07 October 2023 , 18:08
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Just five drivers in Formula 1 history now have more world championship successes to their name than Max Verstappen.
That statistic taken in isolation is impressive enough. It becomes almost ridiculous when you factor in the fact he turned 26 years old just a week ago. Verstappen still has five seasons left, after this one, on his current Red Bull deal and, despite some suggestions he could retire at the end of it, may still choose to extend his F1 career beyond the age of 31. That give him plenty of time to add even more trophies to his already formidable collection.
This third title success has been by far the most simple of them all. It was apparent from the very first race of the year that Red Bull were in a league of their own, and Verstappen destroyed the spirit of team-mate Sergio Perez, the only man equipped to take the fight to him, at May's Miami Grand Prix.
Since then, he has been unchallenged. Things were also fairly straightforward in the end last year, but at least he was tested sternly by Charles Leclerc in the first half of that season.
And he may never have a fight as dramatic and tense as the one he shared with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Though that season ended on a sour note that no-one wanted, it will forever be remember as one of F1's greatest ever title battles.
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With this third world championship success, Verstappen has cemented his place among the very best drivers F1 has ever seen. He joins Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna as the sixth driver to have triple-champion status.
Still, though, he has some way to go to match the sports' most decorated racers. Hamilton still holds the most important records with seven world titles, the same number as Michael Schumacher, while the Brit still has more than double the number of race wins, 103, compared to Verstappen's 48, that number correct as of prior to the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
And there are three others Verstappen must surpass before he can fully lock on to that benchmark. Argentine legend Juan Manuel Fangio is third on the list with his five titles, all won in the 1950s when the danger of driving such machines was extreme.
But next season Verstappen will hope to secure his fourth title. That would match Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel, the latter of whom also enjoyed the bulk of his F1 success as a Red Bull driver a decade ago.