Formula1.com, F1's in-house newspaper, keeps all sorts of fun statistics. Among them is a list of the Top 10 Most Starts in F1. And there we find a new entrant at position 10: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

The Mexican Formula 1 driver has made a total of 253 starts in F1 after the Grand Prix in Austin. At number one is, of course, Alonso with 373, at two Raikkonen with 349, and at three Hamilton with 328. In addition to Perez, the list includes two perennial number-2s: Barrichello at four and Massa at eight. Perez is, however, the first Mexican F1 driver in the list.

On to number nine?

At nine, with 256 starts, is Riccardo Patrese, an Italian F1 driver who was active in the premier class of racing from 1977 to 1993. So that's a gotcha for Perez. There are, with Mexico, four races to go. That could take Perez to 257, one start ahead of Patrese. Perez has to do it this year, though, because whether he will be in F1 next year is still not 100% certain.

No Verstappen

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is not yet in the Top 10. He has only 181 starts to his name so far. He will not be in the Top 10 next year either. There are 24 races on the calendar in the 2024 Formula 1 season, so if Verstappen starts in all of them, he will be 209 (181 + 4 + 24) by the end of next year. Just a little more driving, then, for Verstappen. Whether he will lose sleep over it is, of course, the question. The cool Dutchman has previously indicated he does not care too much about records.