He was the youngest-ever race winner, and won his first Drivers\u2019 championship in the most dramatic possible circumstances. <\/p>\n
Here we rank Verstappen\u2019s top ten greatest moments\u2026<\/p>\n
![\"Drivers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2186584934-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Mark Thompson\/Getty Images10. 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix: Spin to win <\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/a> and Fernando Alonso. That brought him into immediate contention.\u00a0<\/p>\n He flew up the back of the Ferrari<\/a> of Charles Leclerc<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen inherited the lead when the leaders pitted. From tenth, he won by nearly eight seconds.<\/p>\n 9. 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Insane lap one overtake for the lead<\/p>\n Verstappen pulled off perhaps his greatest-ever overtake at the start of the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. <\/p>\n Starting second on the grid behind Oscar Piastri<\/a>, Verstappen knew he\u2019d 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n He was down to third as the drivers approached the braking\u00a0zone 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Somehow he made the move stick around the outside of turn one, slingshotting himself into the lead by turn two. David Coulthard couldn\u2019t contain himself on commentary as he exclaimed in amazement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen drove into the distance in his inferior Red Bull against the rapid McLarens<\/a>, taking the win by six seconds with a jaw-dropping lap one move.\u00a0<\/p>\n 8. 2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Beating the faster McLarens to the win<\/p>\n The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix saw Verstappen take an against-all-odds victory in inferior machinery. The dominant McLarens, driven by Lando Norris<\/a> and Piastri, had no answer for the sheer speed of the four-time world champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n A stunning qualifying performance edged out Norris by a mere 0.012 second, securing pole position for the Red Bull driver. <\/p>\n It was a pressure packed race, with Norris filling Verstappen\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s record. <\/p>\n 7. 2022 Belgian Grand Prix: Winning from 14th on the grid<\/p>\n In the midst of Verstappen\u2019s 2022 dominance, he won the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid. <\/p>\n He was dominant in qualifying, setting the fastest lap, but a grid penalty saw Verstappen sent to 14th for the start of the race. <\/p>\n He gained positions on the opening lap, largely thanks to Hamilton and Alonso\u2019s crash. By lap eight, Verstappen was in the top five, breezing past the backmarkers in his rapid Red Bull.\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen overtook his teammate, Sergio Perez, by lap 12. He went on to win the race 17.8 seconds ahead of P\u00e9rez in a Red Bull one-two, further extending his championship lead. <\/p>\n 6. 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix: Becoming F1\u2019s youngest-ever points scorer <\/p>\n Verstappen became F1\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, who won his first race for Ferrari.\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen finished seventh ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, announcing himself on the biggest stage of motorsport.\u00a0<\/p>\n 5. 2023 Italian Grand Prix: Winning his 10th race in a row, the most in Formula One\u2019s history <\/p>\n During his 2023 dominance, where Red Bull won all but one race all season, Verstappen broke Red Bull legend Vettel\u2019s<\/a> record for the most F1 races won consecutively, with 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n He drove off into the sunset to break Vettel\u2019s 2013 record 10 years later. Perez came second to secure a Red Bull one-two. <\/p>\n 4. 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix: 17th to first to near fourth Drivers\u2019 Championship<\/p>\n Verstappen entered the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix knowing that beating title rival Norris would put one hand on his fourth Drivers\u2019 title. But Norris had won the Saturday sprint race while Verstappen came fourth.<\/p>\n Qualifying was postponed until Sunday due to torrential rain, and the following day\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n A chaotic race saw Norris, among others, pitting under a Virtual Safety Car, but Verstappen opted to stay out. Franco Colapinto\u2019s crash then caused a red flag, giving Verstappen a free pit stop and second place.<\/p>\n He eventually overtook Esteban Ocon on the restart, and went on to win by 19 seconds to all but lock up the championship. Verstappen\u2019s performance in the rain showed exactly why he is the best driver on the F1 grid.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. 2016 Spanish Grand Prix: Becoming F1\u2019s youngest-ever race winner\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen was a Red Bull driver early in his career, and in controversial fashion. In a highly criticised move, Team Principal Christian Horner<\/a> swapped established veteran Daniil Kvyat for Verstappen. Horner couldn\u2019t have been proved more immediately right for the move.<\/p>\n
![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-531524444-1-1024x676.jpg\")
Photo by LLUIS GENE\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n