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From high-profile flash points to record-breaking success – Verstappen's 10 seasons in F1 ranked
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Four world titles, 63 Grand Prix wins, 112 podiums – Max Verstappen’s F1 career has been nothing short of exceptional.
Having entered the sport in 2015 as a 17-year-old, and F1’s youngest ever competitor, he has gone on to cement his status as a generational talent and is already listed among the greats. Let’s not forget, he’s still only 27.
With 10 seasons now behind him, and an 11th due to begin soon, we had a go at ranking Verstappen’s F1 campaigns up until this point.
Disagree with our order? Then let us know what you think his best season is in our poll below…
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Verstappen has already proven to be one of the greats of F1, with four World Championships to his name
10. 2017
Races – 20, Wins – 2, Podiums – 4, Points – 168
Sixth in the Drivers’ Standings
Verstappen’s first full season at Red Bull takes the basement slot in our list here – purely because of what might have been. During the first 14 races of the campaign the Dutchman had seven retirements, four due to mechanical issues while three came after first-lap collisions.
"To retire after eight laps is not acceptable,” said Verstappen after the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix – at that time it was his sixth retirement in 12 races. “You can't call it bad luck. It is very bad."
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However, from the Malaysian Grand Prix onwards there was a change in fortunes for Verstappen. Not only did he win his second race in Sepang a day after his 20th birthday but he would go on to secure another victory in Mexico.
The signs were still there regarding Verstappen’s promise and potential, but his final result of sixth in the Drivers’ Championship is his lowest with Red Bull to date.
Verstappen waves to the crowd after retiring from the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix
9. 2015
Races – 19, Wins – 0, Podiums – 0, Points – 49
12th in the Drivers’ Standings
Next up is Verstappen’s debut campaign in the sport with Toro Rosso, as he became the youngest driver ever to start a race at 17 years and 166 days old.
While that first race ended in an engine failure, his P7 result at the next event in Malaysia saw him break the record of the youngest driver to ever score World Championship points. These record-breaking feats would become a theme…
As the year continued he would regularly score points for Toro Rosso, including fourth-place finishes in Hungary and Austin, as he ended the year by winning Rookie of the Year at the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony.
While there were moments where his inexperience showed – such as his collision with Romain Grosjean in Monaco for which the Dutchman received a five-place grid penalty – he wouldn’t have to wait long before his shot with the senior Red Bull team.
Verstappen would regularly score points for Toro Rosso in his debut F1 season in 2015
8. 2018
Races – 21, Wins – 2, Podiums – 11, Points – 249
Fourth in the Drivers’ Standings
Verstappen’s second full season with Red Bull had some high-profile flashpoints. To name just a few, the Dutchman ran wide and damaged his car in the first race of the year, he crashed in Bahrain qualifying before retiring from the race after colliding with Lewis Hamilton, and – in Monaco – he crashed in practice with Red Bull unable to repair the car for qualifying.
“He needs to be more patient, judge the situations better,” said Helmut Marko following that Monaco incident, while Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner added: “He needs to learn from it and stop making these errors.”
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But despite these flashpoints, Verstappen would steadily improve and climb up the standings – winning in Mexico and Red Bull’s home race in Austria along the way – and he also finished on the podium in each of the final five races.
His P4 in the standings was the first time he’d beaten team mate Daniel Ricciardo, with just champion Hamilton and the Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen ahead.
FP3: Verstappen crashes out of final Monaco practice
7. 2016
Races – 21, Wins – 1, Podiums – 7, Points – 204
Fifth in the Drivers’ Standings
While the numbers suggest 2016 should be lower than some of the campaigns that have already appeared on this list, this is the season where Verstappen showed he was more than ready to deal with the expectation of racing for Red Bull.
The undoubted unforgettable moment was his victory in Barcelona – his first race with the team following his promotion from Toro Rosso – as he became the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix at 18 years and 228 days.
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What’s more, across his first eight races with Red Bull, he would achieve six top-five finishes and four podiums. With a final position of fifth in the standings, he more than justified Red Bull’s decision to promote him so early.
Race highlights - Spain 2016
6. 2020
Races – 17, Wins – 2, Podiums – 11, Points – 214
Third in the Drivers’ Standings
In a shortened season due to the Covid pandemic, and with Mercedes proving to be a dominant force, Verstappen stood out as comfortably the best of the rest.
With the exception of the Turkish Grand Prix, Verstappen finished on the podium in every single race in which he finished and was just nine points behind second-placed Valtteri Bottas in the final Drivers’ Standings. Fourth-placed Sergio Perez, driving for Racing Point that year, was 89 points further back on his future team mate.
Another two victories were also added to Verstappen’s honours list that year – winning the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone as well as the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen took victory in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
5. 2019
Races – 20, Wins – 3, Podiums – 9, Points – 278
Third in the Drivers’ Standings
Placed only marginally higher than 2020 thanks to Verstappen securing three wins instead of two, 2019 was another season where there were signs of what was to come amid Mercedes’ dominance.
With Ricciardo leaving for pastures new, Verstappen was joined by Pierre Gasly as Red Bull’s switch from Renault to Honda power units helped elevate the team. The Dutchman was comfortably the better performer – with Gasly demoted back to Toro Rosso mid-season while Alex Albon moved the other way – as he took victories in Austria, Germany and in a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix (sound familiar?)
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Ultimately it was third in the standings for Verstappen as he scored 278 points, 48 points behind Bottas and 14 points ahead of fourth-placed Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen celebrates winning at the Hockenheimring in 2019
4. 2022
Races – 22, Wins – 15, Podiums – 17, Points – 454
First in the Drivers’ Standings
Now we move onto Verstappen’s championship-winning years – seasons that have become familiar sights in F1 as the Dutchman honed his skills to become one of – if not the – most complete drivers on the current grid.
Having secured his first title in dramatic fashion the year before, and fresh from signing a five-year contract extension with Red Bull, Verstappen overcame early-season reliability problems to cruise to a dominant second title.
He scored a record 454 points as both he and Red Bull ran away with both Championships – although of course that record points haul wouldn’t stand for long – with the RB18 car proving to be a masterful effort in the sport’s new ground effect era.
Max Verstappen's best moments of 2022
3. 2021
Races – 22, Wins – 10, Podiums – 18, Points – 395.5
First in the Drivers’ Standings
Had we been ranking Verstappen’s most exciting seasons, then this probably tops the lot – but we’re assessing this list based on the Red Bull man’s own displays.
However, that doesn’t take away from what the Dutchman accomplished in 2021 as he went toe-to-toe with one of the most dominant driver/team combinations (in Hamilton and Mercedes) to take the Drivers’ crown following a famous last-lap showdown.
While the 2021 season will be remembered for its many flashpoints – think about the comings together between Verstappen and Hamilton in Silverstone and Monza as an example – it should also be remembered for the fearless racing and tenacity both protagonists demonstrated.
After 22 incredible weekends Verstappen would sit atop the Drivers’ Standings for the first time by just eight points.
F1 2021: The biggest stories of the season
2. 2023
Races – 22, Wins – 19, Podiums – 21, Points – 575
First in the Drivers’ Standings
The year where Verstappen broke practically every record you could break – the Dutchman’s final points tally of 575 out of a possible 620 was the most in a season for a driver.
On top of that, Verstappen’s 19 wins gave him a win percentage of 86.3% in a single campaign – more than 10% clear of the next-best percentage from Alberto Ascari – while he completed 1,003 laps in the race lead across the year.
Quite simply, Verstappen and that year’s RB19 were a match made in Formula 1 heaven as he enjoyed unprecedented success. But for us, the year was bettered by…
Verstappen and the RB19 were a match made in Formula 1 heaven
1. 2024
Races – 24, Wins – 9, Podiums – 14, Points – 437
First in the Drivers’ Standings
Yes, we’re ranking the season just gone as Verstappen’s best in Formula 1 to date. He may not have hit the record-breaking heights of 2023 but context is key here.
While he began the year in lightning fashion, winning seven of the first 10 Grands Prix, that momentum came to a sudden halt as Red Bull’s rivals on the grid caught up – notably McLaren and Ferrari.
Verstappen would only win two of the remaining 14 rounds but his consistency and ability to maximise the potential from a car that was frequently not the best on the grid was absolutely vital to his title success.
How Max Verstappen won his fourth world title
His performance in Brazil was arguably the shining achievement of the year, climbing from P17 on the grid to first in a chaotic wet race, and it demonstrated exactly why Verstappen is a four-time World Champion.
All of that means 2024 takes the top spot in our list.
Want to have your say on what is Verstappen’s best season from his 10 years in F1 so far? Let us know in the poll below and get voting!
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