10 key moments that unlocked Verstappen's F1 title

1. Saudi Arabian GP: the first win

Bahrain had been a surprising disaster for the newly independent Red Bull. Still powered by Honda, even if it was now unofficial, both Verstappen and Perez had both retired as Charles Leclerc rebuffed the champ to score for Ferrari. But on the Jeddah Corniche circuit, just a few months since the first Saudi Arabian GP, Verstappen returned the favour.

The weekend began oddly and worryingly with nearby missile strikes and the threat of a driver boycott – but it ended with Verstappen targeting Leclerc in another thrilling and respectful duel over the final nine laps. The combination of DRS and this new generation of F1 car hitting the marks to allow for closer racing meant they passed and repassed each other until Verstappen made the decisive move. But Leclerc didn’t back down easily and chased all the way to the flag. It boded well for a tight season. Little did we know.

2. Imola: domination – as Leclerc cracks

Another Leclerc win and more reliability woe in Australia left Verstappen’s thin patience stretched and ready to snap. But at the Emilia Romagna GP, at good old Imola, the ‘real’ Red Bull kicked in. The first Saturday ‘sprint’ of the season fell to Max, then on the Sunday he blitzed the grand prix proper, claiming a perfect ‘grand slam’ of pole position, win and fastest lap as Perez backed him up for a team 1-2. As for Leclerc, he dropped the ball for the first time in 2022 – and what a place to do so, in front of an expectant tifosi. The spin at Variante Alta on lap 54 of 63 cost him seven points as he recovered to sixth at the flag. Not the performance of a world champion in the making, and he knew it.

3. Spanish pain for Leclerc, Verstappen’s gain

A key loss for Ferrari in Barcelona, because Leclerc had the Spanish GP in the bag. That was until an engine failure tossed the race to his rival. “No, no, no, no,” Leclerc wailed on the radio as the Ferrari lost power on lap 27 of 66, and who could blame him? Having recovered from a spin on his first Q3 run, Leclerc had snatched pole position and the lead of the grand prix with a decisive move right when the red lights extinguished to prevent Verstappen from getting a run into Turn One. Then once the Dutchman skated off at Turn Four on lap nine, it seemed the hard work was all done… Until it wasn’t.

But not all was sweetness and light at Red Bull either. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, Verstappen raged at his team on the radio, this time over a DRS problem. But then Red Bull called a team order in favour of Verstappen over Perez and it was now Checo’s turn to be unhappy. This early, what a blow to the Mexican and his own title hopes. Verstappen now led the points.

4. Long fuse lit under Max in Monaco

Did Perez spin on purpose in qualifying to ensure he out-qualified Verstappen on the tight streets of Monaco? We didn’t really consider it at the time and it only became a ‘thing’ months later, in the wake of Verstappen petulance in Brazil. To Checo's surprise, it seems he’d been stewing all this time. Still, back in May, all that mattered was Ferrari’s poor pit strategy (another 2022 theme) that allowed Perez to jump into the lead and win the most famous race of them all. As for Verstappen, he still finished third and extended his points advantage over a frustrated Leclerc. The wheels were coming off Ferrari’s season.

5. Canada: a weight off Verstappen’s mind

Red Bull had been concerned at Ferrari’s straight-line pace earlier on in the season, but on Canada’s back straight the Red Bull RB18’s diet showed how it had paid off. A chasing Carlos Sainz Jr. had Verstappen in his sights in the closing stages, but it was telling how Max was able to calmly hold him off. The weight loss allowed for a better race trim and now Red Bull was in the ascendency.

6. French miss: Leclerc spins out of lead

Was this when Verstappen knew the title was his to lose? Yes, pretty much. Leclerc looked all set to follow up on his Austrian GP win but still had to push at Paul Ricard – and then he dropped his Ferrari and spun into the Beausset barrier. From a 46-point lead after the first three races, Leclerc was now 63 down on Verstappen with ten races remaining. Ouch.

7. Hungary: the spin and win master

This was special. A power “glitch” left him tenth on the grid, but it became a running theme in the second half of the season that Verstappen could win from wherever he started. A beautifully calculated race from the team combined with an ability to put those old ‘impossible to pass’ prejudices against the Hungaroring out to pasture… that was the story of Budapest in 2022. Although Verstappen wasn’t perfect. Out of Turn 13 on lap 41 he pirouetted, completing a perfect 360-degree spin that allowed Leclerc back ahead. Never mind – Max recovered, hunted down the Ferrari once more and passed it again on lap 45. 

8. Imperious stuff at Spa

On the other side of the summer break, not even an engine parts usage penalty that left him starting 14^th on the grid at the Belgian GP could stop Verstappen from sweeping to an alarmingly comfortable ninth victory out of 14 races. Neither Carlos Sainz Jr. nor Charles Leclerc had an answer on track or off for the Red Bull driver’s pace, as the reigning champ took another step towards securing his second crown. Imperious stuff indeed.

9. Suzuka: a second title clinched

The wins just kept coming: at home at Zandvoort, again on Ferrari’s turf at Monza – five in succession. Perez broke the run in Singapore, but the delay to Verstappen clinching his second consecutive crown suited Red Bull, for it came on Honda’s home turf. What better way to continue coaxing the manufacturer back into F1 in the wake of the team’s rejection of a Porsche partnership from 2026? But still, what a strange race it turned out to be.

A lengthy rain delay meant a short 40-minute GP, which Max won by 27 seconds. What a performance. But at first, it appeared the title would have to wait. Leclerc was second on the road – until he was handed a penalty for cutting the chicane in his final-lap defence against Perez. When he dropped to third it was left to interviewer Johnny Herbert to tell Verstappen he was champion. Confusion all around but yes, it was true. The job was done.

10. Brazil: an unseemly postscript

In Abu Dhabi, Verstappen would complete his serene season in style with that 15^th win. But a week earlier in Brazil, he’d rubbed off a bit of shine by refusing to give up sixth place to team-mate Perez to aid Checo’s push for championship runner-up. Why? The oblique reference to something murky in the past triggered speculation about Perez and his qualifying spin in Monaco, and it all seemed so… unnecessary. Verstappen is a fantastic racing driver, fully deserving of his phenomenal success. But he’s hard work – and as a world champion, he remains a work in progress.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.