F1: Verstappen breaks F1 record. Can anyone stop him?
Under pressure from the fans, the media and his opponents, Max Verstappen tied and then broke the record of 9 straight F1 wins in a row.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Hungarian GP: 9-in-a-row, going for 10
Heading into the Dutch Grand Prix, defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen had amassed a run of eight consecutive victories and knew that if he crossed the finish line first at Circuit Zandvoort, he would equal Sebastien Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row. However, Verstappen had to navigate testing circumstances from the get-go to make it nine from nine.
You could say it’s fair that if you want to equal a record set a decade ago, you’ve got to work for it. Verstappen is undoubtedly a driver always up for a challenge, but the wet-dry-wet conditions provided a huge test for the Dutchman, even though he began the Dutch Grand Prix on pole and was favorite to win the race regardless of the weather, according to Formula 1 betting odds.
When the race began, rain was lightly falling, but it had intensified by the end of the first lap. Drivers, including Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, decided to pit to put on inters, but the Dutchman opted to stay out and not follow suit. This meant he had to pit late on, so he came out 15 seconds behind Perez in the shake-up, but then the rain became torrential with seven laps remaining.
Out came the red flag, and a 46-minute delay followed before the action resumed, with former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso challenging Verstappen briefly, but it was a threat the current world champ saw off with ease, winning the race by 3.744s. Verstappen insisted that he could see the Spaniard in his mirrors, but once he had temperature in his tires, “it was all well-balanced again.”
The current campaign is the 74th in Formula 1 history, and only Vettel and now Verstappen have ever gone on a streak of nine successive victories. Nobody has ever won ten from ten, and Verstappen has the chance to smash the record and become the only man to do so if he wins the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, a race he won last year. So you wouldn’t bet against the Dutchman.
Speaking about his achievement of equalling Vettel’s record, Verstappen said, “Nine in a row was something I never even thought about, so yeah, very happy with that, but in general, very happy to win here in front of my own crowd.” He also described the Dutch Grand Prix as “one of the more difficult races to win.”
Verstappen is currently in pole position to defend his Formula 1 crown, as he’s sat on top of the leaderboard with a stunning 138-point lead over teammate Perez, who is currently second in the standings. The Red Bull duo have broken away from the rest of the pack, with Aston Martin’s Alonso way back on 168 points.
Now he’s in his groove and racking up win after win; it’s highly unlikely that it won’t be the Dutchman holding the trophy aloft sooner rather than later. Lewis Hamilton was expected to rival Verstappen again, but a challenge from the Mercedes driver has never come to fruition.
Italian GP: 10-in-a-row
Max Verstappen did it, but not without a fight.
Max Verstappen out dueled both Ferraris early, passed Carlos Sainz Jr. on lap 15 and then eased to his 10th straight F1 win in the Italian GP.
In what was an exciting 2023 Italian GP with close battles and passes all race long, Verstappen’s record 10th consecutive win breaks a tie he enjoyed with Sebastian Vettel with 9 consecutive wins. It was Verstappen’s 12th win of the year in 14 races, and his 47th career F1 win.
!["I mean, I never would have believed [10] was possible, but we had to work for it today, so that was fun. It was so hard to get close and get a move into Turn 1, I had to force [Sainz] into a mistake. I tried to stay patient, it's a long race and I just had to pick my moment."](https://www.autoracing1.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/f1/monza/verstappen-10-straight.jpg)
Sergio Perez battled hard with the two Ferraris and picked them off one at a time to make it a Red Bull Honda 1-2 finish.
“To get through Charles and then Carlos – I had to use all of my tires,” said Perez.
“I really thought at times, especially at the beginning… in the end we managed to get both of them. I feel a lot more comfortable in the car so I think we’ll see my best form in the next races.”
Polesitter Carlos Sainz Jr. finished third for the final podium position after a hard battle with his teammate Charles Leclerc who finished 4th.
“Very tough, very tough,” said Sainz.
“It can’t get any tougher than it was today. To keep up with the Red Bulls, I paid the price with the rear tires, but I did everything I could to defend. Hard racing, it’s always a pleasure to race Charles when we had a chance. We had fun out there!”
Can anyone stop him?
The way Verstappen is driving, and the way his Red Bull team is performing, there is a reasonable chance Verstappen can win all eight remaining races.
There is not a driver in F1 today that is good enough to beat him. Verstappen is driving at an extremely high level.
Famous former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi also hailed Verstappen’s achievement.
“Winning two in a row is already difficult in Formula 1,” he smiled. “We are not just talking about the best car, but also about the best driver.
“I remember from my time when Williams were lapping cars after 15 laps, but that kind of dominance is really out of the question now, isn’t it?
“The competition is very strong. Everyone is close to each other, except for one: Max.”
Fernando Alonso agrees: “He’s the best in qualifying, he’s the best in the race, he’s the best in the duels. They’re just incredible together.”
