For years, Max Verstappen has been at his peak. And it’s a peak that seems to renew itself every week, getting higher and more perfect with each race. The 2023 version of the Dutchman is unbeatable, with a historic car in his hands, a lot of quality, and a high level of concentration. How can he be toppled?

The answer, at least this year, is clear: he can’t. Simple as that. Verstappen is the virtual three-time consecutive champion of F1, and we’re almost dropping the “virtual” term, you know? Max and Red Bull, in perfect harmony, are getting stronger with each passing race without needing countless updates to the car. They leave that to their rivals and comfortably maintain their lead without many scares.

The current version of Verstappen has the perfection in his driving that he has shown for the past four years, concentration that has been accumulated season after season, aggressiveness since his karting days, speed, and talent that, well, are natural. Because of all that, Max’s current battle is with historical records, with milestones that seemed impossible to achieve until recently.

We have to be fair here too: we could have been witnessing a duel or even a triple threat with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the mix. The thing is, that’s where Red Bull being better than its rivals comes into play. It’s part of the game and greatly diminishes the chances of the legendary competitors. So, Lewis and Fernando will fight for second place with a struggling Sergio Pérez. And that’s fine, it’s part of it. Let’s enjoy this other competition as well.

But let’s focus again on Verstappen, okay? The battle we’re talking about in this article is Max’s battle against records. And they’re falling one by one, the milestones are being shattered. For example, the Dutchman has already entered the top 5 for most wins in F1 history, surpassing Ayrton Senna with 41 victories. The next targets are Alain Prost (51) and Sebastian Vettel (53). Can he do it? Or is it so absurd to imagine Max winning all the remaining races and closing the year with 55 victories? Well…

“I hate comparing different generations, but from my side, all I can say is that when I was a little kid driving karts, I dreamed of being an F1 driver, and I never imagined winning 41 races. So, of course, to equal Ayrton is something incredible. I’m proud of it, but I hope I don’t stop there. I hope we win more races,” said Max. Spoiler: you’re going to win at least twice as much.

Wins in a single year? Well, that record is already his with 15 wins in 2022, but there’s room for more, right? Much more. He already has 6 wins in 8 races this year, and that record should be demolished in 2023. Championships? With the triple almost secured, Verstappen is on track to claim the sixth spot in the historical rankings, joining the likes of Senna, Nelson Piquet, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, and Jack Brabham.

Regarding podium finishes, he can’t climb any higher mathematically, but Max currently sits in seventh place, also surpassing Senna in 2023.