Max Verstappen is simply unstoppable at present. It is his time to rule the Formula One grid. There is no one faster than him and no one more skillful than him as it looks at present. Unlike his teammate Sergio Perez, he is not that inconsistent with a superior car, RB19. Instead, the Dutchman knows how to extend his winning streak with a superior and the fastest car on the grid. No other drivers have been as lucky as Verstappen, and no other teams have been as lucky as Red Bull in the new cost cap era.
Generally, the teams have suffered because of technical problems with the car. For instance, the former champion, Mercedes, has been struggling with the rear end since the start of the season. Recently, Max Verstappen went past Ayrton Senna’s win tally. In the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Dutchman won his 44th race. The number 44 is closely associated with his rival Lewis Hamilton. Hence, after the race, in the post-race press conference, Max Verstappen mentioned that he wished that he did not get stuck at 44 for too long.
Max Verstappen Can’t Wait To Go Past Hamilton’s 44
Looks like Max can get to his 45th Grand Prix victory next weekend. There is a high possibility that the current double-time champion will win the Belgian Grand Prix next Sunday as well. Max Verstappen had an epic outing last year when he won the Belgian Grand Prix from the 14th position. Moreover, Red Bull is on a mission to win all the races this year. It would be a historic feat in Formula One. On top of that, Max Verstappen can break Sebastian Vettel’s record of 2013, too, if he wins ten in a row this year. Driving with Red Bull car, Vettel won nine in a row in 2013.
However, after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen mentioned that he hopes his team continues this momentum for a longer time. The Dutchman has won 24 races since last year. Hence, Red Bull’s domination has been for way too long already. Later, Lewis Hamilton complained that Max had pushed him wide in the race last Sunday. In reply, David Coulthard defended Verstappen saying, “What else did he expect from Max?” Moreover, Max Verstappen said that Sunday had been a perfect day. It is not as easy as it looks to win 12 races in a row. But Max mentioned that it is an enjoyable time to have this tremendous success with the team.
No Team, Including Mercedes, Has Got The Better Of Red Bull This Year On The Final Race Day
Mercedes has introduced many upgrades since the Monaco Grand Prix but has not been able to get back to winning ways. Since 2022, Mercedes has won only a single Grand Prix so far. However, not a single win for any team came this year other than Red Bull. The Milton Keynes team has won all 11 races.
In 11 races, Verstappen got 11 podium finishes and nine victories. He is holding on to the seven-race winning streak. Moreover, Max Verstappen has finished at P2 twice this year. That’s the worst performance for the Dutchman so far. In other words, that is how good he has been in 2023.