Max Verstappen put the finishing touches on his fourth Formula One world title with sixth place in Abu Dhabi.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares to the rest of an elite group.
– Verstappen joins Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel with four titles to his name. Only three others have won more – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the record of seven drivers’ titles, with Juan Manuel Fangio winning five.
– Verstappen’s 63 race wins are exceeded only by Hamilton (105) and Schumacher (91). Vettel (53) and Prost (51) complete the all-time top five while Fangio, in an era with far fewer races on the calendar, won 24.
– In Verstappen’s title winning seasons he has, on average, won 59.4 per cent of races and 75.8 per cent of the maximum points available. His average winning margin has been 42 per cent of his nearest challenger’s points total.
– That race win percentage is the highest among the four-time champions, while the average points and winning margin trail only Fangio. The Argentinian won an average of 84.8 per cent of the points available in his title-winning seasons, but that is inflated by the fact only a driver’s best five results counted towards the title standings, or four in his 1951 win.
– Verstappen’s nine wins this season are his fewest on the way to a world title and a contrast to his 19 wins in 22 races last season.
– Vettel is the only driver other than Verstappen to win his first four titles in consecutive seasons – also with Red Bull, from 2010 to 2013. Hamilton won four in succession immediately before Verstappen’s run and Schumacher a record five, from 2000 to 2004.
– The 27-year-old Verstappen is the second-youngest four-time champion, a year older than Vettel.
– Verstappen has led the drivers’ standings since race six of the 2022 season in Spain, 63 consecutive races as championship leader – smashing Schumacher’s previous record of 37 between 2000 and 2002.
