Max Verstappen's victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix not only secured him the F1 world title, but also the record for the most podium finishes in a single season.
Verstappen ended the campaign with 18 podiums, surpassing the record of 17 that was initially set by Schumacher back in 2002, and matched by other drivers in recent years.
Schumacher delivered a perfect score of 17 podiums from 17 races (11 wins, five second places and one third place) en route to his fifth world title.
Verstappen scored his 18 podiums in a longer season of 22 races, moving one clear of Schumacher with his dramatic win at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Only once did Verstappen finish a race off the podium, after getting caught up in carnage caused by Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas in Hungary. He also retired in Azerbaijan due to a tyre blowout and Britain and Italy due to collisions with Lewis Hamilton.
In percentage terms, Schumacher still leads with a 100% hit rate, while Verstappen's translates to 81.8%.
Before Verstappen moved clear, Schumacher's record had been matched on several occasions.
Sebastian Vettel racked up 17 podiums in 19 races in 2011 on his way to a second world title, while Hamilton followed suit in 2015 en route to his third crown. Hamilton also scored 17 podiums in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Verstappen's race results in 2021
| Grand Prix | Race result |
|---|---|
| Bahrain | 2 |
| Imola | 1 |
| Portugal | 2 |
| Spain | 2 |
| Monaco | 1 |
| Azerbaijan | DNF |
| France | 1 |
| Styria | 1 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Britain | DNF |
| Hungary | 9 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Italy | DNF |
| Russia | 2 |
| Turkey | 2 |
| US | 1 |
| Mexico | 1 |
| Brazil | 2 |
| Qatar | 2 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 |
| Abu Dhabi | 1 |
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