Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, is on a relentless quest for racing records. His remarkable season has already seen him claim an unprecedented 17 victories, and he’s not done yet.
The Dutchman has now set his sights on a new milestone: equalling Lewis Hamilton’s single season pole position record.
The pantheon of pole positions
Verstappen’s blistering pace throughout the season has been a testament to Red Bull’s race-day prowess. However, qualifying has been a mixed bag for the team, with Verstappen securing pole position on nine occasions to date.
Sebastian Vettel holds the record for most pole positions in a single season with 15, a testament to his dominance in 2011. Verstappen’s current tally places him among F1’s elite, sharing the 11 pole positions with legends such as Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
READ MORE – Former Champ: Verstappen’s achievements are ‘not difficult’
On the verge of matching Hamilton
Verstappen secured his 11th pole of the year at the Brazilian Grand Prix, edging closer to Hamilton’s personal best of 12 poles in 2016. Despite Hamilton’s impressive performance this year, the championship slipped through his fingers, with Nico Rosberg eventually taking the title.
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Two rounds, two chances
With two races remaining in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, Verstappen has two chances to equal – and possibly surpass – Hamilton’s record. One more pole would put him on a par with Hamilton’s 2016 achievement, while two more would take him to the heights reached by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
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The quest for a place among the legends
Nigel Mansell’s phenomenal 14 pole positions in the 1992 season, at the wheel of the iconic Williams FW14B, remains a benchmark for single-season qualifying excellence.
As Verstappen prepares for the final races of the season, he’s not just competing against his contemporaries – he’s competing against the legends of the sport, in search of a place in the annals of Formula One history.
READ MORE: Verstappen aiming for Hamilton pole record
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A similar economic impact study was conducted by Applied Analysis for the Super Bowl taking place in February 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. That report showed that the…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
I see all records that Max Verstappen is making are fake since Lewis Hamilton was cheated and the organisation (F1) changed the cars on purpose to benefit Max. The only person that I have respect and made records is Michael Schumacher.
One can only laugh sardonically at your statement and claim. More so cos you conveniently chose to ignore all the relevant facts around AD2021 victory and the GP.
In fact Lewis was NOT cheated on 2021. That’s what the sour grapes losers claim. You ignored the fact that 1) all teams agreed before 2021 season begin thst no race should end behind a SC 2) nobody expected Latifi’s crash in the last few laps of the GP 3) there were not enough laps to complete the usual 4) they cannot extend laps cos of fuel issue. 5) The RD has every right to manage the SC at his discretion and that is not rule breach 6) as we all saw at the shoot out Lewis was ahead of Max on his worm out tyres while Max had fresh tyres so Max overtook Lewis and took chequered flag first. According to F1 rules the driver who takes chequered flag first is the winner. So Max won AD 2021 GP.
The main issue here is with Mercedes – letting Lewis run for 46+ laps on the same tyres. That was a bad strategy and poor call. Mercedes gambled on position so lost on tyres. RB gambled on position so won on tyres. People can moan and complain all they want. Sad n pathetic is people try to call out Masi on last lap only cos Lewis lost. If Lewis had won and places were reversed the same people would have been praising Masi and making him their God.
People failed to note that Masi failed in his job on the 1st lap when Lewis gained the position illegally and also gained advantage. Masi/Stewards should have ordered Lewis to surrender the position. That was wrong.
Cars were not changed on purpose. Rules are changed on regular basis. Based on your silly logic cars were changed to suit Max in 2021 then likewise cars were changed to suit Lewis in 2013. 2913-2920 Mercedes won only cos other teams were not prepared for hybrid change of motors. Mercedes on the other hand had been working on hybrid motors since 2010 and had their product ready to go by 2913. Whereas other teams could not be ready before 2016-2018.
One can only laugh sardonically at your statement and claim. More so cos you conveniently chose to ignore all the relevant facts around AD2021 victory and the GP.
In fact Lewis was NOT cheated on 2021. That’s what the sour grapes losers claim. You ignored the fact that 1) all teams agreed before 2021 season begin thst no race should end behind a SC 2) nobody expected Latifi’s crash in the last few laps of the GP 3) there were not enough laps to complete the usual 4) they cannot extend laps cos of fuel issue. 5) The RD has every right to manage the SC at his discretion and that is not rule breach 6) as we all saw at the shoot out Lewis was ahead of Max on his worm out tyres while Max had fresh tyres so Max overtook Lewis and took chequered flag first. According to F1 rules the driver who takes chequered flag first is the winner. So Max won AD 2021 GP.
The main issue here is with Mercedes – letting Lewis run for 46+ laps on the same tyres. That was a bad strategy and poor call. Mercedes gambled on position so lost on tyres. RB gambled on position so won on tyres. People cam moan and complain all they want. Sad n pathetic is people try to call out Masi on last lap only cos Lewis lost. If Lewis had won and places were reversed the sane people would have been praising Masi and making him their God.
People failed to note thst Masi failed in his job on the 1st lap when Lewis gained the position illegally and also gained advantage. Masi/Stewards should have ordered Lewis to surrender the position. That was wrong.
Cars were not changed on purpose. Rules are changed on regular basis. Based on your silly logic cars were changed to suit Max in 2021 then likewise cars were changed to suit Lewis in 2013. 2913-2920 Mercedes won only cos other teams were not prepared for hybrid change of motors. Mercedes on the other hand had been working on hybrid motors since 2010 and had their product ready to go by 2913. Whereas other teams could not be ready