Red Bull’s Max Verstappen put together a year for the ages in 2023, dominating Formula 1 en route to his third consecutive World Championship. But was it the single most dominant season by any driver across the history of motorsports? Let’s look at the absurd numbers.

Verstappen, in a 22-race season, tallied 19 wins, 21 podiums, 12 poles, 4 sprint race wins, and 9 fastest race laps. He led 1003 laps and finished 290 championship points clear of runner-up and teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen achieved 2 grand slams (pole, win, fastest lap, lead every lap) and one 10-race winning streak.

All of this statistical brilliance begs the question: did we just witness the greatest racing season ever?

Verstappen lacked serious competition as Red Bull carried a pace advantage all year long, winning 21 of the 22 races this season. But his consistency and relentlessness to crush the field week after week was unparalleled.

Names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Lewis Hamilton come to mind when discussing individual racing dominance. But none topped 19 wins or a 290-point margin in a single season while competing at such a high level.

The way Verstappen clinically dismantled his rivals across 22 Grands Prix feels like the peak of individual performance. He made one of the world’s toughest racing disciplines look easy, capping off his 2023 campaign in a fittingly dominant fashion under the Abu Dhabi lights.

Until someone matches his complete destruction of a full F1 season, Verstappen may stand alone with a historic campaign for the ages.

Image: Max Verstappen Fb