Max Verstappen sets sights on breaking mighty Lewis Hamilton record in F1 2024
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen talks to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen needs only eight more top-10 results to break Lewis Hamilton’s record for consecutive points finishes, as he goes into F1 2024 with this streak in his sights.
The F1 2023 campaign turned into a Max Verstappen and Red Bull masterclass, team and driver shattering records at every turn as Verstappen took 19 grand prix wins out of 22 on his way to a third World Championship, while Red Bull won 21 grands prix overall.
Longest winning streak and most wins in a season were among the new benchmarks set by Verstappen in F1 2023, but looking ahead to next season, he now fancies challenging Hamilton’s record streak of 48 consecutive points-scoring grands prix.
Max Verstappen eight away from points-scoring record
Hamilton embarked on a streak of points-scoring outings which began back at the 2018 British Grand Prix and did not end until the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, when a bout of Covid-19 forced Hamilton to miss the race weekend, this a first in his F1 career which began all the way back in 2007.
Verstappen’s remarkable F1 dominance has though now seen him shoot up to number two on this particular list, his streak of points finishes on 41 and counting from its origin of the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
And with Red Bull expected to deliver another top-tier challenger in the RB20, Verstappen is set to continue hoovering up the victories, never mind just points in F1 2024, thus posing a serious threat to Hamilton’s record.
Someone who often likes to play down the value of statistics, Verstappen nonetheless has a close eye on this one.
“Simply a record, maybe I can break it,” Verstappen told Blick when Hamilton’s record streak was brought up.
PlanetF1.com recommends
F1 records: The drivers with the longest points-scoring streaks in history
Where does Lewis Hamilton rank on the longest win droughts for an F1 World Champion?
Verstappen and Hamilton delivered an all-time classic title battle back in 2021, Verstappen taking the crown with a last-lap overtake, though we are still waiting for the sequel.
The new ground effect regulations for 2022 triggered Red Bull’s rise to dominant status and Mercedes’ fall away from the title scene, meaning Verstappen and Hamilton battling on track has been a rare commodity over the past two campaigns.
Verstappen said he “appreciates” the battles he and Hamilton had, though is in no way wishing they return.
Asked if he misses those Hamilton duels, Verstappen replied: “No. I was happy with how this season went.
“Sure, I appreciate the duels we used to have. But now I especially appreciate the successes we can celebrate as a team.”
The potential remains for Verstappen to continue re-writing the F1 history books for many years to come, his Red Bull contract running until the end of 2028.
Read next – Predicting every team’s next driver: Norris to Red Bull? Albon to Ferrari?
