These are the highlights of Verstappen's second world title

With 12 wins to his name and 366 points in the drivers' championship, Verstappen is the 2022 world champion. The Dutchman only finished off the podium four times this season, two of which were caused by reliability problems. With the world title in his pocket, it is a good time to look back at the highlights of Verstappen's season.

From P14 to victory in no time

The race at Spa is easily Verstappen's best race of 2022. The Red Bull driver suffered a grid penalty, dropping from pole position to P14. Verstappen hoped to finish on the podium, but in the end this proved to be an easy task. After the opening lap, the Dutchman was already in eighth position. After the safety car period, Verstappen flew through the field and was in the top three in no time. After just 12 laps, Verstappen was the leader of the Belgian GP. In the end, the 25-year-old driver managed to cross the finish line with a wide lead of 20 seconds. It was a perfect weekend for Verstappen.

Win on home soil

Verstappen already had a victory in Zandvoort to his name, but the second was perhaps even better. This time, the Dutchman had to fight for victory against none other than his 2021 rival, Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes was fast on the road, but due to a safety car in the closing stages of the race, Verstappen ended up right behind Hamilton's car, just like in Abu Dhabi 2021. On the restart, Verstappen was able to overtake the Briton almost immediately.

Fight to the finish line with Leclerc

After the disappointment of the crash in Bahrain, Verstappen was more than motivated to take his first win of the season at the Saudi Arabian GP. The Dutchman started from fourth place and had to get past Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on the narrow street circuit. A hugely exciting final stage followed with a battle between Verstappen and Leclerc. The two rivals conducted a tactical game with the DRS, but in the end Verstappen managed to cross the finish line victorious at the very last moment.

Victory despite mistake

As in Belgium, Verstappen also had to come from the midfield in Hungary. After a dramatic qualifying session, the Dutchman started from tenth position. Racing fast, Verstappen got close to the top five and in the closing stages of the race the Dutchman was able to overtake Leclerc. However, things went wrong for the Red Bull driver moments later, as he lost control of the wheel causing his car to spin. Verstappen managed to recover and was able to 'just' overtake Leclerc again a few laps later. Hamilton and George Russell were also unable to keep up with the Dutchman's pace.

Verstappen under pressure from Sainz

Victory in the Canadian Grand Prix was no easy task for Verstappen. In the last 15 laps of the race, the Dutchman came under tremendous pressure from Sainz, who was a lot faster than Verstappen on new tyres. In the end, the Ferrari could not keep up with the RB18's speed on the straights and Verstappen took home 25 points.