Credits: Imago |
L: Max Verstappen R: Michael Schumacher

It has become a routine for Max Verstappen to equal and break records courtesy of his dominance in F1 since 2022. At the 2024 Spanish GP too, the Dutchman has climbed up the list of most podium finishes and has equaled Fernando Alonso and Alain Prost’s tally of 106 podiums. Now, Verstappen needs only 11 podiums to overtake Michael Schumacher in the list of most podiums with a single constructor.

According to a graphic posted on the Formula 1 subreddit, Schumacher is second on this list with 116 podiums for Ferrari, behind Lewis Hamilton [149 – Mercedes]. Meanwhile, all of Verstappen’s 106 podiums have come with Red Bull since 2016.

Thus, with 14 races to go in this season, the 26-year-old could get past Schumacher’s tally. Verstappen has not stood on the podium this year in Australia and Monaco, where Red Bull struggled immensely with its reliability and performance respectively.

So, it is quite likely that the three-time champion could keep up with this rate and have the second-most number of podiums with a single constructor. Now, in terms of his overall podium tally, Schumacher is still quite ahead of Verstappen with 155 top-three finishes to his name.

However, the Red Bull man has toppled several of the seven-time champion’s records. In 2022, Verstappen got the most Grand Prix wins in a single season (15), a joint record previously held by Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013). Verstappen then bettered his own record in 2023 with 19 wins.

The Dutchman has also beaten Schumacher for the record of most podiums in a single season. Last season, Verstappen got a record 21 podium finishes to his name, missing out on the top three only once. However, there is uncertainty over whether he can carry such a high level of form moving forward because of Red Bull’s struggles in 2024.

Max Verstappen needs to watch his back amid Red Bull’s struggles

While the past two seasons have been quite smooth sailing for Max Verstappen, the 2024 season has got him several plot twists. After winning the first two races, the 26-year-old expected to cruise to his fourth consecutive championship. However, the reality seems far from that being the case.

Red Bull’s dominant advantage over the rest of the field seems to be disappearing. Meanwhile, teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and now even Mercedes are gradually matching the RB20’s pace. This reduction in Red Bull’s performance is making Verstappen work harder than ever to win races.

Now, many would say that the Dutchman may be hitting his stagnancy point in terms of his dominance in the sport. Or is it Red Bull’s major overhaul to the RB20 that has handicapped the three-time champion to replicate his almost perfect 2023 season?

Either way, Verstappen needs to look in his mirrors a lot more this season if he wishes to keep getting wins and podiums like his past two seasons to claim his fourth title. Otherwise, there is chatter about the 26-year-old looking to get away from Red Bull amid their internal turmoil and performance struggles in 2024.

Only time will tell if Verstappen resorts to pushing the panic button or puts faith in the Milton Keynes outfit.