It was a peerless year for Max Verstappen in 2022, who took a record number of wins in a single season on his way to claiming a second title. Here’s Verstappen’s 2022 F1 season in statistics!
RACE STATISTICS
| Championship Position: | 1st |
| Total Points: | 454 |
| % of teams’ points scored: | 60% |
| Points Scoring Grands Prix: | 20 |
| Best finish: | 1st (x15) |
| Number of starts: | 22 |
| Number of non-finishes: | 2 |
| Number of finishes: | 20 |
| Laps Led: | 616 |
| Laps Complete: | 1271 |
| % of Laps Complete: | 98.22% |
| Distance Covered: | 6392km |
| Laps Raced in the Top 10: | 1223 |
| Laps Raced in the Top 5: | 1085 |
| Laps Raced in the Top 3: | 1009 |
| Races gained positions in: | 11 |
| Races lost positions in: | 3 |
| Finished where started: | 6 |
QUALIFYING STATISTICS
| Q3 Appearances: | 22 |
| Q2 Exits: | 0 |
| Q1 Exits: | 0 |
| Best Qualifying Position: | 1st (x8) |
| Worst Qualifying Position: | 10th (Hungary) |
| Average Qualifying Position: | 2.68 |
| Average Grid Position: | 3.41 |
| Beat team-mate in how many qualifying sectors: | 50 |
| Beaten by team-mate in how many qualifying sectors: | 16 |
| Average gap to team-mate per sector in qualifying: | -0.121s |
Note: for qualifying sector battles, outlier results from wet qualifying sessions have been removed for a more fair comparison.
After the first three races of the 2022 season, Max Verstappen sat sixth in the championship, 46 points down on championship leader Charles Leclerc. Having come to a halt with car issues in both Bahrain and Australia, it looked like 2022 could be a tricky year for the reigning champion. However, between those two retirements, Verstappen picked up a victory in Saudi Arabia, coming out on top in a tight battle with Leclerc.
Verstappen went on to enjoy one of the most dominant seasons in Formula 1 history. Picking up 15 wins across the season’s 22 races, Verstappen set a new record for most victories recorded in a single year. It didn’t matter where he started from, Verstappen looked able to win from anywhere this year – including from 10th on the grid in Hungary and 14th on the grid in Belgium.
Verstappen continued his record of out-performing his team-mate, though he was out-qualified four times by the man in the opposite side of the garage this year – more than in the three previous seasons combined.
The Dutchman recorded eight poles in 2022, including with two Sprint race wins at Imola and the Red Bull Ring. Aside from his two non-finishes early in the season, there were only three occasions on which Verstappen did not finish on the podium in 2022.
By the summer break, Verstappen’s second title win seemed inevitable. A streak of five wins over the summer put him in a position to have a shot at winning the title in Singapore. Despite finishing only seventh there, he went on to pick up the title one week later – in somewhat confusing circumstances – at the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen committed his future to Red Bull in March 2022, signing a contract extension through to 2028. With both parties on top form, you can expect Verstappen to be a frontrunner to seal a third title in 2023.
MAX VERSTAPPEN 2022 F1 SEASON SUMMARY
| Qualifying battle | Quali | Sprint | Grid | Race | Pos change | |
| BAHRAIN | WON | 2 | – | 2 | DNF | – |
| SAUDI ARABIA | LOST | 4 | – | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| AUSTRALIA | WON | 2 | – | 2 | DNF | – |
| EMILIA ROMAGNA | WON | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| MIAMI | WON | 3 | – | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| SPAIN | WON | 2 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| MONACO | LOST | 4 | – | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| AZERBAIJAN | LOST | 3 | – | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| CANADA | WON | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| BRITAIN | WON | 2 | – | 2 | 7 | -5 |
| AUSTRIA | WON | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| FRANCE | WON | 2 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| HUNGARY | WON | 10 | – | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| BELGIUM | WON | 1 | – | 14 | 1 | 13 |
| NETHERLANDS | WON | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ITALY | WON | 2 | – | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| SINGAPORE | LOST | 8 | – | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| JAPAN | WON | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| UNITED STATES | WON | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| MEXICO | WON | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| BRAZIL | WON | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
| ABU DHABI | WON | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
RACE BY RACE: MAX VERSTAPPEN’S 2022 F1 SEASON IN STATISTICS
2022 Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen competed in his first Grand Prix as World Champion, becoming the first new champion to start a Formula 1 race since Sebastian Vettel at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was the second retirement from the race, recording his fifth DNF at Bahrain International Circuit. Only Jenson Button has more finishes at the track than Verstappen. Verstappen continued the curse of Free Practice 3 in Bahrain. This was the fifth time in the last eight races at the circuit in which the driver fastest in FP3 failed to finish the race.
2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen qualified fourth for the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, making this the first qualifying session in which he set a lap time but did not qualify in the top three since the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen went on to win the race, recording the 21st win of his F1 career. It sees him equal Kimi Raikkonen for 15th in the all-time list of most Formula 1 wins. Verstappen’s victory was the first for car number 1 since Sebastian Vettel’s win at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. He became the ninth driver to have won in seven consecutive F1 seasons. With his win, Verstappen overtook Nelson Piquet for 11th in the all-time podium list and overtook Michael Schumacher for seventh in the list of F1’s most prolific points scorers.
2022 Australian Grand Prix
After recording his first front row qualifying result at Albert Park, Max Verstappen retired from the Australian Grand Prix. This was Verstappen’s first retirement at Albert Park since his F1 debut at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix and the first retirement from second on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix since Robert Kubica in 2008.
2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Max Verstappen secured Red Bull’s 75th pole position, becoming the 14th different driver to take pole at the Imola circuit. In the race, he became the seventh driver to take multiple wins at Imola and the fifth to do so in successive years. With his podium, Verstappen recorded the 350th top three finish for car number 1 in F1 and equalled David Coulthard for tenth in the all-time list of most podiums. Meanwhile, the Dutchman’s 34-point haul sees him overtake Nico Rosberg as the driver to have scored the sixth-most points in Formula 1 history.
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Max Verstappen took victory in the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, taking the 23rd victory of his Formula 1 career. He equalled Nelson Piquet and Nico Rosberg for 12th in the all-time list of most F1 wins. Verstappen became the 17th driver to record wins at multiple World Championship events in the United States, as well as the 20th driver to record four podiums in the country. Verstappen recorded the 63rd podium finish of his career, moving ahead of David Coulthard and into the top ten of most podiums in Formula 1. Verstappen’s podium was also his 63rd with Red Bull. That sees him equal Alain Prost’s number of podiums with McLaren; fourth in the all-time list of most podiums with a single team.
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Max Verstappen continued his record of winning every race he has finished so far in 2022 with his fourth victory of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix. Becoming the seventh driver to record multiple wins at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Verstappen now leads the championship for the first time this year. This was Verstappen’s third successive victory. It’s the second time that he has achieved a hat trick of victories, having last done so at the 2021 Styrian, Austrian and French Grands Prix.
2022 Monaco Grand Prix
Max Verstappen finished on the final step of the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix, making this the first time he has finished a race in a position other than first or second since the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, 15 finishes ago. Verstappen recorded his 65th podium finish with Red Bull, equalling Sebastian Vettel’s tally of podium finishes with the team. He also equals Vettel for third in the all-time list of most top three finishes with a single team.
2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Max Verstappen took his fifth victory of the season at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Scoring his 25th win in total, Verstappen equalled Jim Clark and Niki Lauda for ninth in the all-time list of most F1 wins. With his 66th podium finish, Verstappen surpassed Sebastian Vettel as the driver to have taken the most podium finishes with Red Bull. As a result, he moves up to third in the list of most podiums with a single team. Verstappen was out-qualified by Perez on Saturday, which was the first time Verstappen had been out-qualified at two consecutive races since the 2018 United States and Mexican Grands Prix.
2022 Canadian Grand Prix
On the weekend that Max Verstappen became the 12th driver to make 150 consecutive Grand Prix starts, he took the 26th victory of his career. That saw him pass Jim Clark and Niki Lauda and move up to ninth place on the all-time win list. As well as sitting ninth in the all-time win list, Verstappen equals Valtteri Bottas for ninth in the all-time podium list. This was his 67th top three appearance. On Saturday, Verstappen became only the fourth different polesitter at the Canadian Grand Prix in the past 16 years. He took pole with a 0.645 second margin – the largest seen at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1984. He became the 17th driver to take pole at 13 different circuits during his career.
2022 British Grand Prix
After qualifying in second place and recording his second successive front row start at Silverstone, Max Verstappen finished the 2022 British Grand Prix in seventh place. It made this the first time since the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix that Verstappen has finished off the podium in a race in which he has reached the chequered flag.
2022 Austrian Grand Prix
On the weekend that he equalled Mark Webber as the driver to have made the most Grand Prix starts with Red Bull, Max Verstappen took pole position for the third consecutive Red Bull Ring race. Verstappen is the first driver to be fastest in qualifying in three consecutive Austrian races since Rene Arnoux in 1979, 1980 and 1981. He equalled the record for most pole positions in Austria.
In the race, Verstappen finished as runner-up for the first time since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This was his 68th podium finish, equalling Rubens Barrichello for eighth on the all-time list. His seventh top three result at the venue, Verstappen equalled Valtteri Bottas as the driver with the most podium appearances at the Red Bull Ring.
Setting the fastest lap for the third time in a race at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen equalled David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton as the driver to have set the most fastest laps at the track.
2022 French Grand Prix
On the race weekend at which Max Verstappen overtook Mark Webber as the driver to have made the most Grand Prix starts with Red Bull, Max Verstappen took his 27th victory with the team at the 2022 French Grand Prix. With his first win since the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen equalled Jackie Stewart for eighth in the all-time F1 win list.
Verstappen is the fourth driver to take back-to-back wins at Circuit Paul Ricard, after Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Lewis Hamilton. This was the first time that the driver starting second on the grid at Circuit Paul Ricard has won since Nigel Mansell did so in 1986.
2022 Hungarian Grand Prix
After struggling with engine issues in Q3 on Saturday, Max Verstappen took victory from tenth on the grid at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. With his 28th career victory, Verstappen moved ahead of Jackie Stewart to eighth in the all-time win list. He became the eighth, and youngest, driver to have recorded 70 podium finishes.
Verstappen is the 19th different driver to have won the Hungarian Grand Prix since the event joined the calendar in 1986. He became the 31st driver to have won a round of the World Championship from tenth or further back on the grid. This is the first race to be won from tenth since the 2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, in which Lewis Hamilton was victorious. It was the 12th race to be won from tenth on the grid.
2022 Belgian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen dominated the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, taking victory from 14th on the grid. This was the 29th victory of Verstappen’s career. He became the eighth driver to take consecutive wins at Spa-Francorchamps and the first to win successive races at the track since Kimi Raikkonen won three in a row between 2004 and 2007.
Verstappen’s win from 14th marked only the fifth time that a race at Spa has been won by a driver who started from further back than sixth on the grid. In total, it was the seventh time that a World Championship race was won from 14th on the grid; the first time it happened since Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the 2018 German Grand Prix. Verstappen became the 14th driver to win from 14th or further back in World Championship history.
2022 Dutch Grand Prix
For the second year in succession, Max Verstappen took pole position and won home Grand Prix. Verstappen recorded the 17th pole position of his career, equalling Jackie Stewart for 19th in the all-time list of most pole positions. On Sunday, he became the eighth driver to reach 30 Grand Prix victories. Verstappen became the 18th driver to have taken multiple wins on home soil. In total, this was the 88th time that a driver has won a round of the World Championship in their home country.
Verstappen became the sixth driver to take back-to-back poles at the Dutch Grand Prix and the fifth to take consecutive wins at Zandvoort. This was Verstappen’s fourth consecutive win; the longest victory streak of his career to date. Verstappen is the 15th driver to have won four Grands Prix in a row.
This was Verstappen’s tenth victory of 2022, equalling his personal best for most races won in a single season. He also won ten races in 2021. In total, this was the 12th time that a driver has won ten or more Grands Prix in a single season. Thanks to F1’s changing points system, Verstappen has now scored more points at Zandvoort in two appearances than any other driver in the Dutch Grand Prix’s 32-race history.
2022 Italian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen became the ninth Formula 1 driver to win five consecutive races with his victory at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. This was the 31st victory of Verstappen’s career, equalling Nigel Mansell for seventh in the all-time list of most F1 wins. Taking his team’s first podium finish here since 2013, Verstappen became the first driver to win from seventh on the grid since Kimi Raikkonen at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. It is the seventh different grid slot from which Verstappen has won so far this season.
Monza becomes the 30th different circuit at which Verstappen has finished on the podium. Lewis Hamilton (35) and Kimi Raikkonen (30) are the only other drivers to have finished in the top three at 30 different tracks. Verstappen also becomes the fifth driver to have won at 20 different circuits during his Formula 1 career, after Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.
Only one driver has won three Formula 1 races on three consecutive weekends – and he has now done it twice. Verstappen won all three races in a triple header for the second time, having last done so at the 2021 French, Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix.
2022 Singapore Grand Prix
Max Verstappen’s five-race winning streak came to an end with a seventh place finish in Singapore. This was only the second time in the last 14 races that Verstappen failed to finish on the podium, having also finished seventh in the British Grand Prix. Verstappen didn’t get chance to complete his final qualifying lap on Saturday, so qualified only eighth. It equalled his worst Singapore Grand Prix qualifying result, set in 2015. Nevertheless, the Dutchman maintained his 100% Q3 record at Marina Bay.
2022 Japanese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen clinched his second title as a result of his victory in the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen won his second title with Red Bull at Suzuka 11 years to the day since Sebastian Vettel won his second title with Red Bull at Suzuka. He becomes Formula 1’s second-youngest double World Champion and the fourth driver to have won the title with four or more races remaining in the season. On his way to becoming the eighth driver to win the title at Suzuka, Verstappen took his 32nd Grand Prix win, overtaking Nigel Mansell and equalling Fernando Alonso for sixth in the all-time win list. Verstappen won the race by 27.066 seconds, which is the largest win margin ever seen at the Suzuka circuit.
2022 United States Grand Prix
Max Verstappen won the 2022 United States Grand Prix, recording his 33rd Grand Prix victory. This was Verstappen’s 13th win of the year, equalling the record of most wins in a single season. The record was already shared between Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013). This was Verstappen’s seventh win in the last eight races. Verstappen became only the second driver, after Lewis Hamilton, to have won multiple races at Circuit of The Americas.
2022 Mexico City Grand Prix
After securing the 19th pole position of his career with the largest pole margin in Mexico since 1989, Max Verstappen took victory at the 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix, setting a new record for most victories in a single season. Verstappen’s 14th win of the year took his points tally for 2022 to 416 – a new record for most points scored in a single season. As a result of the race, he led the championship by 136 points, which is the third largest points lead in F1 history.
2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix
With sixth place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen maintained his 100% points-scoring record at Interlagos – and with Lando Norris retiring, Verstappen is now one of only four drivers to have scored points on every Interlagos appearance. Didier Pironi, Gunnar Nilsson and Jackie Stewart are the only other drivers in that group.
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Max Verstappen took pole position for the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the 20th pole position of Verstappen’s career, equalling Damon Hill and Valtteri Bottas for 14th in the all-time list of most poles. Verstappen became the first driver to take three consecutive pole positions at Yas Marina Circuit.
Verstappen recorded his 15th win of the 2022 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, extending his record of most victories in a single season. Verstappen ends the year having won 68.18% of this year’s Grands Prix – the fifth biggest winning percentage in a single year in Formula 1 history. Verstappen became only the sixth driver to record 35 Grand Prix victories. He is the first driver to reach that milestone since Lewis Hamilton at the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix.
Verstappen ended the season with a 146 point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship. It’s the second largest winning points margin in Formula 1 history, beaten only by Sebastian Vettel’s 155 point lead at the end of 2013.
