season.
Max Verstappen wins the Qatar GP
Max Verstappen needed only the sprint to crown himself the Formula 1 champion in 2023. However, he came back on Sunday to finish the job at the Qatar GP. In a tricky race filled with differing strategies and tyre issues, Red Bull employed a brilliant strategy. As a result, he won comfortably.
The win at the Qatar GP was the 49th win of Max Verstappen’s career. This means that with 5 races remaining this season, he could reach a total of 54 wins in Formula 1. All of his wins have come for Red Bull.
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Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel
Alain Prost had 51 wins in his illustrious Formula 1 career. Sebastian Vettel scored 53 wins before he retired in 2022. Max Verstappen could pass both of these legends and secure third in the all-time list.
Only Michael Schumacher (91 wins) and Lewis Hamilton (103 wins) would be ahead of the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen’s Reaction
Reacting to this, Max Verstappen said, “I know that from third place to second is quite a big gap. I hope maybe in my career I might end up somewhere there in the middle – that would be nice.”
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Max Verstappen continued, “But I don’t know, it depends a lot on what’s going to happen in the next few races and the next few years as well. I don’t know how long this is going to last.”
“I’m enjoying the moment and I think that’s also very important. I’ve achieved more than I could have ever even dreamed of, or set any goals that I wanted to achieve in F1, right? So I’m loving the moment.”