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These are Max Verstappen's best Formula One races
Max Verstappen is on course to become a three-time World Champion as the Dutch maestro sets new records in F1. But which are his best ever drives?
From the moment he arrived in the F1 paddock, Max Verstappen has proven himself to be the brightest talent of his generation, setting an astonishing run of new records in his wake. These are what we think to be his best drives in an F1 car, from commanding drives from the front to dramatic drives through the field to the top.
01
2015 Malaysian Grand Prix – qualified 6th, finished 7th
Max Verstappen is F1’s youngest points scorer
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Max Verstappen conquers Sepang
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Team-mates Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz
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Max Verstappen lines up for Toro Rosso in Malaysia
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There's no such thing as consensus in F1, but it came close when Max Verstappen was announced as a Toro Rosso – now rebranded as Scuderia AlphaTauri – driver for 2015. He was too young and didn't have enough experience. On his debut he would be 17 years and 166 days old, almost two years younger than Jaime Alguesuari had been when he set the existing record. On top of that, Verstappen hadn't raced anything more powerful than a Formula 3 car. The knives were out before he even had his first seat fitting.
Verstappen ignored the background noise and made an excellent debut, qualifying 11th and running in the points before suffering an engine failure. It was to get even better at the second race of the season, qualifying sixth and finishing seventh, and beating his team-mate Carlos Sainz and the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat.
In challenging conditions of heavy rain and high temperatures, he brought the Toro home in seventh to become F1's youngest-ever points scorer. He was even mildly annoyed with the result after struggling with poor braking performance for the first 15 laps. As for his critics? They were now silent.
02
2016 Spanish Grand Prix – victory
Verstappen faces the press on his Red Bull Racing debut
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Sebastian Vettel congratulates Max Verstappen, the youngest F1 race winner
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Max Verstappen takes his first win in F1
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Following the departure of Sebastian Vettel in 2014, the race was on between the star graduates of the Red Bull Junior Team to occupy the vacant seat at Red Bull Racing. Verstappen was racing not only his Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz, but also Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing. As Kvyat felt the pressure, Varstappen’s eye-catching performances made a compelling case and the two swapped seats for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
With very little prep time, Verstappen jumped into the RB12 and won the race. In what has become his signature style, he low-balled it afterwards, saying he did okay, got lucky with the Mercedes drivers falling over each other, and lucky again to get the 'good' strategy to Daniel's 'bad' one. The fact remains however that he took a debut grand prix win while holding off two charging Ferraris in a new car where he still didn't know what all the buttons did. It's difficult to imagine tougher circumstances in which to become a Grand Prix winner – the youngest in F1 history.
03
2016 Brazilian Grand Prix – 4th to 3rd (via 16th)
Max Verstappen in the wet at Interlagos
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Max Verstappen celebrates 3rd at a wet 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
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Verstappen celebrates with the team after the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
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Like Ayrton Senna's mesmerising drive for Lotus in the wet at Monaco in 1984, this was the moment when the world sat up and took notice of a generational talent. Verstappen's team gambled and lost with by choosing Inters and he then performed miracles to catch a spin on the main straight – all of which left him in P16 with just 14 laps remaining.
In those 14 laps, the Dutchman dragged himself up to third place, finding grip where no one else could around Interlagos, as he propelled himself up the order. He was unstoppable and it was as if Verstappen was driving on a different surface to everyone else. Sure of his braking points, decisive in his overtaking moves. Star quality.
04
2017 United States Grand Prix – 16th to 4th
Verstappen takes on the Circuit of the Americas
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Ready to take on the Circuit of the Americas
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Max Verstappen rips around Circuit of the Americas
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Verstappen and Ricciardo make friends at the U.S. GP
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Verstappen has never had a race around COTA that hasn't been dramatic. In 2015, he made his way through the wet from P9 to finish fourth and in 2021 he chased down Lewis Hamilton in the closing three laps to score crucial points and the momentum that carried him to the World Championship title. In 2017, a brilliant race was marred by his demotion from third to fourth after his last-lap, last-gasp pass on Kimi Räikkönen was ruled illegal, but Verstappen produced a special race in the previous 55 laps.
Starting 16th after a power-unit penalty, he spent the afternoon overtaking his rivals, finding places to pass wherever they came. By lap 21 he was leading, before gambling on a second stop on lap 37. It cost him 20-seconds, but gave him 19 laps and a fast car to make something happen. He harried Bottas and claimed P4 with four laps to go and then set about reeling in Räikkönen. The crowd (and the garage) erupted when he made the pass three corners from home. Shame it was chalked off, but it doesn't detract from the performance.
The following year, he returned and produced another astonishing drive as he went one better in another chaotic United States Grand Prix to finish on the podium.
05
2018 Austrian Grand Prix – victory from P4
The Orange Army cheers on Max Verstappen
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Max wins the 2018 Austrian GP
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Verstappen celebrating victory with the entire Red Bull Racing team
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Verstappen rules the Red Bull Ring, taking five wins at the mountainous circuit – four at the Austrian Grand Prix, including his first ever grand slam in 2021, and one more at the Styrian Grand Prix. As the Orange Army packed the grandstands, the Dutch driver's win in 2018 was a signal of what was to come. As in Spain in 2016, both Mercedes cars were out of the running, but when Lewis Hamilton rolled to a halt this time, Verstappen was already leading and 30 seconds up the road.
He started brilliantly, pulling-off an audacious pass on the first lap, banging wheels with Kimi Räikkönen to take third place heading towards the Rindt Kurve – not a place one usually sees overtaking. He then inherited second when Valtteri Bottas slowed to a halt on Lap 13 and he was handed the net lead of the race when Mercedes decided to not pit Hamilton under the subsequent Virtual Safety Car. "I'm so happy to win at the Red Bull Ring and with so many Dutch fans here," Verstappen said after the race. "It was also so unexpected and that makes it even better. An amazing weekend. If you want to win a race this is the perfect place, in a Red Bull car at the Red Bull Ring."
06
2018 Mexican Grand Prix – victory from P2
Max Verstappen celebrates victory in Mexico
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A masterclass in Mexico
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Verstappen celebrates victory in Mexico with his crew
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Verstappen had performed a masterful win here in 2017, seizing the lead from Sebastian Vettel with a bold pass at the start and racing away into the distance. 2018 was almost a carbon copy, but this time he was beaten to a maiden pole position by his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who edged him by just 0.026s. Lining up P2 on the grid, Verstappen was quicker off the draw and took the lead.
From there he was imperious, driving faultlessly to the finish and building a 30-second lead to his nearest rival Vettel in a Ferrari. Such was Verstappn's lead, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, who claimed his fifth world title that afternoon, were the only other drivers on the same lap when the chequered flag fell.
I'm so happy to win at the Red Bull Ring and with so many Dutch fans here. It was also so unexpected and that makes it even better
07
2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – P3 to victory
Verstappen muscles past Hamilton at Imola in 2021
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Verstappen celebrates winning the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
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On the podium with his friend Lando Norris
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Mercedes had enjoyed an unprecedented period of dominance in F1, but all that changed in the feverish days of 2021 and this was the starting point. Verstappen had secured pole at the opening race of the season in Bahrain, but had missed out on victory by the narrowest of margins. It didn’t look promising at Imola, as Hamilton claimed pole and Sergio Pérez took P2.
Heavy rain meant Verstappen could use his wet-racing skills and he got the jump on his team-mate at the start to challenge Hamilton for the lead in the chase up to Tamburello. They traded paint and Verstappen emerged in the lead, which he retained despite a safety car period and a restart after the race was red flagged. It was a clear signal that Hamilton was in a serious fight for the championship.
08
2022 Hungarian Grand Prix – 10th to 1st
Verstappen takes the chequered flag at the 2022 Hungarian GP
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Max Verstappen celebrates with the team
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With the winner's trophy at the 2022 Hungarian GP
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Problems in qualifying with his power unit meant that Verstappen couldn’t set a time in Q3 and lined up in P10 at the Hungaroring – a notoriously narrow track where overtaking is at a premium. None of that bothered him and from the start he scythed his way past his rivals and moved up the grid. The team's pit strategy helped him get the undercut on Hamilton and Fernando Alonso for P5.
As if there wasn't enough drama, he spun after passing Charles Leclerc, but recovered and passed him again. Another round of pit stops and he took the lead on Lap 51 of 70, racing away to take the chequered flag nearly eight seconds clear of the field. Speaking after the race, Verstappen said: "It feels crazy to have won the race today from P10, especially on a track like this where it's very hard to pass. We made all the right calls today, there were some good undercuts and overall we did a great job today as a team. This was definitely one of my best races, despite the little 360-degree spin!”
09
2022 Belgian Grand Prix – P14 to victory
Max Verstappen on track at the 2022 Belgian GP
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Max Verstappen wins the 2022 Belgian GP
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At home at the top: Max Verstappen at the 2022 Belgian GP
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Verstappen was quickest in qualifying but was demoted to P14 thanks to a slew of penalties for replacing components. Unphased, he began picking his way past his rivals and after one lap of the undulating Spa-Francorchamps circuit he was already running in eighth place. By Lap 12, he took the lead from team-mate Sergio Pérez, before pitting four laps later. This time he needed to take the lead from Carlos Sainz and then enjoyed a clear run to the flag. He also claimed a bonus point for the fastest lap as he lead the field home by more than 17 seconds. Victory in the land of his birth and on one of the toughest circuits on the calendar.
10
2023 Spanish Grand Prix – grand slam!
Max Verstappen leads the way in the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen celebrates winning the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
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Team photo after a comprehensive win at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen leads the celebrations at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
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Verstappen has set three grand chelems, or grand slams, so far – Austria in 2021, Emilia-Romagna in 2022 and Spain in 2023. That's winning from pole position, setting the fastest lap and leading every lap of the race. His third brings the Dutch racer level with Nelson Piquet and on the circuit where he scored his first win. 2023 has been a dominant season for Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing. At the start of the season, George Russell suggested Red Bull could win every race and it's not looking exactly unlikely.
The Spanish round is often the race where rival teams close the gap after adding new components, but Verstappen didn't put a foot wrong in a lights-to-flag victory, looking every inch a three-time world champion elect and leading a comfortable 1–2 by such a large gap that he could pit and retain the lead over his team-mate Sergio Pérez. After the race, he said: “To win here again feels incredible. It's a massive pleasure to drive a car like this.”
11
And finally...
Of course, being a natural contrarian, were you to ask Verstappen about his best race he wouldn’t list any of those. According to the man himself you have to go back to 2013 and the World KZ Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier, France. Verstappen won the coveted KZ1 title, the highest category in karting, open only to those 15 and over. He, naturally, was 15 at the time.
