Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took care of business Saturday in Qatar, claiming his third title
It was just a matter of time, but that moment came Saturday.
Max Verstappen is the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion.
That Verstappen was going to capture his third-straight title seemed a formality over the summer, as he set a new F1 mark with ten-straight wins, eclipsing a record set by the legendary Sebastian Vettel during the 2013 campaign. As the Red Bull driver reeled off win after win, he built a near insurmountable lead heading into the Qatar Grand Prix.
Needing just three points over the final six race weekends, Verstappen left no doubt on Saturday. He left himself a little bit of work to do after the F1 Sprint Shootout, where he qualified third behind the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, but that starting spot on the grid put him in position to get the job done.
In fact, Verstappen technically clinched the title before the F1 Sprint race even came to the checkered flag. Teammate Sergio Pérez, the only driver still with a technical shot to catch him, was caught up in a three-way crash with Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg, ending his day.
With Pérez unable to secure points, that was enough for Verstappen to put both hands on the trophy.
Still, this is Max Verstappen we are talking about, and simply racking up laps is not his style. When the F1 Sprint race resumed after Pérez’s crash, Verstappen was sitting in third place, behind Piastri and George Russell. But Verstappen worked by Russell, who was running on an old set of softs that were giving way, and slowly inched closer to Piastri.
Ultimately, he could not get by Piastri. Yet the second-place finish was more than enough to capture his third-straight title.
With the finish, Verstappen not only claimed his third title, but he became the first driver to clinch a Drivers’ Championship in a Sprint race. With the expansion of Sprint races to six this season — and six on the schedule for next season — it is likely that Verstappen will not be the last driver to clinch in a Sprint race.
Verstappen also joined the small list of drivers who clinched their title on a Saturday. Among those is former driver Nelson Piquet, who won two of his three titles on a Saturday. His first title in 1981 came when he finished fifth in the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, held on a Saturday. Then in 1983 he claimed his second title at the South African Grand Prix, again held on a Saturday.
Oddly enough, Piquet in essence captured his third title, in 1987, on another non-traditional day. That season Piquet was locked in a title fight with his Williams teammate and championship rival Nigel Mansell, and with the grid in Japan for the penultimate race of the season, only those two had a chance at the title.
But during a practice session on the Friday ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Mansell suffered a season-ending crash. As Piquet was in the lead in the standings, he guaranteed the title.
Piquet is the father of Verstappen’s partner Kelly.
Other drivers who clinched on a Saturday include Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955, Jack Brabham in 1959, Graham Hill in 1962, and Keke Rosberg in 1982.
