He didn't flinch. Third on the grid for Saturday's sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix circuit, Max Verstappen missed his start, finding himself sixth at the first corner and fifth at the second. Nothing to panic about. The Dutchman gradually made up his way back despite the various safety cars (3). The Dutchman first got rid of the Ferraris (Leclerc and then Sainz) before attacking George Russell to take second place in the sprint in Qatar in a race dominated by Oscar Piastri (McLaren). But the situation had already been heard. From the eleventh lap. Stuck in the gravel trap after an incident with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez, forced to retire, gave the title to his teammate. The third in a row.
To discover
- Formula 1: drivers' standings
- Formula 1: the calendar of the season
A third world title that rewards an almost perfect season for the Batavian. And it's not over yet. After 16 races, and before the 17th where he will start from pole on Sunday, Max Verstappen has a total of 13 victories this season, including the famous record of ten wins in a row between the Miami GP and the Italian GP at Monza. The Dutchman has had a great start to the season, sometimes with staggering gaps over the competition. Of course, his car, the Red Bull, was the best in the field in 2023, but he still had to know how to use it? Sergio Perez with the same car, after four solid races to kick off the year, exploded in flight. The Mexican proved unable to keep up with the Dutchman's pace in qualifying and even in the race. Perez went out in Q2 on Friday during qualifying, while the world number 1 was quietly going for pole in Losail.
Very closed clan
At the age of 26, Max Verstappen joins the very exclusive clan of three-time world champions where he joins Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. Very nice people. However, the Dutchman and Red Bull are not expected to stop there. The duo will still be favourites in 2024 and the son of Jos will be keen to go on to win a fourth world crown in order to join Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost. And it will take a very strong force to stop it.