Max Verstappen set to BREAK 11-YEAR Red Bull record and also eclipse likes of Raikkonen and Prost

Max Verstappen

Verstappen set to BREAK 11-YEAR Red Bull record and eclipse likes of Raikkonen and Prost

Max Verstappen has a big milestone set in his sights this weekend

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Wednesday 14 June 2023 12:57 Updated: 13:59

Max Verstappen will be looking to break an 11-year record at Red Bull when he travels to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

The Dutchman has been in flying form recently, winning the last three races in Miami, Monaco and Spain to see him build a 53-point buffer over his team-mate and rival Sergio Perez in the world championship.

In fact, Verstappen has been so dominant in recent times that he has led every lap since passing Perez for the lead at the Miami Grand Prix on lap 48 in early May.

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Heading towards the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, he has led 154 laps in total and that puts him on the brink of the top 10 of all-time following his recent grand slam victory at Catalunya.

Verstappen led every lap of the Spanish Grand Prix before taking a dominating grand slam win

Breaking the top 10

However, he is now looking to break into the top five in Montreal. If he can lead the first three laps on Sunday he will eclipse Alain Prost's 1988 McLaren run between Portugal and Japan in 1988.

On 159 laps in ninth place is Mark Webber who also in a Red Bull was unstoppable between the 2010 Spanish and Turkish Grands Prix.

With three additional laps more, Kimi Raikkonen is in eighth, with his 2005 run at McLaren coming to a dramatic halt at the European Grand Prix when his suspension suddenly broke at turn one on the final lap at the Nurburgring.

The legendary two-time world champion Jim Clark is sixth and seventh on the list. HIs latter slot was achieved between Belgium and France in 1963 on 165 laps while on a 186 laps streak he led between the 1963 Mexican Grand Prix until the 1964 Monaco Grand Prix in the season opener.

A lights to flag win on Sunday would take Verstappen above former Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel (both above)

Vettel is the target in Canada

Should Verstappen lead the first 52 laps of the 70-lap Canadian Grand Prix though he will eclipse the Red Bull record held by Sebastian Vettel who dominated late in the 2012 season to win between the Singapore and Indian Grands Prix in what proved to be a crucial streak towards his third world championship.

Beyond Vettel, Verstappen would have to target the Austrian Grand Prix to climb above Nigel Mansell in fourth on 235 laps and Ayrton Senna on 237 laps who takes two of the top three placings having also led an incredible 264 laps between the British and Italian grands prix of 1988.

The outright record though belongs to the great Alberto Ascari who across an incredible five races led an astonishing 305 laps on his way to an ultra dominating first F1 title while driving for Ferrari in 1952.

The great Alberto Ascari, pictured at the 1952 French Grand Prix, is the all-time record holder

Verstappen's current streak symbolises just how unstoppable he and the Red Bull package have been as of late.

Even when Mercedes were the ultra dominant team between 2014 and 2020, the best streak the team could muster was with Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel between the Spanish and Monaco races in 2019 on 144 laps.

That is good enough only for a joint 17th overall on the list - and was a record equalled by Verstappen two years later between the French and Austrian Grands Prix.