Max Verstappen

As forceful as ever, Verstappen maintained his impressive speed into 2017. However, repeated retirements included being the unwitting victim when the Ferraris collided at the start in Singapore and restricted the increasingly frustrated Dutchman to sixth overall. That said, he passed a cautious Lewis Hamilton to win in Malaysia and then dominated the Mexican GP. Verstappen out-qualified Daniel Ricciardo 13-7 as he reinforced his reputation with Red Bull.

Red Bull team leader 

His place as Red Bull’s lead driver was confirmed during 2018, to the point that Ricciardo decided to leave at the end of the year. Verstappen responded to a difficult start to the year that included losing potential race wins in China and Monaco, by scoring his fourth GP victory in Austria on Red Bull’s home circuit. A second win followed in Mexico but he was knocked out of the lead in Brazil when Force India’s Esteban Ocon tried to un-lap himself. Verstappen scored 11 podium finishes as he claimed fourth in the World Championship.

Red Bull switched to Honda engines for the 2019 season and Verstappen delivered the new partnership’s first podium finish at the opening round in Australia. Initially slower than the new Mercedes and Ferrari, the Red Bull RB15-Honda grew more competitive as new upgrades became available. Consistency was added to his blistering pace and Verstappen finished in the top five at every race before the summer break. That run included another victory at the Red Bull Ring (Honda’s first since its comeback) and at Hockenheim.

He qualified on pole position for the first time in his F1 career at the Hungaroring but was beaten into second when Hamilton made an extra pitstop. A penalty in Mexico cost him pole and another possible victory, but he converted his second pole position at Interlagos into his third victory thanks to passing Hamilton twice on the track. Having overshadowed his team-mates all year, Verstappen beat both Ferrari drivers to finish third overall after another impressive campaign.

After criticism earlier in his career of an over-exuberance in wheel-to-wheel combat, the Dutchman put together his most mature performances in 2020 in his relatively young career. Verstappen failed to finish on the podium when making it to the chequered flag on just one occassion, missing out in Turkey after an error trying to pass Sergio Perez in the tricky wet conditions. He capped off an ultimately disappointing season unable to challenge for the title with an impressive victory in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull beat Mercedes on pure pace, but it remains to be seen if the team can challenge for a championship in 2021.

Championship season

Red Bull finally produced a car capable of fighting for the world title in 2021, taking advantage of the changes to the rules around the floors of cars to make the most of its high-rake design philosophy.

Quickly it emerged that the fight for the championship would be between reigning champion Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, with the duo trading wins back and forth throughout the year. After several near misses earlier in the season, the two title protagonists finally came to blows during the British GP, with Hamilton and Verstappen making contact with the Red Bull driver sending him into the barriers at 51G. Hamilton survived to continue on to win but the Dutchman hit back to secure two wins in the following three rounds.

Several more flashpoints occured between the title protagonists, including a double DNF at Monza following further contact, controversial defensive moves during the Brazilian and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix from Verstappen as Hamilton clawed his way back to level-pegging heading into the final race of the year.

Once more, there was controversy as Hamilton surged into the lead from the start on mediums, leaving Verstappen to lunge back on his softs to steal the lead but forcing Hamilton off track in the process. Hamilton kept the lead and looked set for the title up until Nicholas Latifi crashed just a handful of laps prior to the chequered flag. Red Bull pitted Verstappen from P2 but would the race restart in time?

The safety car was unprecedentedly withdrawn after race director Michael Masi removed the lapped cars between the Red Bull and Mercedes to set up a one-lap shoot-out for the win and championship. On fresh tyres, there was only one winner as the Dutch driver dived down the inside to pass Hamilton, going on to cross the line as the first ever Dutch F1 world champion, potential finally realised.

Back-to-back

A cloud of uncertainty hovered over the F1 paddock ahead of the 2022 season, with new technical regulations handing new challenges to teams and their drivers. But despite a start plagued with mechanical failures, once Verstappen discovered his groove, he became almost unbeatable. 

The Dutchman found an early title rival in Charles Leclerc, who won two of the first three races of the season – securing a 46-point advantage in the drivers’ standings. Wheel-to-wheel duels in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia gave fans a taste of what could have been, but poor reliability and head-scratching strategy calls soon put Ferrari out of the title hunt. 

But make no mistake, Verstappen’s latest world title wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter. On numerous occasions, he was forced to fight through the field, with his most impressive charge taking place at the Belgian Grand Prix – starting in P14, taking the lead of the race on lap 12, and going on to win by 17 second margin. 

Another commanding drive around a rain-soaked Suzuka meant Verstappen was able to wrap up his second consecutive world title five races early, in a season surrounded by the sound of broken records. But, little did anybody know, this was still scarcely far from the Dutchman’s peak. 

The dominance continues…

In 2023, Verstappen reached a level of performance arguably never before seen in grand prix racing: winning 19 races across the year — ten of which came consecutively — as well as every sprint to secure a third consecutive world title with five rounds to spare.

He set single-season records for the most points scored (575), total number of laps led (1003), the greatest championship-winning advantage (as he ended the season 290 points clear of team-mate Sergio Perez) and he also scored 70% of Red Bull’s constructors’ points for the year.

Of course, despite his immense accomplishments, many found a way of dragging Verstappen down: arguing that his dominance was more due to the performance of his car rather than his own ability. But just 12 months later, that argument failed to hold up.

After winning seven of the first ten races of the season in 2024, Red Bull suddenly struggled for performance and its once unbeatable pace was quickly matched or surpassed by McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes — all of whom housed drivers with race-winning potential. As a result, ahead of each race weekend, it was almost impossible to determine which constructor would have the upper hand. But in the end, despite the increased competitiveness, it was Verstappen’s supreme ability that won out.

Entering the final four races of the season, the Dutchman held a narrow 47-point lead over Lando Norris, who looked set to close the gap further: starting on pole in Sao Paulo while Verstappen started from 17th. But in treacherous conditions, no one else really stood a chance.

Flying through the running order and benefiting from a well-timed red flag, Verstappen put on a dazzling performance to claim his eighth victory of the season while Norris finished a disappointing sixth — 62 points now separating them.

Another well-measured drive at the very next round in Las Vegas saw Verstappen clinch his fourth consecutive world title — a feat only four other drivers in F1 history have achieved.