Max Verstappen ties Michael Schumacher’s record with an exciting first F1 win of the season!
Max Verstappen took a big step closer to a Formula One record on Sunday after matching Michael Schumacher’s race wins with Ferrari.
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was full of drama, with a delayed start due to bad weather and three drivers, including title contender George Russell, unable to finish. Verstappen came out on top, winning his first race of the season.
This victory brought Verstappen’s total wins with Red Bull to an impressive 72, tying Schumacher’s record with Ferrari and putting him just within reach of the all-time top spot. Since joining Red Bull in 2016 alongside Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen has been one of F1’s strongest drivers, winning four championship titles.
This season has been tougher for the Dutch driver, partly because of some controversial rule changes and the car’s performance. Before the Bahrain GP, he was sixth in the driver standings. In 15 races so far this year, he hadn’t won a Grand Prix or sprint race, though he earned seven podium finishes and 163 points.
But that changed in Sepang, where Verstappen won an intense race after battling with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and teammate Russell, who unfortunately dropped out late due to engine issues. This win put Verstappen level with Schumacher for most wins with one team.
“72, mate, 72. What a fantastic weekend,” Verstappen said on team radio after crossing the finish line.
Michael Schumacher earned most of his 91 career wins driving for Ferrari, and it probably won’t be long before Verstappen claims win number 73, moving closer to taking the top spot.
Right now, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton leads the list for most wins with a single team. Hamilton won 84 races during 12 seasons with Mercedes and has a total of 106 career wins. Verstappen is now just 12 wins behind Hamilton’s record with one team—or 13 wins away from beating it—which feels possible, especially since Hamilton has now left Mercedes.
After the race, Verstappen said it felt great to finally win after all the hard work Red Bull has put in this season. “It’s a really nice one after the year we’ve had and the progress we’ve made. I’m very proud of everyone. Just super nice to win here.”
He added that the race was very hectic, especially at the start when power was limited and they had to wait for it to come back. “We made the right call with the intermediates. After that, step by step we moved forward. Once we could run our own race, there was a Safety Car, but we kept it under control.”
F1 action continues next week with the Singapore Grand Prix, happening at 1:00 p.m. BST on Sunday, October 11, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.