Most drivers’ championships
Lewis Hamilton needs just one more drivers’ crown to move ahead of Michael Schumacher and set a new record of eight world championship titles.
After being controversially denied in 2021, and not having a car capable of fighting for the title in 2022, will 2023 be the year the Mercedes driver moves clear as the most successful F1 driver of all time?
Most career ‘Grand Slams’
Hamilton is the closest driver to surpassing Jim Clark’s record of eight Grand Slams with the seven-time world champion having racked up six so far in his career. However, the last time he achieved it was at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A Grand Slam – also known as a Grand Chelem – is achieved when a driver takes pole position, leads every lap and sets the fastest lap on their way to winning a grand prix.
The only other active F1 drivers to have recorded a Grand Slam are Max Verstappen (2021 Austrian GP and 2022 Emilia Romagna GP), Fernando Alonso (2010 Singapore GP) and Charles Leclerc (2022 Austrian GP).
Most points in a single season
On his way to securing his second successive world championship, Verstappen broke several records during a stellar 2022 campaign.
One of those was the most points scored in a single season. Verstappen scored a total of 454 points across 22 races in 2022 – despite two retirements!
With 2023 having an extra race and three additional sprints compared to last season, could Verstappen go on to eclipse his own record?
Most wins in a single season
A big record that was smashed by Verstappen in 2022 thanks to a new benchmark of 15 victories in one year, breaking a Schumacher record that had stood for nearly two decades.
It will be a massive ask to not only replicate that number, but also surpass it, in 2023, but on current form we wouldn’t put it past Verstappen.
Most podiums in a single season
Another record held by Verstappen from when the Dutchman claimed 18 podium finishes on his way to winning a maiden world title in 2021.
With 23 races this year, can Verstappen, or anyone else for that matter, set a new benchmark in 2023?
Most wins at the same grand prix
A record Hamilton will have two opportunities at breaking in 2023.
Hamilton is equal with Schumacher on eight victories at the same grand prix, but would set a new benchmark with a ninth win at either Silverstone or the Hungaroring this year.
Most pole positions at the same grand prix
Similarly, Hamilton could surpass a record he shares with Ayrton Senna and Schumacher if he takes a ninth pole in either Australia or Hungary.
2022 marked the first season of Hamilton’s F1 career that he failed to claim a pole, with his last coming at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Most podiums shared
If Hamilton and Verstappen share the podium four more times in 2023, they will set a new record for most podiums shared.
This is currently held by Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who have shared the rostrum on 56 occasions since 2009. Meanwhile, Hamilton and former Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas have stood on the same podium 53 times.
Most pole positions without a title
A record that nobody wants, but one that could end up going the way of Leclerc by the end of 2023.
Leclerc has earned a reputation for being one of the fastest drivers over a single lap and the Monegasque has already racked up an impressive 18 poles in his short F1 career.
Three more (without winning the world title) this season would see the Ferrari driver surpass Bottas’ tally of 20 poles without winning a championship crown.
Most seasons with a grand prix start
Alonso is set to break this record at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The two-time world champion, who is the oldest driver on the grid at 41, will embark on his 20th F1 season in 2023.
Only two other drivers have started a race in 19 different seasons – Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
