Brad Binder and Kirsten Landman starred for South Africa on two wheels, as we welcomed back motorsport to the continent via Formula E, writes GRANT SHUB. Formula One season: 3 March – 26 November Max Verstappen won the Formula One Championship in grand fashion as he capped a near-perfect year with a first place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Overall, Red Bull Honda won 21 of the 23 races over a massively dominant season.
Max, the son of ex-Formula One driver Jos, finished the Drivers’ Championship with 575 points, while Red Bull Honda claimed the constructors’ championship 451 points ahead of Mercedes. Mexican Sergio Perez, who claimed two wins over the season, and Britton Lewis Hamilton rounded out the podium places on the Drivers’ standings.
However, the numbers don’t lie – Verstappen finished 290 points ahead of Perez and never looked in danger of relinquishing the title he also won in 2021 and 2022. The man, who has a need for speed, was awarded Laureus Sportsman of the Year in 2022. He is ruthless on track and has an insatiable appetite for sustained success at the sharp end of the sport.
Post-term the delighted 26-year-old said: “To win 19 races in a season is just incredible. It’s a privilege to be able to drive such a car and work with all these amazing people.”
Verstappen, who became the youngest driver to compete in F1 at the age of 17 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, is set to remain at the team until at least the end of the 2028 season after signing a contract extension.
Verstappen is known for his aggressive race style and was once labeled “dangerous” by Brazilian Felipe Massa. But the former lives by the motto, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
Having achieved a three-peat, Verstappen will be gunning for four consecutive world championships next season. Hamilton holds the record for the most wins on the circuit (103) followed by legend Michael Schumacher (91).
Verstappen, who has now moved above Sebastian Vettel with 54 wins, is a way behind the top two but with the Dutchman 12 years Hamilton’s junior, he could yet break even more records and create F1 history. Brad Binder, the first South African to win a MotoGP race, flew the Rainbow nation’s flag in some style. The KTM rider finished in fourth place on the overall standings behind the triumvirate of Ducatis driven by Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi.
Italian Bagnaia, who also won the 2022 championship, finished in first place with 467 points and amassed seven wins, with Binder scoring 293 points over the year.
The 28-year-old, who will wed fiance Courtney Renniers in Stellenbosch in December, didn’t stand on the top step of the podium this term but had an impressive season for KTM. In 20 races, he outscored his teammate Jack Miller 14 times. Binder also enjoyed great success in the abbreviated sprint races before the GP. He claimed two first places and five podiums.
Source: Supersport
In other news – It ends in tears for DJ Fresh and actress ‘Mapaseka Koetle
Motswana disk jockey, producer, and entrepreneur based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thato Sikwane, better known by his stage name, DJ Fresh says he’s out of the dating pool for a while after his recent break-up experience.
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