Red Bull star Max Verstappen is simply on another level. He entered F1 as the youngest driver to ever compete in the championship and continued by also becoming the youngest-ever race winner. His records and accolades keep piling up, and he’s only 28 years old.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Course To Dominate F1 History
Not many people hold a candle to what Verstappen is doing in the upper echelons of motorsport, and a post by Daniel Valente on X underscored it.
🏆 Max Verstappen now owns the best podium percentage in F1 history among drivers with at least 60 race starts
1. Max Verstappen – 53.91%
2. Lewis Hamilton – 53.58%And he sealed it with a historic drive from the pit lane. pic.twitter.com/1RwuogsnEK
— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) November 10, 2025
Verstappen has appeared on the podium in 53.91% of the races he has competed in in his career. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is second among drivers with at least 60 race starts, with 53.58%. The Dutchman’s feat comes after a spectacular drive on Sunday in Brazil.
Taking an engine penalty and starting from the pit lane, Verstappen capitalized on yellow flags early on by pitting for fresh tires and taking them deep into the race. He charged through the field at a conservative rate by only going for overtakes down the straights, saving his tires.
His consistency paid dividends, and he soon saw favorable track position among the frontrunners — a needed sight, given that he has to compete with the McLarens for the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen kept up a good pace and hunted down the Mercedes and McLarens at the front. After surpassing Oscar Piastri, the Dutchman made the most of the reported braking problems with George Russell’s Mercedes.
The Red Bull star took P3 from Russell and chased down the young Andrea Kimi Antonelli for second. However, the rookie put up an excellent fight as Verstappen’s soft tires began to wear out and he lost pace in the corners. DRS provided little assistance down the straights as the Dutchman fell too far behind through the turns.
Antonelli claimed P2 behind race-winner Lando Norris, and Verstappen had to settle for third. While his all-time podium percentage is another medal on his chest, he would’ve wanted more in Sao Paulo. With only three races left, Verstappen is mathematically barely holding on to his title hopes.
He’ll have to win out for the rest of the campaign and hope a bit of bad luck strikes the Papayas.