Verstappen has started 185 world championship grands prix and scored 54 wins (29%) and 32 poles (17%), as well as three titles. At the same point in his career, Schumacher had taken 68 victories (37%) and 54 poles (29%), along with five crowns. Perhaps the biggest difference, though, is that Verstappen is still only 26, while Schumacher was 34 back in 2003. The Dutchman could carry on for a decade or more, which means he’ll be threatening Schuey’s total of 91 wins and Lewis Hamilton’s current benchmark of 103.
Verstappen was one of the winners at last Sunday’s Autosport Awards at Grosvenor House on Park Lane, after you voted him the International Racing Driver of the Year. Sir Jackie Stewart, another legend with a similar F1 strike rate, took our Gold Medal accolade, while Ferrari took the Moment of the Year for its stunning Le Mans 24 Hours victory.
As ever, the evening concluded with the crowning of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner. All four finalists acquitted themselves extremely well in 2023, and Joseph Loake became the 34th driver to take the prize, putting his name alongside some illustrious former victors and earning an F1 test drive.
Elsewhere, Charles Bradley looks into how the IMSA SportsCar Championship fared in its first year with Hypercar machinery under the revival of the GTP name, with contributions from the four main manufacturers involved. Sam Hall assembles a multitude of Christmas gift ideas for those with a penchant for motorsport. And Stephen Lickorish presents his annual assessment of the UK national racing scene and how it fared in the current challenging economic climate.
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