Max Verstappen’s 1st Grand Slam in Formula One

Max Verstappen is undeniably a force to be reckoned with, making his mark since his first races in F1. But it wasn't until 2021 that he has the machinery to show how good he really is, competing head-to-head with a seven times World Champion.

His Red Bull RB16B chassis is Adrian Newey's latest car, but first, What is a Grand Slam and why is it so difficult to accomplish? A Grand Slam, or Grand Chelem, is a very special achievement where a driver obtains pole position, does the fastest lap of the race, and wins it while leading every lap. Only 25 drivers to date have achieved such a feat. Jim Clark holds the record with eight Grand Slams in his career. Here's the complete table with those who have done it in Formula One since the first race in 1950.

The 2021 Austrian Grand Prix was the first race since the COVID-19 pandemic started that had fans back at a Grand Prix. It's also Red Bull's home race in Austria, and it was filled with people dressed in orange. Norris jokingly said they were supporting F1's Orange team, McLaren, but they were really cheering their Dutch hero, Max Verstappen.

On July 3, 2021, Max Verstappen claimed pole position by a very slim margin of only 0.048 seconds from McLaren's Lando Norris.

During the race, Max started like a missile, never looking back nor being challenged by anyone behind. He even had enough time to take an extra pit stop with 10 laps to go to ensure an extra point for fastest lap.

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