Max Emilian Verstappen

Date of Birth
30-09-1997

Debut age
17 years, 166 days

Height: 181 cm

Weight: 74 kg


Race number: 1

Races: 211
Points: 3059,5
Wins: 63
Podiums: 113
Fastest Laps: 33
Pole Positions: 40

  • 2024

    Not the fastest car, still world champion

  • Not the fastest car, still world champion

    With 19 race wins across 23 Grands Prix, accompanied by a small army of broken records, 2023 was an undeniably dominant year for Max Verstappen. To surpass 2023’s achievements would be near-impossible, and yet the goal going into 2024 was clear: to once again claim the driver’s and constructor’s championship titles. This year’s new car, the RB20, had noticeable changes implemented in the hopes it would again outsmart the competition and replicate the success of the powerhouse the Bulls drove in 2023.

    The season got off to a fantastic start with Max driving a clean race from pole position to first place in Bahrain. Teammate Sergio Perez brings it home for Red Bull by coming in second. Better still: the duo replicates their 1–2 outcome in Saudi Arabia. After a promising beginning, Red Bull’s encouraging streak comes to a pause in Australia: despite beginning from pole position, three laps into the race Max has to retire from the battlefield, owing to overheated tyres. The Dutchman makes a comeback in Japan, sailing from pole to the finish line. Perez, again, races into second place. China, too, sees a Max victory, with Lando Norris in P2. For the cherry on top, Max also wins that weekend’s sprint race.

    McLaren has, in the meantime, been making strides in their car’s design, and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both begin to fight their way to the top of the driver’s standings. It is in Miami that Norris provides proof of concept by winning his first Grand Prix. The victim of two unfortunately timed safety cars, Max comes in second despite winning that Saturday’s sprint race. In Imola both drivers throw themselves into the race, but it is Max who withstands the pressure and secures his fifth race win of the season.

    In Monaco, after a touch with the wall, the Dutchman has to abort his last qualifying run and so starts only sixth in the race. This marks the end of a streak of pole positions, securing him the record of eight consecutive poles alongside F1 legend Ayrton Senna. Overtaking on the narrow streets of the Monaco princedom is difficult, and Max crosses the finish line in sixth. However, Canada marks a return to form for Max. An exciting qualifying sees George Russell take pole, although both Max and George set the same time. The race is challenging with rainy conditions, but Max minimizes his mistakes and crosses the finish line first, followed by Norris and Russell.

    Although Max was narrowly eclipsed by Norris in qualifying in Spain, it’s the Red Bull-driver who ends up pulling the long straw in the race and claiming his seventh race win. In Austria, too, Max wins the sprint race after an intense battle with Norris. Sunday’s race sees them butting heads again – the drivers collide in the race’s closing stages, and both cars struggle to the pits on flat tyres. Max receives a 10 second penalty and ends the race in fifth; Norris retires the car.

    In Silverstone Max starts in fourth after both Mercedes make the most of their cars’ new speed. In a tricky race with changing circumstances, with a cool head and a cunning strategy, Max manages to cross the line in second. In Hungary, the McLaren’s dominate while Max and Lewis Hamilton have an unlucky incident, leaving Max to end the race in only fifth place.

    Max sets the fastest time in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, but after a grid penalty has to start the race in eleventh. A race performance like that of Belgium last year is not in the cards for Max, but nevertheless drives an impressive race, finishing fourth. At his home circuit in Zandvoort, Max does manage to steal the lead of the race from polesitter Norris, but ultimately can’t fend off the dominate McLaren car and he settles for second.

    Monza proves challenging to the pace of the RB20, earning Max only a seventh place starting position and a sixth place race result – all-in-all a disappointing weekend. Baku is much the same. However, with Max in fifth and his rival in fourth, Max manages to minimize any closing of the distance to his championship lead. Singapore is another exercise in damage control, with Max qualifying in second and finishing the race in second.

    Max is back to extending his championship lead on Norris in Austin by winning the sprint race. The Grand Prix on Sunday once again sees the drivers locked in battle. Norris overtakes Max in the closing stages of the race, claiming third, but the Brit is referred back to P4 because he overtook Max outside the track. Max is promoted to third. In Mexico, Norris and Max are again seen locking horns. This time Max draws the short straw, and after two separate incidents with Norris, is the recipient of a 20 second penalty. Max works himself back up to sixth, but Norris crosses the line in second.

    Brazil was the nail in the coffin of the championship battle. Saturday’s sprint race still saw the McLaren’s dominating on pace, and Max had to settle for fourth. After a dramatic qualifying, the Dutchman started seventeenth in the Grand Prix. Facing the treacherous conditions of a wet race, but aided by a perfect strategy, Max barreled his way through the grid, overtaking his opponents to claim a career-defining win.

    Max gives his championship extra shine in Qatar by winning his ninth Grand Prix of the year from pole. A clash with Piastri in the first corner in Abu Dhabi means that Max finishes the season in sixth place, but that doesn’t put a damper on his successes. In a year where Red Bull in large part did not have the fastest car and only ended third in the constructor’s championship, Max made the difference. He ends the season 63 points ahead of his nearest competitor Lando Norris, and 81 points ahead of Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless Red Bull will be hard at work if they plan to make a serious bid for the 2025 title. 

    Results

      Grand Prix              Grid            Race
Bahrain                 1               1
Saudi-Arabia            1               1
Australia               1               DNF
Japan                   1               1
China                   1               1
Miami                   1               2
Emilia-Romagna          1               1
Monaco                  6               6
Canada                  2               1
Spain                   2               1
Austria                 1               5
Great-Britain           4               2
Hungary                 3               5
Belgium                 11              4
Netherlands             2               2
Italy                   7               6
Azerbaijan              6               5
Singapore               2               2
United States           2               3
Mexico                  2               6
Brazil                  17              1
Las Vegas               5               5
Qatar                   2               1
Abu Dhabi               4               6

Latest news

 

© 1996 - 2025 - Verstappen.com