The drivers are hard at work in training for the season ahead, the engineers are putting the finishing touches on the cars – and we’re dusting off the record books to see which milestones could be smashed in 2023…
Max Verstappen took last season by storm, scoring a record 15 Grand Prix wins and 454 points on his way to a second drivers’ championship. But there are plenty of records on the table as the 2023 campaign looms.
Most drivers’ championships
With Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton equal on seven titles each, Hamilton needs one more championship to take this record. He came incredibly close as the 2021 title fight went down to the wire – but can he make it eight in 2023?
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Most career hat tricks
That’s a win, pole and fastest lap in the same race – and it’s Schumacher who holds the record with 22 over his glittering career. Hamilton, on the other hand, currently sits on 19. Another tough ask.
Most career Grand Slams
A Grand Slam or Grand Chelem is when a driver takes pole, victory, fastest lap, and leads every lap in a Grand Prix. Jim Clark holds the record with eight over his career; Hamilton is on six entering the 2023 season.
Most points in one season
Verstappen set this record at 454 points with 596 on offer in 2022, but with 23 more races ahead this season plus six Sprints, there are 646 points on offer in 2023 – so it’s plausible that with a similarly dominant showing he could eclipse his own record. Or will someone else take this one?
Most podiums in one season
Verstappen broke this record back in 2021 as he took 18 podium finishes on his way to a maiden title, but with 23 opportunities in 2023 will he – or a rival – extend this milestone?
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Most consecutive races leading the championship
A long shot, but Schumacher holds this record, having led the championship from the 2000 United States Grand Prix to the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix: 37 consecutive rounds. Verstappen has led the championship for 17 consecutive rounds, and would need take the lead in Bahrain and retain it until after the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix to break this one.
Most wins at the same Grand Prix
Schumacher holds this one with eight French Grand Prix wins. Hamilton has eight wins in Britain and Hungary, and needs one more at either venue to take the record.
Most pole positions at the same Grand Prix
Ayrton Senna and Schumacher share this record: Senna has eight poles in San Marino and Schumacher has eight in Japan. Enter Hamilton, who would need pole in Australia or Hungary to smash this one.
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Most podiums shared
Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton have shared the podium 56 times over their careers, beginning with the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix and ending with the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. Hamilton and Verstappen, meanwhile, have shared the podium 53 times – as have Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
With Bottas driving for midfielders Alfa Romeo, it’s more likely that Hamilton and Verstappen will beat this one; they need to share the podium four more times.
Most pole positions without a championship
This one is Bottas’s record, as the Finnish driver has taken 20 career pole positions without winning the drivers’ title. Charles Leclerc currently has 18 pole positions – nine of those achieved in 2022 – and if he takes three more and fails to win the drivers’ championship, this unwanted record will be his.
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Most seasons with a Grand Prix start
Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the 2023 grid – he’s 41 as of now – and the Spaniard is in a very exclusive club. Only he, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen have started a race in 19 different seasons. Alonso is set to break this one in Bahrain.
Most races finished
A record that is almost a race in itself, as Alonso holds the record with 281 F1 race finishes. Hamilton, meanwhile, is one behind on 280 finishes. This one will come down to reliability and luck.
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Most races before a first career win
Sergio Perez holds this record, as it took him 190 starts before he won the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. But Nico Hulkenberg is back on the F1 grid with Haas and the German driver has started 181 races – meaning he is 10 away from Perez’s milestone.
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Most points without a win
Hulkenberg holds this record with 521 career points, but Lando Norris has scored 428 points over his career. Norris would need to score at least 94 points without a win to take this record – although that depends on how many points Hulkenberg will score in 2023.
