Verstappen clinches third straight Formula One title

Max Verstappen believes his third Formula One title is his best yet.

Clinching the championship in a sprint race Saturday in Qatar didn't pack the emotional impact of his dramatic, controversial lastlap overtake of Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 title. Still, the Red Bull driver says his relentlessly consistent 2023 season has been his greatest.

“This one is the best one,” Verstappen said. “I think the first one was the most emotional one because that's when your dreams are fulfilled in F1. But this one definitely in my opinion has been my best year also for consecutive wins and stuff. The car itself has been probably in the best shape as well. This one is probably (the one) I'm most proud of in a way because of consistency.”

Verstappen finished second in the sprint race in Losail, Qatar, and his teammate Sergio Perez, the only driver who could catch him in the standings, crashed out after being struck by Esteban Ocon's Alpine.

Oscar Piastri won the sprint — a rare achievement for a rookie, even if Verstappen's title overshadowed it — and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris was third.

The title race was all but over long before Verstappen made sure of it Saturday. His run of 10 straight wins, an alltime F1 record, from May to September left him far ahead in the standings. A third title ranks him among some of the sport's all-time greats, level with the likes of Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda.

“I achieved more than I could have ever even dreamed of or any goals that I wanted to achieve in F1,” Verstappen said. “So I'm loving the moment. We'll see where we end up. It's already way more than I ever thought I could achieve, so it's perfect.”

There are still five Grands Prix left this season.

• Tyler Reddick will try to extend his NASCAR championship run by starting from the pole today in the elimination race at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Reddick, in a Toyota for 23XI Racing, turned a lap at 102.839 mph on the hybrid road course/oval in qualifying. It was the sixth pole of Reddick's career but first on a road course.

Reddick starts today's race trailing Brad Keselowski by two points to advance into the round of eight of the playoffs. Four drivers will be eliminated today, and Reddick leads teammate Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch in the bottom four of the rankings.

• Sam Mayer rallied from the verge of elimination into the next round of the Xfinity Series playoffs with a season-defining win on The Roval at Charlotte.

It was the third career win for the 20-year-old driver for JR Motorsports, who was ranked 12th and last in the standings as four drivers vied for the five open slots in the round of eight of the playoffs for NASCAR's second-tier series.