Max Verstappen: record year, but he’s still behind Michael Schumacher’s 2004

On Primacy Sunday, one statistic still makes the Red people smile.

Max Verstappen also dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing first by a wide margin over Lando Norris and teammate Sergio Perez. This victory allows Red Bull to equal the McLaren record set in 1988, with eleven wins in the first eleven races of the season. Considering also the end of 2022, it comes instead to 12: an all-time record. In a single aspect, however, the Dutchman is still behind an immense champion of the past: that is Michael Schumacher, in the years of his domination with Ferrari.

Indeed, Red Bull has won all of the first eleven Grands Prix in 2023, but Verstappen has “just” won nine: these are, before Hungary, the rainbow rounds held in Bahrain, Australia, Miami, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria and Great Britain. The Grands Prix of Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, however, went to teammate Sergio Perez. Well: the Michael Schumacher of 2004 went even further with his Ferrari.

At that time, in fact, after eleven Grands Prix the Kaiser’s victories were as many as 10. Schumacher ranked his Ferrari ahead of everyone in Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, at the San Marino GP and then in Spain, at the Nürburgring (European GP), in Canada, the USA, France and Great Britain. He only failed to do so in Monaco, forced to retire due to contact with Montoya: on that occasion Jarno Trulli in a Renault won.

Schumacher, after Silverstone, would also win in Germany and Hungary proper, bringing his record to twelve successes in thirteen races. In the final five races of the season he then won only in Japan: the streak was interrupted at Spa where Kimi Raikkonen triumphed in a McLaren, at Monza and in China the other Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello won. Finally, in Brazil, Juan Pablo Montoya gave Williams its only success of the season. Numbers that Max Verstappen and Red Bull have every intention of surpassing: meanwhile, however, the Kaiser is still ahead.