Verstappen was the undisputed champion of the United States, and tied the next record

Max Verstappen dropped another in Austin Main class
Overtaking, by driving to victory from P6. Not only was it a good fiftieth win for the Dutchman, his victory in Texas also saw Verstappen join the ranks of drivers Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton who have won five times in a row in the same country. Senna continued his winning streak in Monaco, while Hamilton went five years unbeaten in Spain. F1Maximaal delves into the history books to see how the winning streaks of the three champions went.

Verstappen is just the latest in a long list of broken records. The Dutchman equaled Senna and Hamilton’s feat with his victory in Austin after the Dutchman took the record for most consecutive wins in a season from Sebastian Vettel earlier this year. Verstappen went on to make it five consecutive wins on American soil, with Senna and Hamilton winning consecutively in Monaco and Spain respectively.

Senna: Monaco’s undisputed champion

Graham Hill admitted Mr. Monaco During the 1960s, no driver won the city-state’s grand prix more often than Senna. Hill won five Grands Prix during his tenure as an F1 driver, a feat surpassed by Senna in 1993 with his sixth victory in the premiership. The sixth win came at the end of five straight wins by the Brazilian giants.

Senna’s first win at Monaco came in 1987, winning by 33 seconds over Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet. Senna was lucky with the retirement of Nigel Mansell, who had started from pole position earlier. While it was an impressive win for Senna, it was not the start of his winning streak in Monaco. In 1988, Senna was unable to capitalize on his pole position as he lost control of his McLaren at Portier and spun into the barrier. Senna was so disappointed by his lost race that he went back to his home in Monaco in the middle of the race. After Alain Prost won the race, Senna kept quiet until the evening. The leading Brazilian driver could not have imagined that during the next edition of the Grand Prix, he would start a so far unparalleled streak of victories in Monaco.

Senna’s first three victories in Monaco did not come until five consecutive victories after the most sensational races. In the first of five races in 1989, Senna managed to take pole position, then cruised to victory 52 seconds ahead of teammate Prost. The 1990 Grand Prix at Monaco also went smoothly for Senna, although there was still some tension at the end when Senna decided to slow down his McLaren to save his Honda engine. However, the car stalled, and Senna won comfortably, the second of five in a row. During his third successive victory in 1991, Senna took pole position, leading at the start of the Grand Prix and eventually winning by 18 seconds ahead of second-placed Mansell.

Senna had to work a little harder for victory number 4, as the Brazilian could not qualify higher than P3 in 1992. However, Senna was already one place ahead of Ricardo Padres. Padres then tried to attack again, but a gearbox problem forced the Italian back. Senna was also briefly caught by Michael Alboretto who spun in front of Senna’s car in the hunt for race leader Mansell. However, the Brazilian managed to avoid a collision. Until the 70th lap, Senna was unlikely to achieve that fourth win in a row. That changed when leader Mansell had to pit because his cycle cap was in danger of falling off his car. Mansell came up behind Senna and tried with all his might to overtake his rival. It didn’t work and after a good battle between the two, Senna managed to win by two tenths over Mansal.

Even during the last victory of Senna’s winning streak, it was not clear from the start that the driver would win. Senna finished third behind Prost and Michael Schumacher. However, the two drivers at the front of the field would all experience bad luck during the Grand Prix. Prost got one Stop-Go Punishment
Schumacher withdrew due to hydraulic problems with his car. It opened the way for Senna to claim his sixth victory and fifth in a row at Monaco.

Hamilton: The Undefeated Man in Spain

24 years after Senna achieved a record five consecutive victories in Monaco, Hamilton began his hunt to equal his record, this time on Spanish soil. Hamilton won the 2017 edition of the Spanish Grand Prix after clashing with Sebastian Vettel for an entire race. By making a well-timed pit stop and changing the correct tyres, Hamilton was able to overtake Vettel on lap 44 with the fastest tyre. Britain was able to claim the race victory. The following year, 2018, it was a bit easier for Hamilton to take the win. The Briton qualified P1 and managed to lead the entire race by a wide margin.

In 2019, it was a bit exciting for Hamilton at the start as he had to give up pole position to teammate Valtteri Bottas earlier in the day. The Briton cruised to victory from there as Hamilton retook the lead in the first corner. During the next edition, in 2020, Hamilton’s victory was even more dominant, and the driver was able to drive from pole position to victory, 24 seconds behind Verstappen in P2. Verstappen and Bottas were the only two drivers not lapped by Hamilton.

The last of Hamilton’s five consecutive victories on Spanish soil came in 2021, the year the Briton and Verstappen battled for the title. Although there were many memorable races between the two in the same year, the Spanish Grand Prix was less exciting. Hamilton was able to retake pole position and went on to win the next day. Verstappen took the fastest race lap from the Briton and capped off a perfect weekend for Hamilton.

Verstappen: America’s hero

By winning the United States Grand Prix last weekend, Verstappen joins Senna and Hamilton on an elite list. Although there is a slight gap between Verstappen and the other two drivers, Verstappen has now managed to make it five wins in a row in the same country. The Dutchman spanned his winning streak at two different Grands Prix, the United States Grand Prix in Texas and the Miami Grand Prix in Florida.

Verstappen’s first win in the American streak came in 2021, when the title battle between the Dutchman and Hamilton reached its peak. Verstappen was able to capitalize on his pole position, but it was close. Hamilton closed in on the Red Bull car in the final few laps, finishing 1.3 seconds behind the Dutchman.

With the introduction of the Miami Grand Prix in 2022, Verstappen quickly managed to secure his second victory on American soil. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Verstappen as the two Ferrari drivers took P1 and P2 during qualifying. However, the Dutchman had already passed both on the ninth lap, and even some pressure from Charles Leclerc after the restart. Security car
Couldn’t get Verstappen to win.

That same year, at the Austin circuit, Verstappen again had a Ferrari in front of him at the start of the race, but had already overtaken Dutchman Carlos Sainz at Turn 1. Soon after, Sainz made contact with Jorge Russell, meaning the Spaniard’s race was effectively over on lap 1. Verstappen’s next race didn’t go smoothly either. The eleven-second pit stop was too long, and the second half of the race saw some exciting battles between Verstappen, Leclerc and Hamilton for victory. In the end, Verstappen won, and a third race win in five in America was a fact.

In 2023, Verstappen continued his winning streak by winning the Miami Grand Prix for the second time after a good catch-up race. The Dutchman started in P9, but that didn’t stop him from driving to victory. He overtook all his opponents one by one, and finally his teammate Perez, who started the race in pole position. Later in the year in Austin, Verstappen showed another master class in overtaking.