He may not have won the title, but the outstanding season delivered by the four-time world champion still stands — and the numbers tell the story clearly.

Despite driving a car that was, on average, less competitive than the two McLarens, Max Verstappen ended the year with the highest number of pole positions and race wins. He also spent more laps at the front than either of his title rivals.

By leading from lights to flag in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri to finish the season with 454 laps led — just two more than the Australian.

Somewhat surprisingly, Lando Norris sits further back in the standings. Despite clinching the world title, he ended the year with 373 laps led. Fourth place goes to an outstanding George Russell, the only driver outside Red Bull and McLaren to win a race this season, finishing with 103 laps at the front.

Charles Leclerc recorded 48 laps led despite failing to take a single victory, while rookie Kimi Antonelli managed 11 in his debut F1 campaign

. Just two laps were led by Lewis Hamilton, further underlining a season to forget, while Alex Albon rounds out the list after briefly leading a Grand Prix for one lap in the Williams.

Jolyon Palmer also tipped his hat to the Dutchman’s standout campaign. Despite missing out on the title, Verstappen was widely hailed by many as the best driver of the just-finished season.

“This was an unbelievable season for Max, who delivered some huge underdog performances early on to snatch a couple of wins from McLaren, before coming back strongly as a major threat in the final third of the season,” he said, once again underlining the scale of Max Verstappen’s achievement.