The Absurd Stats Behind Max Verstappen's Dominance: Why He Is The GOAT Of F1's Ground-Effect Era

Last Updated:December 03, 2025, 15:49 IST

Max Verstappen dominated Formula 1's ground-effect era with more wins, poles, and podiums than any driver or team as the sport heads for a major reset in 2026.

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen (X)

2026 is about to slam the door shut on a whole era of Formula 1. New power units, new chassis rules, lighter cars, smaller cars, and a big old shift toward electric power — the sport is basically getting a factory reset.

And with that reset comes the final chapter of the ground-effect era, introduced in 2022 to help cars follow more closely and spice up the racing.

But really, who dominated this era?

Do we even need to pretend this is a mystery?

Of course not. It’s “that guy in a horror movie, that right as you think he’s not coming back, he’s back" — Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull superstar has already carved out a legacy that’ll take future generations a decade to process. Four straight world titles (2021–present), chasing a fifth this weekend in Abu Dhabi, and a statistical chokehold on the last four seasons that basically turns everyone else into NPCs.

And if the titles aren’t enough, here’s the real kicker: according to Daniel Valente of theScore, by the time we wrap up on Sunday, Max Verstappen will finish the entire ground-effect era with more wins, more poles, AND more podiums than any other driver or constructor.

Read that again. He outscored entire TEAMS.

Most Wins (2022–2025)

• Verstappen – 50

• McLaren – 20

Most Poles (2022–2025)

• Verstappen – 34

• Ferrari – 24

Most Podiums (2022–2025)

• Verstappen – 66

• McLaren – 63

Absurd. Cartoonish. Max-coded.

Dominant But At What Cost? (Literally)

But here’s the twist: even the king of the era is ready to show it the door. Verstappen has been blunt about how brutal these cars feel.

“My back falls off, and my feet actually hurt constantly," he told Dutch media. “Physically, this has not been nice… the scans don’t look good."

That’s… not simply lovely.

He’d happily rewind to pre-2022 machinery — and he’s not alone. Almost half the grid has complained about the physical toll.

So 2026 brings a fresh rulebook, a fresh formula, and a fresh chance for the pack to strike back. But wouldn’t Max love to step into that new era as the reigning champ? Well, Lando Norris has other ideas, and Oscar Piastri is absolutely trying to mess up the script.

With a three-way fight exploding at Yas Marina this Sunday, we might just get the wildest finale this era deserves.

About the Author

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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