Is the Australian Grand Prix CURSED for Max Verstappen?

Max Verstappen has started more than one race at 27 different circuits in his Formula 1 career, and not a single one of those has brought him fewer points per race than the Australian Grand Prix.

The only track he's raced at more often without climbing on the top step of the podium is Sochi, but at least he's been consistently competitive in Russia – and more to the point, doesn't have to race there for the time being.

No, the Melbourne curse is very real for the reigning world champion. He's averaging fewer than six points per race around the streets of Albert Park in his career – and remember, six points is what you get for finishing seventh.

Verstappen is the overwhelming, odds-on favourite to extend his championship lead this coming weekend, but there's something about being in Australia that turns his plans upside down.

Max Verstappen's race history in the Australian Grand Prix

2022: Retired, fuel leak (lap 38)

Last season was the most competitive Verstappen's been in Australia. That's no surprise in a season that saw him walk to the title, but the trip to Melbourne was all the way back in April, before Ferrari went full Ferrari.

A mighty lap from Charles Leclerc in Q3 put the Ferrari on pole ahead of the Dutchman, and Verstappen couldn't take advantage of a pair of early race safety cars as Leclerc pulled away from him time and again at the restarts. The race did feature a further virtual safety car, but the lead Red Bull was unable to take advantage because his retirement was the one that caused it, a fuel issue leading to a fire in his car.

Were Leclerc's on-track dominance and the Red Bull's reliability issues a sign of things to come? Well, no. Verstappen won 14 of the remaining 19 races, and took the title by 146 points.

2020 and 2021: Race cancelled due to Covid-19

No race on the calendar was hit harder by the Covid-19 pandemic, with back to back Australian GPs cancelled. It's not unreasonable to think that Verstappen would've performed well in at least one of them (although with Red Bull's reliability issues in 2020, that's anyone's guess), but we'll never know.

2019: 3rd

By far Verstappen's best weekend Down Under in his career, qualifying fourth behind both Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari before storming past the experienced German in the middle of the race and pulling away to claim his first (and so far only) podium at Melbourne.

Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes 1-2 in the 2019 season's first indication of the Silver Arrows' dominance, while Verstappen's sister Red Bull – driven by Pierre Gasly in his only season with the team – qualified 17th and finished the race a lap down in 11th.

2018: 6th, beaten by his teammate

After qualifying fourth, Verstappen reminded fans that he was still, at that point in his career, very much a work in progress as a racing driver. A lapse in concentration saw him passed at the first corner by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, before a completely unforced error on the tenth lap saw him spin at turn one and lose a handful of places.

That put him down in eighth place, which became sixth when both Haas drivers retired from the race with wheel issues. A virtual safety car and full safety car didn't help the then 20-year-old Verstappen regain any more places, and he finished the race behind four world champions (race winner Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso) as well as team-mate Daniel Riccardo.

2017: 5th

Verstappen's third Formula 1 season started with what looked on paper like a fairly normal race weekend. He qualified fifth behind the Ferraris and both Mercedes, and finished the race fifth behind those same four cars.

It's not an Australian Grand Prix without some kind of unusual caveat for the Dutchman though, and he revealed after the race that he'd gone the distance without a drinks bottle. It's still not entirely clear if that was a mistake by the team or an unorthodox weight-saving move, but it certainly can't have been fun as he was ticking off the 302km race distance around Albert Park.

2016: 10th, after qualifying 5th

In a race most notable for Fernando Alonso's terrifying high speed crash, which resulted in the race being briefly red flagged on lap 17, we got an early glimpse of the more petulant side of F1's enfant terrible.

Having put his Toro Rosso fifth on the grid in a qualifying session marred by furious complaints over the new mid-session elimination format, Verstappen lost several seconds in a botched pit-stop and spent the closing laps of the race swearing and complaining on team radio about strategy, his team-mate Carlos Sainz's pace in front of him, and anything else he could think of.

In the end, he followed Sainz home to finish tenth.

2015: Retired, engine (lap 32)

The 2015 Australian Grand Prix was the day Verstappen became the youngest driver in the sport's history, but very little else went right for him (or almost anybody else on the grid) that day.

Only 15 cars even made it to the grid, with a further two not even completing a full lap at race pace. Only needing to finish ahead of three other drivers for a points-scoring debut, Verstappen was indeed running in the top ten when his car – and his hopes – went up in smoke after 32 laps. An early portent, perhaps, of his future misfortunes in Melbourne.

READ MORE: Verstappen demands improved Red Bull reliability

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