Italian GP: Red Bull have produced a car that is the class of the field in 2023. And Max Verstappen is wringing every bit of performance out of it. He is in the form of his life this season. He seems to break records every time he races this season. At the Italian GP, the home of Ferrari, Max Verstappen broke one of the biggest records of them all. He won his 10th race in a row in 2023, beating Sebastian Vettel’s record.
Start of an Unbelievable Streak
Red Bull looked strong from the beginning of 2023, and so did Max Verstappen. However, different issues saw him lose 2 out of the first 4 races to his teammate Sergio Perez. The race at Baku was especially tough for the Dutchman because he was beaten on pure pace.
Arriving in Miami, Max Verstappen had to establish his dominance in a year where both Mercedes and Ferrari dropped the ball. He made a mistake in qualifying, and a late red flag left his teammate on pole. In a race with no safety cars or stoppages, Max Verstappen stormed the field. He won the race from 9th on the grid, disintegrating his teammate’s confidence. After the win, he pointed to the 1 on his car.
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Undefeated since April
That was a foreshadowing of things to come. Max Verstappen has not lost a single points-paying session since he did that at Miami. The record of Sebastian Vettel looked more and more plausible. And suddenly, it wasn’t out of sight anymore.
Red Bull had already broken McLaren’s record for most wins by a constructor. Max Verstappen equaled Sebastian Vettel’s 9 wins in a row at Zandvoort. At the Italian GP, he failed to take pole as Carlos Sainz hurled his Ferrari to the top spot.
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However, Red Bull’s superior race pace came to their rescue once again. The Ferrari chewed up its tyres and Sainz was already struggling, being saved only by his top speed. Max Verstappen needed just one mistake. As soon as Sainz locked up in Turn 1 of Lap 15, the Dutchman got past and got on his way to break Sebastian Vettel’s record.
