Formula 1 wins list: How high has Max Verstappen climbed?

Max Verstappen jumped into the top 10 on the all-time Formula 1 wins list as a result of his Azerbaijan Grand Prix win on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen extended his lead in the Formula 1 driver standings over teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by winning Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, a venue where he was left heartbroken a year ago when a late tire failure robbed him of a seemingly sure victory.

The reigning world champion sits 21 points ahead of Perez in second place, with Leclerc a further 13 points back, following his fourth win in the last five rounds.

During this five-race stretch, the 24-year-old Dutchman has outscored Leclerc by a whopping 80 points after trailing by 46 following the season’s first three races.

The win was Verstappen’s fifth of the season, and it brought his career win total to 25, making him the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to reach the quarter-century mark.

Last season, Verstappen doubled his career win total from 10 to 20 by becoming just the fourth driver to win at least 10 races in a single season. As a result, he started the 2022 season tied with two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen for 16th place on the all-time wins list.

With each of his five victories this year, he has moved up that list.

With his 21st victory in Jeddah, he tied 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen for 15th. Then in Imola, he tied 1996 world champion Damon Hill for 14th with his 22nd win.

The following race in Miami, he tied three-time world champion Nelson Piquet and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg for 12th with win number 23. In Barcelona, he secured his 24th win, tying five-time world champion Juan Manual Fangio for 11th.

Following his 25th win on Sunday in Baku, he is now tied for ninth place on the all-time wins list with three-time world champion Niki Lauda two-time world champion Jim Clark.

While a 26th win would be his first win since his 19th in Mexico last October that does not result in him tying somebody else on the all-time wins list, he could still move up quite a few more spots before the 2022 season ends, as 14 of 22 races remain on the schedule.

Here is a list of the eight drivers who have more career victories than Verstappen.

1. Lewis Hamilton, 103 wins (seven world championships)
2. Michael Schumacher, 91 wins (seven world championships)
3. Sebastian Vettel, 53 wins (four world championships)
4. Alain Prost, 51 wins (four world championships)
5. Ayrton Senna, 41 wins (three world championships)
6. Fernando Alonso, 32 wins (two world championships)
7. Nigel Mansell, 31 wins (1992 world champion)
8. Jackie Stewart, 27 wins (three-time world champion)

At his current win rate, Alonso is probably within striking distance for Verstappen by the end of the 2022 season, though that would still require a historic effort.

Only Schumacher and Vettel have ever won more than 11 races in a single season (both won 13). For Verstappen to match Alonso, he would need 12.

Verstappen is listed as a -275 favorite at WynnBET to win his second world title this year.