Max Verstappen is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and went on a dominant run to start the 2020s.
Winning four straight Drivers’ Championships and a record-breaking 10 races in a row, Max Verstappen’s dominance at Red Bull was like nothing we have ever seen in F1.
He was the youngest-ever race winner, and won his first Drivers’ championship in the most dramatic possible circumstances.
Here we rank Verstappen’s top ten greatest moments…
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images10. 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix: Spin to win
Verstappen qualified 10th for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Typically that would leave a driver out of contention for the win at a circuit infamous for its overtaking difficulties. But not only did Verstappen win the race, he did so despite spinning.
An undercut near the start of the race saw Verstappen move up to fifth. It was an inspired strategy call that saw him leapfrog Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. That brought him into immediate contention.
He flew up the back of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who was put on a slower hard tyre in a mistake from the team. After passing Leclerc, he spun on the exit of the penultimate corner, but reclaimed control and repassed the Ferrari driver.
Verstappen inherited the lead when the leaders pitted. From tenth, he won by nearly eight seconds.
9. 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Insane lap one overtake for the lead
Verstappen pulled off perhaps his greatest-ever overtake at the start of the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Starting second on the grid behind Oscar Piastri, Verstappen knew he’d have the chance to make a move for the lead with a long run down to turn one. But he was bogged down on the start and saw himself defending second from George Russell.
He was down to third as the drivers approached the braking zone at turn one. Instead of trying to hold on from Russell, he sent it down the outside of Piastri despite being an entire car length behind.
Somehow he made the move stick around the outside of turn one, slingshotting himself into the lead by turn two. David Coulthard couldn’t contain himself on commentary as he exclaimed in amazement.
Verstappen drove into the distance in his inferior Red Bull against the rapid McLarens, taking the win by six seconds with a jaw-dropping lap one move.
8. 2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Beating the faster McLarens to the win
The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix saw Verstappen take an against-all-odds victory in inferior machinery. The dominant McLarens, driven by Lando Norris and Piastri, had no answer for the sheer speed of the four-time world champion.
A stunning qualifying performance edged out Norris by a mere 0.012 second, securing pole position for the Red Bull driver.
It was a pressure packed race, with Norris filling Verstappen’s mirrors for 53 laps. The flashpoint occurred on lap 28 where the drivers came out of the pits side by side. The stewards deemed it fair racing as the Dutchman came out in the lead.
Verstappen defended the lead from there, beating Norris by 1.4 seconds. He notched his fourth straight Japanese GP win at Suzuka, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record.
7. 2022 Belgian Grand Prix: Winning from 14th on the grid
In the midst of Verstappen’s 2022 dominance, he won the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid.
He was dominant in qualifying, setting the fastest lap, but a grid penalty saw Verstappen sent to 14th for the start of the race.
He gained positions on the opening lap, largely thanks to Hamilton and Alonso’s crash. By lap eight, Verstappen was in the top five, breezing past the backmarkers in his rapid Red Bull.
Verstappen overtook his teammate, Sergio Perez, by lap 12. He went on to win the race 17.8 seconds ahead of Pérez in a Red Bull one-two, further extending his championship lead.
6. 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix: Becoming F1’s youngest-ever points scorer
Verstappen became F1’s youngest-ever points scorer in his second F1 race. Driving for Toro Rosso at the age of 17 years and 180 days he finished inside the top 10 at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
He got a lap in before heavy rain in Q2 to make the final qualifying session, then qualified an incredible sixth on the grid for the race.
The Grand Prix saw the Dutchman hang on to his top 10 qualification, and he was the final car not to be lapped by Sebastian Vettel, who won his first race for Ferrari.
Verstappen finished seventh ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, announcing himself on the biggest stage of motorsport.
5. 2023 Italian Grand Prix: Winning his 10th race in a row, the most in Formula One’s history
During his 2023 dominance, where Red Bull won all but one race all season, Verstappen broke Red Bull legend Vettel’s record for the most F1 races won consecutively, with 10.
He achieved this at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Verstappen started P2 behind Sainz in the Ferrari, who snatched pole in front of a raucous tifosi.
Sainz held off Verstappen for 15 laps with aggressive defensive driving, but after a turn one mistake from the Spaniard, Verstappen found a way past.
He drove off into the sunset to break Vettel’s 2013 record 10 years later. Perez came second to secure a Red Bull one-two.
4. 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix: 17th to first to near fourth Drivers’ Championship
Verstappen entered the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix knowing that beating title rival Norris would put one hand on his fourth Drivers’ title. But Norris had won the Saturday sprint race while Verstappen came fourth.
Qualifying was postponed until Sunday due to torrential rain, and the following day’s session tied the record for most red flags during qualifying. Verstappen was knocked out in Q2, and started the race in 17th due to a grid penalty.
An incredible start to the race saw Verstappen fly up the grid to 10th position by the second lap. It looked like he was driving in a different Formula. The Dutchman was the class of the field in wet conditions. Verstappen was sixth by lap 11.
A chaotic race saw Norris, among others, pitting under a Virtual Safety Car, but Verstappen opted to stay out. Franco Colapinto’s crash then caused a red flag, giving Verstappen a free pit stop and second place.
He eventually overtook Esteban Ocon on the restart, and went on to win by 19 seconds to all but lock up the championship. Verstappen’s performance in the rain showed exactly why he is the best driver on the F1 grid.
3. 2016 Spanish Grand Prix: Becoming F1’s youngest-ever race winner
Verstappen was a Red Bull driver early in his career, and in controversial fashion. In a highly criticised move, Team Principal Christian Horner swapped established veteran Daniil Kvyat for Verstappen. Horner couldn’t have been proved more immediately right for the move.
Verstappen won his very first race in the Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest ever F1 race winner at 18 years old.
Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images
The Mercedes of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed on the opening lap, opening the door for Verstappen to win on his Red Bull debut. He went on to make a two-stop strategy work, holding off two world champions in Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen on the way to a maiden win in Spain.
2. 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix: Mastering the Brazilian rain at 19-years-old
One of Verstappen’s greatest-ever drives wasn’t a win, because his performance at the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix shocked the F1 world.
In the pouring rain, the 19-year-old showed composure beyond his years to put in what Horner described as one of the best wet-weather performances in the sport’s history.
He recovered from 16th to finish third with a series of audacious moves. He divebombed Raikkonen into turn one, made an incredible save on the pit straight after almost spinning, then passed Rosberg in the faster Mercedes around the Curva do Sol.
But with 16 laps to go, Verstappen found himself down in 16th from second after a series of pitstops. The young star had to carve his way through the field. He found grip where no one else could, making move after move, weaving past cars.
On the penultimate lap he went wheel to wheel with Perez through the second sector, muscling his way past for an incredible podium finish.
1. 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Last lap overtake for first Drivers’ Championship
Verstappen claimed his first Drivers’ title in 2021 in the most dramatic circumstances the sport has ever seen.
He entered the final race in Abu Dhabi level on points with title rival Hamilton. Whichever man beat the other would be crowned champion.
Hamilton looked to be cruising to victory after snatching the lead from Verstappen at the start. But a late safety car changed the course of history.
Verstappen pitted behind Hamilton onto the soft tyres. Hamilton could not pit himself out of fear that the race would end under the safety car, and Verstappen would win the race.
The safety car was brought in with one lap to go, and controversially, race director Michael Massi removed all the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen out of the way, but no other lapped cars were allowed to do so.
Despite the controversy that allowed Verstappen to attack Hamilton, he still needed to make the move stick. And he had one lap to get it done. He took Hamilton by surprise, throwing it down the inside of his title rival on the entry to turn five.
Verstappen took the lead on the final lap, fended off Hamilton’s late attack, and won his first title.