Max Vertsappen victory in Las Vegas Grand Prix sees Red Bull Racing take new F1 record
The 2023 Formula One world champion and teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez have enjoyed a near-perfect season on the track.
Max Verstappen has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down despite sewing up the 2023 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship several weeks ago. The Dutchman overcame a five-second penalty for clashing with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and a damaged car to secure his 18th win in 21 races this season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, extending his own record.
Verstappen’s record-breaking season
On an individual level, it’s been quite an incredible year for the 26-year-old, who has also claimed the most points in a season and posted the most victories in a row, as well as a whole host of others achievements.
Max: "We go straight to the nightclub!" 😂
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023
We're big fans of the Vegas edition of the @Max33Verstappen podcast! 😆🎧#LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5t5g2jjUIe
How many wins have Red Bull had in 2023?
But Verstappen’s victory in Nevada has also seen Red Bull Racing clinch a new record of their own - that of most race victories in a year by the same team. The now three-time world champion has done almost all of the heavy lifting, it must be said, with Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez contributing only two of their 20 victories so far.
At the start of the season, the Mexican initially looked as if he may be able to challenge his teammate, winning the second race in Saudi Arabia and the fourth in Azerbaijan, with Verstappen finishing second on both occasions. But the Dutch driver has gone on to dominate, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. incredibly the only non-Red Bull racer to have won a Grand Prix in 2023 (in Singapore).
What a great comeback! We were close to winning, but we had too much downforce which reduced our top speed. Great job by Max and Charles. I'm very happy to have secured the runner-up spot after such a tough season.
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) November 19, 2023
This is a historic result for the team, the first 1-2 finish in… pic.twitter.com/Ze8IIaNBeK
Hamilton and Rosberg the previous record holders
The team’s 20 wins (so far, there is still the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to come) takes them past the previous record held by Mercedes, set in 2016. On that occasion, Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were involved in a memorable battle for the championship, winning 19 of the 21 races on the calendar.
Unlike this year, however, the victories were evenly shared. Rosberg won on nine occasions to Hamilton’s 10 but still managed to win the championship by just five points.