Why Verstappen breaking F1's wins in a season record would be a unique yet misleading feat
OPINION: With a 109-point standings lead leaving Zandvoort, Max Verstappen’s second Formula 1 title triumph feels ever-more inevitable and that comes with the likelihood he’ll break a famous and long-standing record too. But, as Verstappen himself suggests, that doesn’t paint the true picture of the 2022 campaign
"I don't think it really portrays so far actually how the season went in terms of competitiveness.”
Max Verstappen, speaking there at the Belgian Grand Prix two weeks ago, sums it up perfectly. At the time he held an 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings – an already dominant position, his second title beckoning.
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Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.
A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.
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