2022 Topps Chrome Formula 1: Verstappen's Record-Wins Title Year

2022 Topps Chrome Formula 1 is the set from the season Max Verstappen turned a first title into a dynasty. He won his second World Championship — clinching it with races to spare — and along the way set the record for the most race wins in a single Formula 1 season. Cards from this set carry both stories: a title defence and a statistical milestone that put his dominance beyond doubt.

Why 2022 is a milestone year

Verstappen’s modern card timeline starts in 2020, the debut year of Topps’ licensed F1 program and the anchor of his rookie-era cards. 2022 is the third year of that Chrome program — so these are third-year cards, not rookies — but on-track it may be the most significant of the four title seasons. Winning back-to-back championships proved the 2021 breakthrough was no fluke, and the single-season wins record made 2022 the year his statistical case for greatness took off. In the four-consecutive-title run (2021–2024) that defines his card market, 2022 is the “runaway” year.

The card ladder, base to 1/1

As with any Chrome set, everything is the same card photo dressed in a different finish. Reading that ladder is how you know what you’re holding:

• Base — the standard chrome finish. The accessible entry point and a clean target for a first graded card.
• Refractor — adds the signature rainbow shimmer. The first real step up in scarcity and shine.
• Numbered color parallels — Topps builds a rainbow of colored refractors, each serial-numbered. The lower the print run, the scarcer the card and, generally, the stronger the price.
• 1/1 SuperFractor — the single rarest version of any given card, sitting at the top of the rainbow.

New to reading that ladder? Our parallels & refractors guide decodes every tier and what a serial like /50 actually means.

The Sapphire edition

Topps has issued an online-exclusive Chrome F1 Sapphire edition alongside standard Chrome for most years of the program — a glassier chromium finish with its own parallel ladder, prized by collectors who chase the shiniest version of a card. No public checklist covers a 2022 Chrome Sapphire F1 release — the earliest indexed Sapphire F1 guide is 2023 — so treat a listing advertising a 2022 Sapphire card as a claim to confirm from the card face. Sapphire trades separately from standard Chrome, so confirm which edition a listing is before you buy. Full breakdown in our Topps Chrome F1 Sapphire set guide.

How to buy the 2022 Chrome Verstappen

Singles from this set trade on eBay, not Amazon, so search the live market for the exact card and finish you want. Use the buttons below to open current listings for the base, refractors, numbered parallels, the Sapphire edition and graded copies. For anything at a serious price point, buy it graded (PSA or SGC) — chrome shows wear on the edges and surface easily, so a slab protects both condition and authenticity. Our grading guide covers which cards are worth grading and when it pays off.

To see how this record-wins year fits the wider timeline, follow the year-by-year Verstappen card guide from the 2020 debut through all four championships, and compare it against the 2023 Topps Chrome Formula 1 record 19-win set from his third title that followed, the 2021 Topps Chrome Formula 1 first-title set that came before it, and the 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 rookie set that anchors the run. New to the program? Start with the rookie cards guide for the full set-family map, then the “what’s it worth” page for reading values by card type and grade. For the high-end signed side of the Topps program, see the autographs & chrome guide, and for how his cards fit the wider hobby, our collecting guide. Background on the team he won the title with is on our Red Bull Racing page.