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Max Verstappen sets new Formula 1 record

September 3, 2023

The Dutch driver representing Red Bull has won his 10th consecutive F1 race. The Red Bull team has dominated this season, with Verstappen winning 12 of 14 races.

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First-place driver Max Verstappen, second-place Sergio Perez and third-place Carlos Sainz at victory podium after Italian Grand Prix
Red Bull's Max Verstappen has won the Italian Grand Prix in his 10th consecutive Formula One victoryImage: CLAUDIA GRECO/REUTERS

Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull set an all-time record for most consecutive Formula One wins, with a 10th straight victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday.

"I never would have believed it (10 consecutive wins) was possible but we had to work for it today, so that was fun," Verstappen said.

Verstappen began his winning streak on May 7 at the Miami Grand Prix.

He has since won 12 of the 14 races this season, putting him well on his way to a third consecutive championship and a chance to break the single-season wins record of 15, which he set last year.

How it happened

Verstappen started in second place behind Sainz, but on lap 15, he overtook him, and from then on, just like the rest of the season, no one could keep up with the pace of the Red Bull.

The 25-year-old further extended his already dominant championship lead to 145 points.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen at Italian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen has won 10 F1 races in a rowImage: CLAUDIA GRECO/REUTERS

Verstappen's teammate, Mexico's Sergio Perez, finished second. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who is from Spain, took third place.

The Red Bull team has dominated this season, with Verstappen winning 12 races and Perez taking two.

Last weekend, he matched Sebastian Vettel's record of nine successive wins at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend. The retired German driver, who also raced for Red Bull, won all of the final nine races in 2013.

'I just had to pick my moment'

The victor of the Italian Grand Prix stressed that it was a difficult win.

"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," Verstappen said.

Perez also spoke of a tough race.

"To get through Charles [Leclerc] and then Carlos - I had to use all of my tyres. I feel a lot more comfortable in the car so I think we'll see my best form in the next races," Perez said.

Sainz and Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, also of Ferrari, were neck-and-neck in the final laps of the race.

"It can't get any tougher than it was today. Hard racing, it's always a pleasure to race Charles when we had a chance. We had fun out there," Sainz said after winning bronze, leaving Leclerc at fourth place.

sdi/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)