Max Verstappen clinched his third consecutive Formula One world championship title after Sergio Perez crashed out of the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Dutchman went into Saturday’s race knowing that he would successfully defend his crown once again as long as he did not lose six or more points to his Red Bull team-mate, with a one-horse title race officially coming to an end when Perez collided with Esteban Ocon on the 11th lap.
Verstappen is just the fifth driver ever to win three F1 world titles in a row, following in the footsteps of Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
It has been a season of utter dominance from Verstappen, who with victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September made it 10 consecutive race wins, a feat no other driver in the history of the sport had previously managed.
He is on pole position for Sunday’s full race in Qatar and few would bet against him making it 14 wins from 17 races this season at the Lusail International Circuit.
Verstappen sealed his latest title with six races to spare, matching Schumacher’s record from 2002, with Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix followed by events in Austin, Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas before the 2023 season concludes in Abu Dhabi in late November.
Red Bull - who have won all but one race this season, when Carlos Sainz triumphed for Ferrari in Singapore - won the constructors’ title for the sixth time after Verstappen’s win in Japan last month.
"It is a fantastic feeling, and it has been an incredible year. I am super proud of the team. It has been so enjoyable to be a part of that group of people. To be a three-time world champion is incredible,” Verstappen said.
"We will keep on pushing and try to do the best we can. Today was an exciting race, but it was good and fun out there and I am incredibly happy at the moment."
On the prospect of more titles in the future, he said: “We will see what happens. I am enjoying the moment and hopefully we will keep this momentum going for a while.”
Verstappen ended up finishing second in the sprint, with Oscar Piastri taking his first win for McLaren and team-mate Lando Norris in third ahead of Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Next came the Ferraris of Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with the top 10 rounded off by Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly.
