Max Verstappen takes home US Grand Prix title in record-tying victory

Max Verstappen just became the winner of the 2022 Formula 1 Driver’s Championship, for a second year in a row.  He also managed to clench the championship before the end of the season, and help Red Bull to win the Constructors Cup, beating out Ferrari and Mercedes with flying colors.  As of the 2022 US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has achieved 33 victories and 198 pole positions.  At just age 25, the Belgian-Dutch racing driver took this season by storm, winning 13 of 19 races, becoming one of the few drivers to win back-to-back championships.

Team Red Bull Racing

Country: Netherlands

Podiums: 75

Points: 1948.5

Grands Prix Entered: 160

World Championships Titles: 2

Highest race finish: 1 x 33

Highest grid position: 1

Date of birth: 30/09/1997

Place of birth: Hasselt, Belgium

Son of Jos Verstappen, who also competed in Formula 1 and Sophie Kumpen, Max has been active in racing since a very young age, competing in junior karting and single seater categories including KF3, WSK World Series, KZ2 and European Formula 3.  At age 17, Verstappen entered Formula One, competing at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest driver to compete.  Although he started his Formula One career with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Verstappen quickly moved over to the parent team, Red Bull by 2016.  Verstappen will continue to remain with Red Bull until 2028 after signing a new contract earlier this year, worth $55 million per year.

Verstappen has been breaking records and setting new standards when it comes to Formula One racing.  He’s learned how to drive with the best of the best, fighting for top placements with dominant team Mercedes right up until the end of the 2021 season, beating out Lewis Hamilton in a controversial win of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the Driver’s Championship.

Here’s just a few of the records Max Verstappen has broken:

1. Youngest Driver to Race in Formula One – 17 years at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix
2. Youngest Driver to Score Points – 17 years at 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix
3. Youngest Driver to Score Podium Finish – 18 years at 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
4. Youngest Driver to Lead a Lap – 18 years at 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
5. Youngest Driver to Set Fastest Lap – 19 years at 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
6. Youngest Driver to Score Grand Slam – 23 years at 2021 Austrian Grand Prix
7. Most Podium Finishes in a Season – 2021 season with 18

With more record breaking to come, Max Verstappen’s defence of his title gets underway at the first race of the 2023 season in Bahrain on March 20.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, front, of the Netherlands, leads Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, right, of Britain, and the rest of the field during the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Austin, Texas.  (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)