Max Verstappen has already established himself as an all-time great in F1 at the young age of 25. He has spent almost his whole career with Red Bull and has statistically become one of the team’s best-ever drivers. However, when asked about how he felt about breaking Sebastian Vettel‘s record of having the most wins at Red Bull, Verstappen revealed that he had no idea that he could have achieved so much.
Sebastian Vettel had an incredible run of form with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013 when he won four back-to-back world championship titles. He racked up a total of 38 race wins during his time on the Austrian team.
Fast forward to today, Verstappen has replaced the void left behind by Vettel. With two world championships already under his belt, Verstappen has racked up 40 wins with Red Bull. The 25-year-old, however, feels that with the right car, breaking this record isn’t a big deal.
Max Verstappen is now the driver with the most wins with Red Bull
Vettel held the record for having the most race wins for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until 2023 when he was overtaken by Verstappen. The Dutchman achieved his 39th race win in Monaco. When asked about how he felt after breaking Vettel’s record he decided to stay humble and admit that with a dominant car, anyone can break these records.
“If you have a good car for a while you know you can break these kind of numbers. But, it’s great, I mean I would have never thought that I would be in this position in my career,” said Verstappen. “When I grew up, I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. And now, winning these races is amazing. It is better than I could have ever imagined for sure”
Verstappen may soon break Ayrton Senna’s record
After winning the Spanish GP last weekend, Max Verstappen now has 40 wins to his name. He is one short of Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna, who managed to accumulate 41 race wins in his illustrious career. With the way things have shaped up in the 2023 season so far, it is expected that Verstappen will break Senna’s record within the next two races.
Race wins, however, isn’t the only parameter where Verstappen might pass Senna. The latter had managed to win three world championships during career. Verstappen already has two to his name, and is the favorite to win it once again this campaign.
Comparisons between Verstappen and Senna, however, aren’t new. Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko had been mocked once for comparing the two. While speaking with the Red Bull Bulletin in 2022, Marko had said, “In terms of character, commitment, self-confidence, and charisma, I’d compare him to Ayrton Senna.”
After Verstappen’s win in Monaco, Marko revisited his comments during an interview with oe24.com and said, “I compared Max to Senna a few years ago and was smiled at. The know-it-alls from back then are slowly running out of arguments. The incredible qualifying lap he put in in Monaco on Saturday is already coming close to Senna.”
Indeed, breaking Senna’s record of 41 race wins at the young age of 25 will be an incredible feat for Max Verstappen.
