Formula 1: Max Verstappen one step closer to rare Schumacher territory

Generational driver from a generational driver. Maxsterclass. Pick however you want to describe it; Max Verstappen put on an incredible performance in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos Circuit, ending a 10-race win drought that followed a stretch when he had won 27 times in 33 races.

Verstappen drove from 17th to first place and won the race by more than 19 seconds. Just five other races in Formula 1 history have seen a driver win from 17th or lower on the grid.

Yet with teammate Sergio Perez only able to score one point throughout the weekend, Red Bull could only take five points out of McLaren's lead in the constructor championship, reducing it to 49 points, and they are still 13 points shy of Ferrari for second place.

Yet the 27-year-old Dutchman has eight wins this season, more than twice as many as the next highest drivers. In fact, despite having just ended a win drought of four and a half months that dated back to June, he has still won more than anybody over the last 13 races (dating back to June).

Verstappen entered the year with 54 career victories, the first 20 of which came in seasons when Red Bull did not win the constructor championship. Eight more to that tally brings it to 28, provided McLaren hang on for their first since 1998 or Ferrari swoop in to collect their first since 2008.

Only Michael Schumacher has more wins in such seasons, standing on the top step of the podium 32 times.

Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are the only two drivers ahead of Verstappen on the all-time wins list, with 91 and 105, respectively.

Of Hamilton's 105 wins, 20 came in non-championship-winning seasons for his race team. If you want to argue that it's really 24, there's a case for that, but keep in mind that McLaren were Formula 1's top-scoring team in 2007 when their constructor championship tally was wiped out due to the espionage scandal. So the title went to Ferrari.

In Formula 1 history, there have only been five other drivers to secure 28 race wins, period. Sebastian Vettel won 53 races, Alain Prost won 51, Ayrton Senna won 41, Fernando Alonso won 32, and Nigel Mansell won 31.

Vettel had 19 wins in years his team failed to win the constructor title. Prost earned 21 of such wins, while Senna and Alonso each earned 14. Mansell earned 10.

On the same note as Hamilton, you could argue Alonso actually had 18.

So if you weren't impressed already by what Verstappen has done in car that has not been the fastest since April, this statistic takes it to the next level.

He's pretty good when he has the fastest car, too, of course, winning 34 races across 2022 and 2023. Nobody else has won that many races over any three-year stretch in Formula 1 history.

Race number 22 on the record-breaking 24-race 2024 Formula 1 schedule could potentially see Verstappen wrap up a fourth consecutive world championship. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is set to be shown live from Las Vegas Strip Circuit starting at 12:55 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 24.