It’s safe to say that at the start of the 2024 F1 season, many expected the once dominant Max Verstappen to be without a win for several months. It has become a reality.
That streak ended this weekend in Brazil, but it wasn’t just any old-fashioned win. No, it was a dominant drive and one that yielded a slew of statistics worthy of a multiple world champion. Today, let’s take a look at some of Max Verstappen’s amazing numbers.
Max Verstappen: 10 of 11 final laps were good enough for fastest race record
The combination of dry conditions and an open track allowed the Red Bull driver to show his true potential as Max Verstappen overtook race leader Esteban Ocon.
Lap after lap, Verstappen set the fastest lap of the race and took home an impressive statistic when the checkered flag dropped. Ten of the last 11 laps would have been enough for the fastest lap of the race, and he set it. 17 different times.
His fastest lap was 1:20.472 seconds, more than a second faster than the next best driver, Lando Norris. It also meant he set an additional nine laps faster than Norris’s fastest lap.
Max Verstappen wins first from 10 different grid positions
Max Verstappen became the first driver in F1 history to win a race from 10 different starting positions, proving that his skills are unparalleled in F1.
Verstappen currently sits 17th on the grid after winning races for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 14th.
Previously, Verstappen had won from nine different grid positions, tying Fernando Alonso’s record in this field.
Let’s take a closer look at Max Verstappen’s victory at Interlagos:
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Only 5 out of 1,121 Grands Prix were won by finishing 17th or lower.
The Brazilian Grand Prix represents the 1,121st race of F1 as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. Across all these races, there have only been five F1 events won from 17th or lower on the grid.
5 out of 1,121 races.
And other races…
The last time a driver won a race after starting 17th was at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix when Kimi Raikkonen raced to victory (interestingly, in a car also designed by Adrian Newey). I was on it!)
Other notable events to win from low starting positions include:
1982 Detroit Grand Prix (Won by John Watson who started 17th) 1983 United States Grand Prix West (Won by John Watson who started 22nd) 2000 German Grand Prix (Won by Rubens Barrichello who started 18th)
Biggest lead in 24 years at Interlagos
In the end, Verstappen’s victory at Interlagos was brought about by one of the most overwhelming gaps in decades.
The Red Bull driver crossed the line with a staggering 19.477 seconds ahead of second place Esteban Ocon. This is the largest margin of victory seen at Interlagos since the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix. In that race, the overwhelmingly powerful Michael Schumacher drove a Ferrari and led Giancarlo Fisichella’s Benetton by 39.898 seconds.
6th largest win percentage in Interlagos F1 history
Interlagos has had some very close races during its time hosting F1 events, but Verstappen’s 19.447 second victory represents the sixth largest winning margin in the track’s history. Masu.
I mentioned Schumacher’s nearly 40 second lead in 2000, but other big leads were in 1976 (Niki Lauda won by 21.47 seconds), 1980 (Rene Arnoux won by 21.87 seconds), and 1992. (Nelson Piquet won by 29.33 seconds) and 1994 (Schumacher completed the lap faster than anyone else).
Read next: Lando Norris’ telemetry data marks the beginning of his downfall at Brazilian Grand Prix
