Max Verstappen has broken Michael Schumacher‘s record for the number of days in a row at the top of the championship.
Spanish Grand Prix 2022. After starting from pole position, Charles Leclerc had to retire before the halfway point of the race due to problems with the drive unit. The race was won by Max Verstappen, who thanks to this got to the first place in the championship just ahead of the Monaco pilot.
And since then he has remained at the head of the championship. From 22 May 2022, 898 days have passed, making Verstappen break Michael Schumacher’s record for consecutive championship lead days.
Michael Schumacher was at the top of the championship for the longest time in a row, 896 days, from the 2000 US Grand Prix, where he overtook Mika Häkkinen, to the first race of the 2003 season, where David Coulthard won in Australia, and that’s how he got to the top of the championship.
Schumacher led the championship for 37 races. But the number of big days has increased, so Verstappen has 59 grands prix.
In addition to the second place, Schumacher now also holds the third – between the 2003 Canadian GP and the 2005 Australian GP, he was at the head of the championship for 630 days.
Behind him are Ayrton Senna (581 days), Alberto Ascari (574 days) and Fernando Alonso (560 days).
Although we have had the dominance of Mercedes here for many years, Lewis Hamilton is only in 7th place in this respect. His longest reign at the helm was 546 days between Singapore 2014 and Australia 2016.
In his career, Schumacher spent a total of 2,562 days leading the championship. In the case of Hamilton, it is 2436 days so far.
Title in Las Vegas?
Formula 1 has only three races left and also one sprint. The rider can thus get a total of 86 points.
Max Verstappen coincidentally has a lead of 86 points over Leclerc, who no longer has a mathematical chance of winning the title – in the event of a tie, the greater number of victories on Verstappen’s side would decide.
Lando Norris is down 62 points.
The math is simple. After Las Vegas, the driver will be able to get another 60 points, and that’s exactly the lead Max Verstappen needs to win his fourth title in the city of gambling. In case of equal points, the greater number of victories will decide (currently 8:3 in favor of Verstappen).
Max Verstappen will thus become the champion in Las Vegas if:
- He finishes ahead of Norris.
- Norris will be second (+18 points) and Verstappen third with the fastest lap (+16 points).
- Norris will be third (+15 points) and Verstappen fourth with the fastest lap (+13 points).
- Norris will finish fourth to eighth and Verstappen will always be the worst one position lower and at the same time Norris will not set the fastest lap of the race.
- Norris finishes ninth and does not set the fastest lap of the race.
- Norris finishes in tenth place and worse.
