10 moments that won Verstappen the 2023 Formula 1 title

Max Verstappen is now a three-time Formula 1 world champion, with his latest crown secured by finishing second to Oscar Piastri in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race.

His path to his third championship for Red Bull was the most straightforward of those he has now successfully journeyed down, with none of the bitter 2021 controversy, nor even a title battle with a driver from another squad. Team-mate Sergio Perez was his closest challenger, such was their RB19 car’s dominant position at the head of the pack.

But the reality is that despite showing promise in the early races, Perez never actually offered a competition for the championship, with Verstappen going on a record-setting victory run while his team-mate eased his path to fresh glory with a series of qualifying shockers and crashes.

Although this has long been coming, we can still pinpoint the vital moments that sealed Verstappen’s crown, which we present here.

1. RB19 launches; Ferrari and Mercedes persist with 2022 concepts

Mercedes kept faith with its zero-pod concept, but would soon abandon it as Red Bull's philosophy proved superior

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Strictly speaking, Red Bull's ‘season launch’ in New York featured no RB19 at all; the RB18 was pushed out and passed off as the new car. The RB19 didn't break cover until testing, when it was revealed with some visual similarities to its predecessor, but its drivers quickly reported that the new machine was much stronger than the old – with none of the weight issues that plagued Red Bull’s 2022 car. It was putty in Verstappen’s hands off the bat and, after a few tweaks following the opening two days of testing, worked nicely for Perez too.

Ferrari had hoped that an evolution of its 2022 championship challenger would suffice, although the resulting SF-23 featured its own problems compared to the previous season's F1-75. The new car was slightly more efficient in a straight line, but uncertainty in low-speed corners created another hurdle to overcome and sapped away at early confidence.

Mercedes also decided to stick with its ‘zero-pod’ solution, hoping that its hefty development work over 2022 that turned its troubled W13 into a race winner would continue in that vein. Ride stiffness was improved, but the drivers didn't feel that enough of a step in performance had been made over the offseason. That Aston Martin proved to be Red Bull's closest competitor in the opening rounds underlined that lack of progress. JBL

2. Leclerc's Bahrain blow, Alonso and Aston are Red Bull's early challenge

Verstappen began the year as he meant to go on in Bahrain, where Aston Martin emerged as Red Bull's surprise challenger

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen’s season got off to the perfect start when he won from pole in the Bahrain season-opener, where several themes for the season were established.

First, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc jumped Perez at the start and held second for the first half of the race. After he’d finally been overcome, Perez was able to match Verstappen’s tyre management pace at front, suggesting there might’ve been a possibly better race without his delay given the RB19’s position as the field’s clear leader was now firmly cemented after its fine testing promise.

Behind, Leclerc retired from a nailed-on podium due to an engine electrics problem that also meant he copped a 10-place grid penalty in Saudi Arabia. In the same second 2023 event, a driveshaft failure thwarted Verstappen in qualifying and so he had to fight back from 15th on the grid – overhauling Fernando Alonso, who had battled to inherit Leclerc’s Bahrain third and start a three-race podium streak behind the winning Red Bull pair (plus Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne). AK

3. Verstappen learns to drive the RB19 even better in Baku

It wasn't his most successful weekend of the year, but lessons learned in Baku proved handy for Verstappen afterwards

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Perez has always been a dab hand at the Baku City Circuit. There's just something about it that suits his nature, and he's made the podium in all but two races in the Azerbaijani capital. Perez was usurped by Verstappen in qualifying proper, but outclassed his team-mate in setting the grid for the sprint race - as the two Red Bulls were beaten to pole by Charles Leclerc in both sessions.

Perez reeled off victories in both the sprint and full grand prix, albeit helped in the latter by Verstappen's ill-timed pitstop moments before countryman Nyck de Vries caused a safety car period after hitting the wall. Despite chalking up a loss to his team-mate, Verstappen used the weekend to enhance his understanding of Red Bull’s 2023 package – something that he later explained had served him well.

"I learned a lot from the race in Baku – how to do some [different] things with the car, how to set it up," Verstappen later explained at the Dutch Grand Prix. "Of course, I didn't win that race in Baku, but I actually really tried a lot of stuff and different tools in the car, and that's why in the race it was a little bit inconsistent.

"But at one point I got into a good rhythm with what I found. I damaged my tyres a bit too much, but I was like, 'OK, that's quite interesting for the next races'. And I basically implemented that and it has helped me on every track." JBL

4. Perez's title ambitions are crushed in Miami

Perez couldn't make his pole advantage pay in Miami as Verstappen fought back from ninth to stun his team-mate

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Leclerc’s Q3 crash in the second Miami GP meant Verstappen’s error on his opening run was punished by a ninth-place grid spot while Perez took pole.

It was the perfect opportunity for the Mexican to make good on his early-season title promise, but instead the race was all about Verstappen’s fightback. On a contra-strategy starting on hard tyres, he was up to third by lap 15 of 57 with a series of passes that showed off how good Red Bull’s DRS/rear wing arrangement is this year, plus rivals understanding there was little point trying to resist the much faster machine too much.

On softer tyres for a shorter final stint, Verstappen was immediately in DRS threat and took the lead from Perez for good 10 laps from the end. It landed a truly devastating blow to Perez’s championship ambitions, with his gap to Verstappen reaching 14 points. AK

5. Perez’s best chance to respond – in Monaco – sparks off his ultimate defeat

His Q1 crash at Monaco consigned Perez to starting at the back of the grid and a futile race won by Verstappen

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Bruised by the encounter in Miami, Perez attempted to atone for his defeat and hoped that a fortuitous Monaco round would offer the chance to get his own back, given he won there in 2022. Instead, he suffered a horror-show weekend that began an unenviable streak of Q3 misses that gifted Verstappen the chance to extend his lead of the championship.

A qualifying shunt at Sainte Devote ensured that Perez had to start from the back of the grid, and Red Bull decided to go aggressive with his strategy and pulled him in at the end of the first lap to switch to the hard tyres. Although he'd made a little progress through the order, a clash with Kevin Magnussen required a new front wing, and the late onset of rain turned his race into a five-stopper with no hope of scoring points.

Verstappen's charge to victory after seeing off Alonso ensured that he returned to his Monaco home with a 39-point advantage in the championship – a lead that he would not relinquish. JBL

6. Spain form fluctuation shows Red Bull's rivals only take points off each other

Another routine win in 2023 came in Barcelona, where Mercedes' return to form hinted at the fluctuations in the pack behind Red Bull

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Next up in Spain, with Perez missing Q3 for a second race in a row, Verstappen simply crushed the rest to win from pole and opened a 53-point lead in the championship over his team-mate, who could only recover to fourth despite putting in a series of impressive passes.

But this race started off a period of intense swings in the competition behind Red Bull, with Alonso never really recovering from a Q1 off and Ferrari’s tyre wear problems really exposed on Barcelona’s demanding course. Mercedes, as ever strong at F1’s laboratory track, was a clear second best, with George Russell rising from 12th to finish third behind Hamilton on the podium.

After this, Alonso returned to being second best in Canada as Perez’s shocking qualifying streak continued, before a series of poor races for Aston followed. During this, McLaren’s reworked MCL60 came on brilliantly and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starred against Verstappen.

But as he kept on racking up the points and wins, his rivals’ fluctuating form blunted even a faint a title challenge from anyone in particular. AK

7. Potential 2021 fireworks don't go off again in Hungary

Hamilton beat Verstappen to a drought-ending pole in Hungary, but the Red Bull man got to Turn 1 first and scarpered

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

It was all finely poised at the Hungaroring. Hamilton had dazzled in qualifying to snatch pole by just 0.003s from Verstappen, booking their places on the front row to set up a repeat of their oft-contentious 2021 battle for that title. Hamilton, hoping for a first F1 win since the year he controversially lost his crown to Verstappen, was surely going to make the championship leader's life incredibly difficult with considerably less to lose.

Instead, the Hungary race was a damp squib. Verstappen got the better start, beat Hamilton into the first corner, and performed his usual cruise to victory. He held a margin of 33s over Lando Norris, and 37s over Perez by the end; the only thing that went wrong for Verstappen was the accidental shattering of his Herend-produced ceramic trophy by Norris's over-eager podium celebrations.

"It's just reality," Hamilton sanguinely mused after dropping to fourth by the race's end. "The reality is we're not fast enough. They already told me at a strategy [meeting] I would be at least five-tenths slower than the Red Bull. So, the fight was not with Max, but I was hoping that we could fight the McLarens. But then McLaren was too quick for us also.”

After Hungary, Verstappen was now 110 points ahead of Perez and in the middle of a winning streak that appeared unassailable. JBL

8. Verstappen wins again from his latest Spa grid penalty

Verstappen made his latest Spa comeback seem rather easy as he overcame early leader Perez to continue his win streak

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

For the second year in succession, Verstappen put in a stunning recovery drive to win at Spa. Unlike his engine change grid penalty in 2022, Red Bull opted to change his gearbox ahead of the race, which this time left him starting down in sixth.

His path was eased with Piastri and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz colliding at La Source on the opening lap, where Perez blasted by inheriting polesitter Leclerc to run clear in the lead. Behind, Verstappen initially couldn’t find a way by Hamilton while the Mercedes driver had DRS behind Leclerc, but when Hamilton lost the DRS assistance on a day Ferrari surprised even itself with its race pace Verstappen was soon coming through. He then caught and passed Leclerc before setting off after his leading team-mate.

The early charge and attacks had worn Verstappen’s tyres and he had a tetchy exchange about his pace with engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. But once he’d stopped for the first time, Verstappen was soon blasting by Perez and heading towards an eighth win in a row.

Only needing to save a massive moment at Eau Rouge – where the Red Bull drivers were lifting all race to avoid damaging their underfloor planks with the RB19s still set-up to run low to the ground even round Spa’s undulating course – during the small mid-race rain shower blotted another stunning Spa race drive. AK

9. Ferrari's Monza special fails to supplant Verstappen's record

Sainz fought hard to hold off Verstappen, but had to give best as the Red Bull driver scored a 10th consecutive victory

Photo by: Erik Junius

Having recognised that its strengths lay in its straightline speed and traction out of corners, Ferrari sought to exploit that for its home race at Monza. It produced a bespoke low-drag package for the ‘Temple of Speed’ and, rather than be content with settling for the upper points placings, threw everything at trying to end Verstappen's streak of wins and chalk up a first victory of the season.

Sainz, who had found form following the summer break, was able to use the Ferrari's great pace on home turf to beat Verstappen to pole – although the stronger Red Bull performance in race trim would necessitate a strong defensive effort on the Sunday.

The Spaniard gave his all, but could only last 14 laps under Verstappen's intensifying vice-like grip before his lead was overturned. Sainz attempted to defend from Perez too, but the Red Bull's aerodynamic efficiency was too much to resist. Ferrari's hopes of a glorious homecoming ultimately faded into obscurity, although Sainz's battling drive at least offered some reward with the final spot on the podium over the equally eager Leclerc.

In the process, Verstappen broke the record for consecutive wins set jointly by Sebastian Vettel and Alberto Ascari, moving past them with his 10th successive victory. Sainz got his own back in Singapore, however, and broke the Dutchman's run on a weekend where Red Bull was significantly off the boil. JBL

10. Second in Qatar sprint as Perez crashes gives Verstappen the crown

After dropping places at the start, Verstappen's medium tyres brought him back into the fight as he finished second to Piastri in the Qatar sprint

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

After its Singapore humbling, Verstappen and Red Bull shocked no one by roaring back to full form in Japan – winning ahead of McLaren pair Norris and Piastri. Perez’s Suzuka race featuring multiple incidents – including two clashes, the first a racing incident at the first corner and the second an awful gaffe that turned around Kevin Magnussen – meant Verstappen’s crown was basically assured to be sealed in the Qatar sprint race.

That duly happened, but the day also wasn’t smooth sailing for Red Bull, as a track limits violation early in Q3 for the first race put Verstappen on the back foot and gave McLaren an opportunity to slip ahead. It did with Piastri heading Norris in sprint qualifying, with Verstappen third – the trio then opting to start the race on the medium tyres at the high-speed Losail track.

Russell and the Ferrari drivers taking the softs meant they shot by Verstappen and Norris off the line, with Russell also deposing Piastri to lead. But it became clear that, despite three safety car interruptions, the soft tyres weren’t optimal and Verstappen and Norris recovered up the field – the former leading Norris after the Briton had had an even bigger plunge down the order on the opening lap.

Once both Piastri and Verstappen were past the struggling Russell, the Australian had enough in hand to seal his first F1 (but not GP) victory. But the title battle was already over as Perez was eliminated in a three-way crash with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg, which triggered the race’s final safety car. Verstappen saw the incident, but didn’t register its significance and so duly took in what he had achieved only as he crossed the line behind Piastri. AK

Verstappen became the first F1 driver in history to wrap up the world championship in a sprint race

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images