The championship coronation over, there’s now less than a week until the next Grand Prix and a chance for Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing to set even more Formula One records.
CONSECUTIVE RACE WINS
Vettel’s eighth consecutive win of 2013 Sunday in Austin brought his season total to 12, which eclipsed his personal career high of 11 set in 2011. And if he takes his ninth in a row Sunday in Brazil, he’ll match the all-time mark, achieved over two seasons by Alberto Ascari from 1952 into 1953.
SEASON RACE WINS
Vettel winning out will give him a total of 13 wins in 19 races. It will equal the all-time season mark of 13, set by Schumacher in his record-setting 2004. Still, Schumacher achieved the feat in 18 races, and that will be a higher winning percentage in the year (72.22% compared to a possible 68.42%).
MOST POINTS IN A SEASON
If Vettel wins Sunday, he’ll have scored the most points in a single season. The 26-year-old German could break his own mark of 392 set in 2011. He’s on 372 at the moment, and a Brazilian triumph takes him to 397.
Granted, the points system has changed to where more points are possible and points pay to 10th; all of the top 10 marks have been set since the points change in 2010 to its current 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 system. Still, Vettel’s numbers are astronomical, and he’s the only driver to have scored more than 300 in a season in F1 history.
MOST WINS FROM POLE … ALMOST
Vettel has seven wins from pole in 18 races this season, but he won’t be able to match the all-time mark of nine. Vettel won nine of 19 races from pole in 2011, which is tied with Nigel Mansell, who captured nine of 16 from P1 in 1992.
