© Getty ImagesThe Perfect TenMax isn’t making a big deal of winning ten consecutive races… so we’re going to do it for him.
AnybodyexpectingMaxVerstappentobreakdownwiththeemotiononthepodiuminMonzawouldhavebeendisappointed.Butthen,anyonethinkingMaxwasgoingtoreactatalltoshatteringthelongstandingrecordforconsecutivevictories,reallydoesn’tknowMaxparticularlywell.HewasthrilledtowintheItalianGrandPrix,pleasedtoextendhisandourleadsatthetopoftheWorldChampionships,andtheotherthing…well,inparcferméandthepost-racepressconference,heusedwordslike‘proud’and‘happy’…buthewaskeentogetoffthesubjectandtalkaboutatitanicbattlewithCarlosSainz–becauseit’stheracingthatmatterstoMax.Heisn’tonetodwell.
And he’s wrong, because winning ten grands prix in a row is a monumental achievement, both for Max and his crew. One to shout about from the very top of the Duomo. The RB19 is clearly a very quick, very capable car, but to take the chequered flag first ten times in a row (12, if you count the Sprints) in a series as competitive as F1, is staggering. In fact it’s so special, no one else has managed it in over seven decades of Formula One racing.
Were this a script, Max would have saved the toughest challenge for last, and while getting past a very determined Sainz at the Temple of Speed was less-than-straightforward, it’s the start of Max’s run, at the Miami International Autodrome, that pushed him the hardest, qualifying ninth but roaring through the field to take an impressive victory. Max was quick all weekend at the Hard Rock Stadium, and he duly set the fastest time in qualifying… but not in Q3 when it mattered. Searching for ultimate pace, Max ran wide on the low-grip MIA tarmac at the end of the high-speed first sector and aborted his run. He had one set of tyres left and a chance to redeem himself – but a late red flag dashed his hopes. Max called it “painful and upsetting”, and it left him with a lot to do on race day – but he did it with some style.
That's The Money Shot© Getty Images
It’s been a long season but the eight hundredths of a second that separated Max and Fernando Alonso in Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix are why we’re writing this piece now. The Circuit de Monaco hasn’t exactly been a bogie circuit for Max – he did, after all, win the famous race in 2021 – but he’d be the first to admit he prefers a little bit more elbow room. This year was his first pole position in the Principality at the eighth time of trying. At other circuits during the run, he’s been relaxed about not being P1 on the grid, knowing that race pace matters more – but in Monaco it really doesn’t. Starting in front of an extremely well-motivated Alonso was critical, and when Max needed to squeeze-out that last ounce of performance, he was up to the task – though he did give the barriers a little rub along the way. That seemed to please him post-session more than the pole position trophy: there was a guilty grin and an opinion that perhaps he had been half a millimetre off the line.
That Monaco Winning Feeling© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
In future years, people with undoubtedly speak of Max’s dominance over these races. It hasn’t always felt that way from the pit-lane – though perhaps it did at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when Max marked his third consecutive win, with his third grand chelem, taking the trifecta of pole, fastest lap and victory, while adding the distinction of leading every lap of the race. He was quickest in all three practice sessions as well, and also in Q2. In fact the only session he didn’t top was a wet, flag-affected Q1 – which is probably a relief for commentators as there really isn’t a word or phrase to cover that.
Red Bull Celebration Shower© Getty Images
Christian isn’t exaggerating when he says Max is the only reason we have a Dutch Grand Prix. There’s 105,000 fans jammed into the Circuit Zandvoort and not many of them are wearing Rosso Corsa. That’s a lot of responsibility on Max’s shoulders and he bears it with a slightly strained smile – but the weather for the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix didn’t make his record equalling victory particularly easy. In fact, so bad was the wind and driving rain, it allowed him to equal another record: Jenson Button’s 2011 Canadian Grand Prix victory which featured a benchmark six pit-stops. The Dutch Grand Prix involved a dry middle-stint, bracketed by heavy rain – sea-squalls really – at the start and finish. Max swapped from soft to intermediate on lap two, Inter to Soft on lap 11, soft to soft on 49, Soft to Inter on 61, Inter to Wet on 63 and then, when race control admitted defeat and red-flagged the race, Wet back to Inter on 64. Any driver who finished that race deserves credit, finishing it in front was magnificent – but credit also to the pit-crew who nailed each and every one of those stops. They also bagged the fastest stop of the day for Max’s car – though towelling off post-race no-one was entirely sure which one it was…
Nine In A Row© Getty Images
