Max Verstappen fighting to extend decade-long F1 streak

Max Verstappen has not failed to win a grand prix in an F1 season since his rookie campaign in 2015, when he raced for Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso.

However, 11 rounds into the year, and at the presumed halfway stage, the four-time F1 drivers' champion is staring down the barrel of that prospect.

The Dutchman had not tasted victory by the summer break in 2017, but went on to triumph at the final running of the Malaysian Grand Prix — and then the Mexican Grand Prix — before the end of the year.

With the Sepang International Circuit returning to F1 to host the Bahrain Grand Prix, that could be a good omen for the Dutchman.

However, so far, the RB22 has proven itself only capable of fighting for podiums — of which Verstappen has notched up four this season — and is still some way off the leading pace set by Mercedes.

Ferrari and McLaren have both taken victories, leaving Red Bull as the only top four team not to have graced the top step of the rostrum.

But the good news for Verstappen is that the Milton Keynes-based team itself has not failed to win at least one grand prix since 2015, further tying their fates together.

Red Bull started the season over a second adrift of the front-running performance of the W17, but is now only a few tenths of a second slower. Last year, the team transformed its — and Verstappen's — fortunes with a floor upgrade at Monza.

Which begs the question: Can the six-time constructors' champions pull off a similar turnaround in 2026? And, more crucially for Verstappen, can he win a grand prix before the year is out?

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