Reuters
Formula One F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – July 4, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates winning the race REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – July 4, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates winning the race REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
The moment Max Verstappen stepped his foot into F1, most of the fandom hailed the Dutchman as a future world champion. And after 5 years now, the Dutchman is proving to be worth the predictions, as he is steadily breaking records in the sport.
Verstappen recently set a new record in F1 by securing the victory at the Austrian Grand Prix. With that podium, the Red Bull driver now has 50 podiums in the bag.
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What’s more, Verstappen is also the youngest driver to reach the milestone, beating previous record-holder, Sebastian Vettel, quite comfortably.
The youngest F1 drivers to 50 podium feat. Max Verstappen
Of course, Verstappen is topping the sheet at the moment, having secured his 50th podium at the age of 23 years, 277 days. Behind that is Vettel, who is quite far off – 25 years, 327 days.
Fernando Alonso found himself demoted to P3, as he accomplished the milestone at 27 years, 61 days. Then arrives Verstappen’s 2021 title rival, Lewis Hamilton, who hit the landmark when he was 28 years, 76 days old.
Followed by the 7-time world champion is another 7-time world champion, Michael Schumacher. He managed to arrive at this accomplishment at the age of 28 years, 163 days. And finally, it’s Kimi Raikkonen, who scored the half-century at 28 years, 172 days.
How Verstappen arrived at 50 podiums
Verstappen’s podium spree started in 2016 when Red Bull promoted him to their team. The Dutchman enjoyed a total of 7 podiums, including a race win that season. In 2017, Verstappen managed just 4 podiums, converting two of them into race victories.
The Dutchman garnered a total of 20 podiums out of 2018 and 2019, out of which 5 of them were race wins. In 2020, Verstappen secured a personal best of 11 podiums, including 2 P1 finishes. However, this season, F1 managed to witness the absolute best of Verstappen.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Steiermark Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – June 26, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wearing a protective face mask as he celebrates qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
The Red Bull driver has been a part of the podium celebrations 8 out of 9 times so far, barring the unfortunate tire blowout incident at Baku. Furthermore, with 14 more races to go, 2021 could well be Verstappen’s most successful season.
So, amidst so many positive signs surrounding Verstappen, can he deliver his best to end Lewis Hamilton‘s reign in F1? Could this also mean that Verstappen takes over Hamilton’s long-held throne?
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