Max Verstappen has officially surpassed the longstanding record held by Michael Schumacher for the most consecutive days leading the Formula 1 championship standings as he claimed a thrilling victory at the 2024 Brazilian GP.
The Dutchman’s triumph at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace has maintained his position at the top for 897 days, eclipsing Schumacher’s streak from 2000 to early 2003, as the 27-year-old finds himself punching a one-way trip to the greatest of all-time conversation.
This milestone was achieved when he crossed the line first after 69 laps on November 3 as he led home Esteban Ocon by 19.4 seconds, despite starting from 17th on the grid, as the triple world champion mastered challenging wet conditions to secure his 62nd career win.
He did so ahead of both Alpine drivers as Pierre Gasly joined him on the podium, whilst crucially Lando Norris, who had started on pole, as he opened up a 62-point gap at the summit of the standings in another memorable performance of his stunning career.
Not only flexing his exceptional driving skills in torrential conditions as he scythed through the pack, he also became the first man since the legendary Kimi Raikkonen to win from 17th on the grid.
The Finn had triumphed at the 2005 Japanese GP when he overtook Giancarlo Fisichella in the dying embers of the race to claim his seventh win of the year, as he narrowed the gap to Fernando Alonso to 19 points.
As a result of Verstappen’s sensational efforts at Interlagos, he now can potentially clinch his fourth consecutive F1 title at the upcoming Las Vegas GP from November 21-23 to equal Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.
In order to do so, he must leave with a 59-point advantage over McLaren’s Norris to ensure he will win the championship via the countback method at the minimum as the Brit can no longer match his total of wins.
Should he do so, it will be just the second time since the end of 2008 that a driver has managed to claim the title with a car that did not also go on to win the constructors’ championship.
The Red Bull star has expertly maximised his results since May to just edge away, however, even if he does claim the title around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, he trails behind the record of seven world championship titles.
That is currently held jointly by Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, but given his current form and recently dominance in the sport, many believe he can challenge this record in the coming years before his contract expires in 2028.
