Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso (now RB) has a history of providing many young talents with a pathway into F1. But very few drivers from the storied Red Bull academy actually find long-standing success in the cut-throat world of F1. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz made their debut together for Toro Rosso in 2015. However, not many envisioned that they would be driving for two of the sport’s best teams in nine years.
Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, and Sainz, representing Ferrari, are currently the only drivers on the grid with race-winning streaks in consecutive years.
While Sainz remained winless in F1 between his debut and the year 2021, he has stood on the first step of the podium in every season since then — Silverstone 2022, Singapore 2023, and Melbourne 2024. These are the only races Sainz has won. Nevertheless, it is a streak.
Listing Verstappen’s race wins, however, would be a tedious task. The Dutchman won his first in 2016. It was his debut race for Red Bull, and he has emerged victorious 60 more times since then.
The only drivers on the grid with an active streak of winning a race in consecutive years:
– Max Verstappen (x9, 2016-2024)
– Carlos Sainz (x3, 2022-2024)Not bad for the 2015 Toro Rosso pairing. pic.twitter.com/qauauJ9rwY
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) October 13, 2024
There is a huge difference in the numbers between both drivers’ win tallies. But the fact that Sainz spent the majority of his career in midfield teams, cannot be discarded. Verstappen, on the other hand, has driven for Red Bull since 2016, a team that could challenge for race wins even before its title dominance began in 2021.
The three-time world champion will most likely increase this streak. Sainz, on the other hand, will most likely not.
The Madrid-born driver will make way for Lewis Hamilton (who joins Ferrari in 2025) to join Williams — who will mostly be backmarkers, at least in the near future.
All things considered, in hindsight, the 2015 Toro Rosso pairing holds a record that no one else currently does in F1.
