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Red Bull Legend, Sebastian Vettel Beats Max Verstappen to Secure F1 Record Despite 2022 Retirement

Anirban Aly Mandal
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There’s only one word that does justice to Max Verstappen in 2023: Dominant. The 26-year-old has been on another level throughout this season, and has wracked up and broken a multitude of records in 2023, for his troubles. That being said, there is one particular accolade that the Dutchman has failed to achieve this year, as reported on Twitter.

Verstappen has broken countless records this season. For instance, the Dutch driver has the longest streak of poles to win conversion, and the most expensive super license ever with over a million spent. But the most iconic record he holds in 2023, is of winning 10 races in a row that he stole from 9x consecutive winner, Sebastian Vettel himself.

His team has been very instrumental in his triumphs, too. Verstappen cruised to his third consecutive title this year strapped into arguably the most dominant car ever built! Adrian Newey’s brainchild, the RB19 has been in supreme form all throughout the year and it has propelled Verstappen to F1 immortality, this season.

Despite inactivity, Sebastian Vettel still reigns supreme over Max Verstappen

Vettel ended his illustrious F1 career last year. With 4 championships in the bag, the German also held the record for most consecutive wins in the sport. Securing 9 wins on the trot in 2013, the record lasted for a decade before Max Verstappen snatched it away from him at the 2023 Italian GP with his 10th consecutive win of the season.

Even Verstappen’s own records don’t stand a chance against the might of the Dutch lion. He became the only driver to win 15 Grands Prix in a season last year. Now, with 5 races to go, he only needs on more win to equal that record, and another to obliterate it.

But Vettel has the edge over Verstappen on one account. Back in the 2011 season, Vettel became the driver with most poles scored in a season, with 15 to his name that year. As Charles Leclerc grabbed pole yesterday, Verstappen who has 10 poles this season won’t be able to match or break that record with only 4 more Qualifying sessions to go in 2023.

Verstappen may be left exposed to McLaren and Co. in the future

Max Verstappen’s dominance this season has been linked to his robotic consistency. He hasn’t put a foot wrong during races. However, maybe that has come at a cost of single-lap pace. Hence, his Qualifying record hasn’t been as explosive as his race pace, by relative standards, of course.

But another layer of complexity has started to creep in for Verstappen as he eyes to maintain his hold over the sport of Formula 1. McLaren have been making huge strides forwards to catch up to the Bulls.

And the Woking-based team have another ace up their sleeves in the shape of a strong driver lineup consisting of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Naturally, in 2024, Verstappen is expected to run into problems as he faces an uphill task on two fronts against Norris and Piastri.

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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