Insane Fact: Max Verstappen Has Become the Only Driver to Match Michael Schumacher’s Japanese GP Stat

Credits: Imago |
L: Max Verstappen R: Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen is currently operating on a level where records seem to fall all around him. That run started after he famously defeated Lewis Hamilton in 2021 to bag his first world championship. As he maintains the immaculate form, the Dutchman bagged another Grand Prix win, the most recent one in Japan. That race win has put him on the same pedestal as Michael Schumacher in one, very special stat.

With his latest Japanese GP victory, Max Verstappen has become the only driver alongside Michael Schumacher to register three consecutive wins in the Land of the Rising Sun. The latest one was ever so special for the reigning champion, as it was a comeback win after an unfortunate DNF in Australia. What makes his recent achievement even sweeter is the fact that even the 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton wasn’t as dominant in Japan during his era of dominance.

With 6 wins in total, Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver at the Japanese GP. The first one came in 1995 when the German drove for Benetton. The 3 consecutive wins, however, came between 2000 and 2002 when he drove for Ferrari.

Schumacher missed out on the 2003 Japanese GP win as his teammate Rubens Barrichello bagged one to his name. The Kaiser, however, got his name back on the board next year in 2004.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is in the purple patch of his life in Formula 1. As if the 2022 season wasn’t dominant enough, the Dutchman bettered himself in 2023 with the most dominant season ever. In a season of 22 races, Red Bull bagged 21 wins, out of which, Verstappen had 19 to his name.

Max Verstappen could be on his way to breaking more records in 2024

Red Bull’s 21 wins in 2023 saw them break McLaren’s 1988 record. The Woking outfit, courtesy of some Ayrton Senna magic, registered a 94% win rate. Red Bull’s 21 took them a notch up to 95%. Such was the level of dominance in the season gone by that even Max Verstappen ruled out a repeat in 2024.

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However, the RB20 (Red Bull’s 2024 car), has started the season where the RB19 (Red Bull’s 2023 car) left off. Barring the DNF in Australia, Verstappen has won every race so far (3 out of 4). Meanwhile, his teammate Sergio Perez has finished P2 every time Verstappen won the race.

The Dutchman is currently 3rd in the list of most F1 Grand Prix winners, with 57 wins to his name. Lewis Hamilton, who tops the chart, has a whopping 103 while Michael Schumacher in 2nd has 91. A good chunk of those 57 wins came in 2023 for Verstappen, a season where he surpassed Sebastian Vettel (53), Alain Prost (51), and Ayrton Senna (41).