Max Verstappen will establish himself in joint second-place on an exclusive qualifying list with pole position in Baku, but the Dutchman will still be some way off Lewis Hamilton’s record.
Max Verstappen has the opportunity to match an F1 great during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
If the Dutchman can successfully secure pole position for the race in Baku, he will equal the number of times different circuits Red Bull’s first drivers’ champion, Sebastian Vettel, took pole on.
The 26-year-old was quickest in qualifying in each of the first seven rounds of the F1 season. However, in the nine subsequent grand prix, he has scored just one more.
Currently on 22, Verstappen is joint third on the list with Alain Prost. But, unfortunately for the three-time drivers’ champion, given Red Bull’s recent form, he is unlikely to match Vettel just yet.
However, even if he can pull off the unlikely feat, the outright record holder, Lewis Hamilton, seemingly has an unassailable tally with 32.
Baku is one of three circuits on the current F1 calendar Verstappen has not claimed pole on, along with Singapore and Las Vegas, meaning Hamilton’s record is even further out of reach.
