Red Bull smash McLaren F1 record after Max Verstappen dominance

Three years ago today, Max Verstappen delivered one of the most dominant victories of his remarkable 2023 season, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix by over 33 seconds and, in the process, handing Red Bull a record-breaking 12th consecutive victory.

The win surpassed McLaren's legendary 1988 streak of 11 straight victories, set by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during a season in which the British outfit won all but one race. That record had stood for 35 years.

Verstappen started second on the grid behind Lewis Hamilton, who had claimed his first pole position since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It mattered little. 

The Dutchman made a blistering start, diving inside Hamilton at Turn 1 to seize the lead before the exit of the corner. Hamilton's afternoon unravelled instantly as both McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris also swept past, dropping the Mercedes driver from first to fourth.

From there, Verstappen was untouchable. A straightforward two-stop strategy and crushing race pace saw him pull away in clean air, building a gap that rendered strategy irrelevant. 

He added the fastest lap for good measure, crossing the line 33.7 seconds clear of Norris in second. Sergio Perez completed the podium for Red Bull, with Hamilton fourth.

A record 35 years in the making

The significance of the result was not lost on Verstappen.

"I think we can be very proud of [this] as a team," he said. "I think also nowadays it's probably even harder to achieve because the gaps between the teams is even smaller, you know, back to when it was in the 80s… to do 11 wins in a row, and now 12 in a row, it's crazy."

Then Red Bull team principal Christian Horner reflected on the weight of the achievement. "I remember as a boy, watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost race with McLaren-Honda, and they achieved 11 consecutive victories… 

"To think that we have bettered that is testament to the exceptional talent and dedication of the team."

Red Bull's run would not stop there. The team went on to win 15 consecutive races in total, stretching back to the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and running all the way through to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, before Carlos Sainz finally ended the streak with victory in Singapore. 

Red Bull won a staggering 21 of 22 races that season, and Verstappen claimed his third world title with ease.