Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Esteban Ocon Nelson Piquet Nico Hulkenberg Qatar Italy Japan sprint record ESPN UPS Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Esteban Ocon Nelson Piquet Nico Hulkenberg Qatar Italy Japan

Max Verstappen clinches third F1 world title in Qatar sprint race - ESPN

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DOHA, Qatar — Max Verstappen wrapped up his third Formula One championship on Saturday with six races to spare. Verstappen secured the title as his nearest title rival and teammate Sergio Perez crashed out on lap 11 of the 23-lap sprint race after colliding with Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Haas' Nico Hulkenberg.

Verstappen becomes the first driver to secure the title in a race under the format introduced in 2021. His dominant season has included a record 10 straight victories between May's Miami Grand Prix and September's Italian Grand Prix.

Should he win the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, he will be one victory away from matching his own record of 15 wins in a single season from last year.

Fittingly for a season which has been so one-sided, Verstappen made some history in how he secured it, becoming the first driver in 40 years to clinch on a Saturday.

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Max Verstappen saw off Lewis Hamilton’s early challenge to claim victory in Saturday’s sprint race at the United States Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen will be racing for pride, points and records this weekend at the United States Grand Prix as his rivals compete for positional prize money behind the newly-crowned champion. But in the first of four weekends' racing in the Americas before the season-closer in Abu Dhabi, much attention will be taken by politicking and preparations for 2024 with Ferrari and Mercedes striving to close the gap behind the dominant Red Bull team.
Red Bull ace Max Verstappen believes his recently-secured third Formula 1 world championship is the best of his career.

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