
The best among the walls
Max Verstappen’s victory in Las Vegas not only boosted the Dutch driver’s championship ambitions—also aided by the stunning disqualification of both McLarens driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—but also awarded the Red Bull superstar the informal title of ‘king’ of the street circuits this season. With the current extra-large calendar of 24 Grands Prix and 6 Sprint races, Formula 1’s official social channels created a ranking of the eight events formally recognized as ‘street races’: Melbourne, Jeddah, Miami, Monaco, Montreal, Baku, Singapore, and Las Vegas. From this mini-championship of eight events, Max Verstappen emerged victorious with 146 points.
Behind him in second place is not a McLaren, as some might have expected, but Mercedes’ ‘captain’ George Russell, with 130 points. The top McLaren driver, Lando Norris, sits third with 101 points. Even with the additional 18 points from his second place in Las Vegas—which were removed due to disqualification—the Englishman would still be behind his compatriot Russell, who would drop to 127 points. Oscar Piastri, in the second MCL39, is fourth with 91 points.
Two wins each for the top four
| GP | Winner |
|---|---|
| Australia | L. Norris (McLaren) |
| Saudi Arabia | O. Piastri (McLaren) |
| Miami | O. Piastri (McLaren) |
| Monaco | L. Norris (McLaren) |
| Montreal | G. Russell (Mercedes) |
| Baku | M. Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Singapore | G. Russell (Mercedes) |
| Las Vegas | M. Verstappen (Red Bull) |
An interesting statistic is that the top four drivers all won two races each, meaning consistency made the difference, which punished the two Woking-based McLaren drivers. The contrast between the first four races and the last four is also striking: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Miami, and Monaco—all held in the first two months of the season between mid-March and late May—were all won by McLaren. Conversely, in the last four races—one in June and the remaining three after mid-September—Mercedes and Red Bull alternated on the top step of the podium. This provides a clear snapshot of how the season shifted after the summer break, when McLaren’s dominance was increasingly challenged race after race.
Another record added to Max’s ever-growing collection: undisputed king of the walls in 2025.



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