How many F1 world championships has Max Verstappen won? Number of times Red Bull star has been crowned champion

Max Verstappen is now a three-time Formula One world champion. And he won his latest title before the Qatar Grand Prix had even started.

He only needed a top-six finish in this Saturday's Sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix to claim the driver's title for the third year in a row. He got the job done in style, finishing second in the Sprint behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

The Dutch driver has won 13 of the 16 races in what has been another dominant season by him and his team and, indeed, his latest title has looked a foregone conclusion for months.

Red Bull have already been crowned constructors' champions, a sixth time for the team, thanks to Verstappen's victory by 19 seconds in Japan last time out.

It all means the Qatar Grand Prix on October 8 will be one of celebration for Verstappen and his dominant constructors.

MORE: F1 Qatar Grand Prix predictions, odds, best bets for 2023 race

How many F1 world championships has Max Verstappen won?

Verstappen has won three F1 world championships, having clinched his latest title by finishing second in the Sprint Race at Qatar. After also winning in 2021 and 2022, Verstappen joins only Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton as drivers who have won a hat-trick of championships in a row.

His first triumph came in dramatic fashion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the final lap of the 2021 season. Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed on Lap 50 of 58, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes leading comfortably. A safety car was deployed and forced Mercedes to make a critical strategy decision: pit Lewis Hamilton for fresh tyres or keep track position and risk a race restart against Verstappen who pitted for fresh softs. Mercedes opted not to pit, but a late-race decision allowed lapped drivers, including Verstappen, to overtake, setting up a dramatic final lap where the Dutchman overtook Hamilton to win the championship for Red Bull, leaving Mercedes in disbelief.

Has one lap ever contained so much emotion? 🍿#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/SY4oWS5qML

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 13, 2021

Verstappen then secured his second Formula 1 world championship during a rain-soaked 2022 Japanese Grand Prix but again it was during strange circumstances. The race had seen a temporary halt, signalled by a red flag, after just two laps due to heavy rain and an action-packed start. They then got back out on track and the Red Bull driver crossed the finish line first but was unaware of his achievement. 

It was only after a decision by race officials to award full points for the shortened race that the confusion cleared and Verstappen's title victory was awarded. Verstappen won with four races left in the season.

In 2023, Verstappen claimed the title with six grands prix still to race, underlining the dominance he and Red Bull have enjoyed.

MAX VERSTAPPEN.

THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION! 👑👑👑 pic.twitter.com/IvcQOA5wu4

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 7, 2023

Who has won the most World Drivers' Championships in F1 history?

Michael Schumacher (7)

One of the greatest drivers to ever grace Formula One, German racer Michael Schumacher rose to fame in 1994 when he claimed his first World Drivers' Championship whilst driving for Benetton.

He'd go on to add another title just a year later in 1995 with the same team before he embarked on a glittering career with Ferrari, going on to dominate the sport through the early 2000s.

Picking up the title every year between 2000 and 2004, Schumacher also still holds the record for most World Drivers' Championships won in succession with five thanks to that run — a historic streak that may never be matched. 

Years won: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Lewis Hamilton (7)

The most dominant driver in recent F1 history, Lewis Hamilton joins Michael Schumacher at the top of the list of racers with the most World Drivers' Championship titles to their name.

Winning his first title with McLaren back in 2008, Hamilton then made the move to Mercedes soon after, which has since seen him deliver six world titles during his time with the German constructor. 

Many would argue that the British driver is the greatest in history, especially given the controversial circumstances in which he finished P2 during the 2021 season, and you wouldn't back against him in winning another World Drivers' Championship in the future. 

Years won: 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Most successful F1 drivers in history by number of World Drivers' Championship titles won

*Bold represents current F1 drivers

How many F1 races has Max Verstappen won?

Max Verstappen (48)

The most recent F1 race winner is of course Verstappen who has taken 48 race victories throughout his career, which began in 2015. 

Complete list of the most successful F1 drivers in history by race wins

*Bold represents current F1 drivers

How many F1 podium finishes has Max Verstappen had?

In 2021, Verstappen set a new record of 18 podium finishes in a single F1 season. He won 10 grands prix and came second eight times across 22 races.

This season, the reigning world champion broke even more records and arguably the most important one. With a victory at the Italian Grand Prix in September, he became the first Formula 1 driver to win 10 consecutive races.

He surpassed Vettel's benchmark of nine straight victories set in 2013, also with Red Bull, but was eventually stopped in his tracks by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in Singapore. 

Top 10 drivers with most podium finishes in F1 history

*Bold represents current F1 drivers