Verstappen poised to equal own F1 record - just months after hitting new high

It is the podium for the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, and Max Verstappen is basking in the glory of taking his 10th consecutive Formula 1 win to break the record.

Another of Sebastian Vettel's old marks has bitten the dust, but as the champagne runs out and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff makes his "Wikipedia" jibe, attention turns to making it 11 next time out in Singapore.

To the relief of many in F1, the run ends at 10 after Verstappen only manages fifth at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on a weekend he could not get the car into the correct set-up window. The dominant Dutchman, though, bounces back at the next race in Japan with another imperious drive to put himself on the cusp of a third title in Qatar.

After finishing second in the Sprint to wrap up the championship, another grand prix triumph soon followed. Since then, Verstappen has remained undefeated in either the Sprint or main race.

It means going into this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, just six-and-a-half months after his record-breaking feat last year, Verstappen can match his own special achievement.

Verstappen's winning run

Verstappen entered the 2023 season with a healthy tally of 35 wins, placing him between Ayrton Senna's 41 and Fernando Alonso's 32 on the all-time list.

Just 24 races later, he's rocketed to 56, third on the all-time list, only beaten by Lewis Hamilton's 103 and Michael Schumacher's 91.

He has finished off the podium just 10 times in the last 69 races, stretching back to Abu Dhabi 2020 and oddly has finished seventh more times (twice) in the last 74 races, back to Portugal 2020, than he has third - only in Monaco 2022.

Should he claim that 10th win in a row at Albert Park to match his record, Verstappen will have a chance to raise the bar again when F1 heads to Japan for round four next month.

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