Max Verstappen Clinches F1 Driver’s Championship

Max Verstappen has clinched (it isn’t possible for anyone else to take the title) the 2023 Formula One Driver’s Championship. Verstappen, Red Bull’s racer in shining armor, is approaching his third consecutive championship win. As of the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 5th, 2023, the next closest driver is Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, Red Bull’s other driver. Perez is at 258 points, 266 points behind Verstappen who is at 524 points. It is mathematically impossible for any other driver to take Verstappen’s first place spot.

Verstappen, at 524 points, has effectively clinched the championship title, securing his place in the history books for the third year in a row. 

Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing in 2016, after a one-year stint with Scuderia Toro Rosso. Five seasons later, he was crowned world champion after a controversial finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

            This incident involves an important factor in every race, known as the safety car. The safety car goes out onto the track when there is a hazard such as a crash. This allows the racers to remain on the track while the crashed vehicle is removed, to save time. While the safety car is out, no driver cannot overtake another. 

When the safety car went out in Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton (a driver for Mercedes) was in first place, with Verstappen in second. Here is where it gets messy. Mercedes claims that Max overtook Hamilton before the safety car exited the circuit, stealing Hamilton's Championship title. Conversely, Red Bull claims that Verstappen's win was completely legal. The unofficial debate still rages on, but the officials have ruled Verstappen’s win as legal. If not for that ruling, the title would have gone to Hamilton, solidifying his name in the history books as the driver with the most consecutive championship wins, at 8.

The 2022 season, however, was much cleaner and less controversial than 2021. Max Verstappen won with 454 points, Charles Leclerc came in second at 308 points, and Sergio Perez finished the season in third with 305 points. 

Max Verstappen is one of the best and youngest drivers in F1 at 26, and these next seasons will just be a testament to the skill and improvement of this young driver. This year’s final race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2023 on November 26th, will add Verstappen’s name to the history books as one of the greatest drivers of all time.