Formula 1: Max Verstappen has matched another legend
By Asher Fair
Max Verstappen tied Jackie Stewart on the all-time Formula 1 wins list by winning Sunday’s French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Entering the 2022 Formula 1 season, reigning world champion Max Verstappen had 20 victories to his name, good for a 16th place tie on the all-time wins list with two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.
Verstappen, who is coming off of a 10-win season, earned his seventh victory of 2022 in the French Grand Prix, the 22-race season’s 12th race at Circuit Paul Ricard on Sunday.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc seemed to be in control of the race after starting from the pole position, but he crashed on his own, shortly before he was due to make his first pit stop.
Verstappen, who had just made his pit stop, inherited the lead and never looked back.
With seven wins this season, the 24-year-old Dutchman now has 27 career victories to his name, and he now sits in an eighth place tie on the all-time wins list with three-time world champion Jackie Stewart.
The only seven drivers he trails are seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, four-time world champion Alain Prost, three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, and 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell.
Throughout the season so far, all but one of Verstappen‘s seven wins have resulted in him tying somebody on the all-time wins list.
His first win in Jeddah was his 21st, tying 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen. He tied 1996 world champion Damon Hill with his 22nd win in Imola, and he tied both three-time world champion Nelson Piquet and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg with his 23rd win in Miami.
In Barcelona, he earned his 24th win, tying five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio. He earned his 25th win in Baku, tying three-time world champion Niki Lauda and two-time world champion Jim Clark.
Prior to earning his 27th career victory in Le Castellet to tie Stewart for eighth place on the list, he had taken sole possession of ninth with his 26th win in Montreal.
With 10 races left on the 2022 schedule, he has a chance to match a few more drivers above him on the list. Mansell sits four wins ahead of him with 31, with Alonso just one ahead of Mansell with 32.
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Verstappen now has a 63-point lead over Leclerc in the driver standings, the largest lead he has ever had in the standings in his Formula 1 career.