There is only one race left on the Formula 1 calendar which Max Verstappen hasn’t won following his victory in the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend.
Shanghai’s absence from the schedule for five years due to the Covid-19 outbreak meant Verstappen had only raced there three times for Red Bull prior to last weekend, plus twice for Toro Rosso (now RB). His best result was third in 2017, impressively taken from 16th on the grid. Last weekend he doubled up, taking the sprint race and grand prix.That leaves Singapore as they only venue where Verstappen is yet to win. His best result there is second in 2018.
This was Verstappen’s 58th career win, all bar five of which have come in the five-year spell from the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix – the 1,000th world championship round – and F1’s return to Shanghai last weekend. During that time Verstappen has won as many grands prix as every other driver combined – or, to put it another way, half of the 106 rounds held.
The stark difference in Hamilton and Verstappen’s form since their 2021 championship fight means Verstappen is poised to overtake Hamilton’s winning rate. When Verstappen made his debut at the beginning of 2015 Hamilton had won 22.3% of all races he’d started. He reached a personal best of 36.3% and was not far off that level, at 35.8% after his most recent victory at Jeddah in 2021.
Since then Hamilton’s winning rate has been in freefall. Verstappen, meanwhile, broke the record for most wins in a season in 2022 and again last year. While Hamilton’s winning rate has fallen to 30.3%, Verstappen’s stands at 30.5%, and victory at the next round in Miami will put him ahead.
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However Hamilton’s win-less run pales besides that of Nico Hulkenberg, who equalled the record for longest F1 career without ever taking a victory, or indeed even a podium finish.
Verstappen’s monopoly on pole position in 2024 was broken by Lando Norris in the sprint race qualifying session. Norris took pole for the second sprint race in a row, as he did at the last one in Brazil last year, and as in that race he failed to win or even lead a lap.
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However Verstappen kept his run of pole positions in grands prix going. This was his sixth in a row, beating his personal best. It was also his fifth since the season began, the best anyone has managed since Mika Hakkinen in 1999, and two shy of Alain Prost’s 1993 record.
Norris reached the podium again, extending his record for most podium appearances without a win to 15, and taking his best result of the season so far with second place. For the first time this year, neither Ferrari driver finished on the podium.
Verstappen was denied a perfect score last weekend by Fernando Alonso, who nabbed the fastest lap of the race. However his best lap of 1’37.810 was over five-and-a-half seconds off the race lap record set at the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix 20 years ago by Michael Schumacher. In contrast, Verstappen’s pole position time was three-tenths of a second quicker than Rubens Barrichello’s at the same event.
Among those in crowd that day was Zhou Guanyu, who finally got his chance to compete in his home race, two years after becoming an F1 driver. He is the first Chinese driver ever to start the race, though he spent the whole day out of the points places. With team mate Valtteri Bottas retiring, Sauber fell to the bottom of the championship table behind two other teams who are yet to score – Williams and Alpine.
Over to you
Have you spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Chinese Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
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2024 Chinese Grand Prix
- Aston Martin fail in bid to have Alonso’s Shanghai penalty reviewed
- Mercedes cleared over Hamilton pit stop infraction as ‘nearly all teams in breach’
- Aston Martin petitions FIA to review Alonso’s penalty for Sainz collision
- “You need to be more on it”: 12 unheard radio exchanges from the Chinese GP
- Ricciardo needs to show “head-turning form” for 2025 chance – Horner
mega
24th April 2024, 7:22
So the GOAT has already been overtaken by the GOAT.
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
24th April 2024, 7:54
That’s the thing with GOAT’s, there’s always going to be a time for them to be overtaken by someone new. This goes for any sports, as people discover new ways to excel, others will emulate, iterate, and eventually surpass what came before. It’s inevitable. It never took away from people like Ascari, Lauda, Senna, Prost, Schumacher, etc. that they were eventually surpassed by others. And it won’t take away from Lewis that Max has now done the same to him and the rest.
MadMax (@madmax)
24th April 2024, 9:21
it wont take away, if it ever happens. still some wins and WDC to go.
plus number of wins need to take increased races per season into account, like the changes in the points system needs to be considered when comparing with the past as well.
erik
24th April 2024, 14:19
The number of races in a season is completely irrelevant to a comparison of total wins in a total number of races, we’re talking about percentage here.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 7:28
well, no.
erik
25th April 2024, 13:41
Well yes, you don’t understand how percentages work, do you?
MadMax (@madmax)
26th April 2024, 16:28
i do. but you dont get it, that total numbers are the real thing.
Asd
24th April 2024, 14:06
Neither of them is a GOAT at anything. They each enjoy(ed) a ride in a by-far-the-fastest cars on the grid.
Hamilton hasn’t achieved nothing in a sub-par car, Verstappen isn’t any better.
erik
24th April 2024, 14:20
Well sorry for you, Verstappen has been winning several races EVERY season in redbull, also when he was not sitting in the fastest car… something Hamilton is not capable of doing. So factually you are incorrect.
N
24th April 2024, 17:56
Someone never watched F1 before 2016 i see.
Rprp
24th April 2024, 20:45
Erm, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013? Arguably at points in 2017, 2018, 2021? And possibly winning the title in 2008 in the 2nd fastest car?
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
25th April 2024, 2:33
You get what a fact is, right?
erik
25th April 2024, 13:45
Yes i just stated one, and you? You just asked a rhetorical question without actually giving any evidence that supports your claim, or that disproves mine. So try again.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 18:19
orange erik is immune to facts
Ajaxn
25th April 2024, 11:01
At least ‘THE’ GOAT had real competition, both with his team mates and other drivers to earn his status. He didn’t have his father directing the team on how to manage his stutus in that team.
erik
25th April 2024, 13:43
haha how cute, baseless claims, al little story you tell yourself so it is a little easier to cope with it all.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 18:22
facts, erik, facts.
Mayrton
25th April 2024, 19:24
That is a rather simplistic view. Maybe Lewis just wasnt that far ahead of the competition and struggled more to get his wins despite his rocket ship. I mean even vs a Bottas he still needed quite some ‘Valtteri, it’s James’ support. Kind of dilutes the wins imho.
And I am sure RedBull management will have a proper laugh at anyone claiming Jos has any influence whatsoever on their team.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 21:30
maybe the car wasnt that far ahead, and his teammates got the same car and were more competitive than perez.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th April 2024, 8:30
Team Hinwill reached SQ3 for the first time & likewise, for this season specifically, the first time for both the team & Bottas.
Daniel Ricciardo & Pierre Gasly out-qualified their teammates for the first time this season, & Kevin Magnussen out-qualified his teammate for already the third time in five rounds, even if only in sprint qualifying in the latter two cases.
Both Alpines proceeded from Q1 for the first time this season.
Ultimately, Esteban Ocon’s eleventh-place finish led to Alpine overtaking Sauber for P9 in the constructors’ standings.
Coincidently, Fernando Alonso qualified third in both Red Bull Racing’s first & hundredth pole positions, with another coincidence being that both pole position achievements occurred at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Additionally, while his FLAP achievement may have prevented a perfect score of pole position-victory-fastest lap, Lando Norris, by temporarily leading, prevented a Grand Chelem.
The first entirely lapping-free 2024 race & the first since the last Belgian GP.
The third 2024 race, which Logan Sargeant finished last (either as the outright last or lowest-finishing driver), so all bar one, he’s started.
The third-longest Chinese GP to date, with only the 2009 (wet throughout) & 2010 (partly wet) races being longer by race winner’s overall time at 1:57:43.485 & 1:46:42.163, respectively.
Simon
24th April 2024, 21:21
“We always endeavour to credit original sources”
Do you? Nope…
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 0:19
The only one who said this in the page is you, this quote is not anywhere else on the comments section, nor on the article.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 0:21
Interesting the alonso’s coincidence!
Señor Sjon
24th April 2024, 9:28
In 2004, we had one lap qualifying. Now imagine the F2004 in a current race weekend. Not only would it look tiny, it would drown out every other car with his mighty V10. The Bridgestones could handle abuse for a whole racing stint and in race trim, the car would weigh about 2/3rds of a current car. The only disadvantage it has, that it hasn’t got a big enough fuel tank to make it to the end of the race without refueling. But speed wise, it would be so much better.
S
24th April 2024, 10:14
That’s not a disadvantage at all – it’s one of the reasons why the car was smaller and lighter than the current ones.
Retired (@jeff1s)
24th April 2024, 12:03
With all the money and technology involved in this sport, we are 5,5s slower than 20 years ago.
Which engineered sport has downshift than much in 20 years of technological expansion ?
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
24th April 2024, 13:26
No we’re not. As stated, the ultimate laptime in qualifying was marginally faster this year. Refuelling the F2004 in race trim meant Michael could comparitively run on fumes for much of the race compared to Max. If Max threw on the soft tyres with 1 lap to go in the race and gave it full beans, he’d probably get pretty close to Michael’s record if qualifying is anything to go by. Of course that would be a pointless risk to take. Max also has less chance of dying in his car. The advances in safety in the last 20 years cannot be ignored.
Dusty
24th April 2024, 14:18
2004 qualifying times are slower than the fastest laps due to qualifying with race fuel.
Verstappen’s pole is slightly faster than Barrichello carrying 12 laps worth of fuel, that was not the f2004 ultimate pace.
The v10 f2004 with used grooved Bridgestone tires in race mode and low fuel lapped 1.4s faster than the RB20 on new, slick, carefully warmed up and prepared Pirelli tires, low fuel, fully charged battery, while DRS assisted in the straights, in Q3 all ouf mode.
It’s amazing how fast these cars were 20 years ago, and how good a NA v10 engine was. It’s hard to overcome the extra weight carried today.
Retired (@jeff1s)
25th April 2024, 6:39
I see a lot of ifs buts and maybes to cover facts. Read Dusty below and remember the technology of 2004 compared to the one we have today.
This sport always puts its technological side to cover against the spec cars argument, but there’s just lies for the automotive brands to propaganda and get more money, like vampires and blood.
Sumedh
24th April 2024, 9:33
5 consecutive races (4 races, 1 sprint) where the 2 Ferrari drivers have finished in consecutive places. Is 5 consecutive a record?
AlanD
24th April 2024, 14:58
Sumedh, I presume you mean is this a record for Ferrari, as opposed to a record in general for any team. Either way, the answer is no. In 2002, I think, Schumacher and Barrichello finished five consecutive races in positions 1 and 2 and that was without the benefit of sprint races to double up on. There may be other examples of even longer runs from Ferrari, but that’s one I know of.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th April 2024, 0:28
Interesting stat, I gave a look even at the merc dominant years and they also seem to have stopped at 5 races in a row with consecutive places.
Tommy Scragend
24th April 2024, 15:11
Based on those numbers, isn’t he already ahead?
Tommy Scragend
24th April 2024, 15:13
Wikipedia gives Hamilton’s current rate as 30.56% and Verstappen’s 30.53%, which would make the last part of the sentence correct, and just the numbers given wrong.
Johnny
24th April 2024, 16:04
Like 30 races a year including sprints? Verstappen would quickly surpass the all time win numbers if we just races 50 races this year and next. :)
erik
25th April 2024, 13:47
Well sorry for you we are talking about percentages here over whole career, not simply absolute numbers. So it’s irrelevant.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 18:22
its real numbers that count. not percentages, but you obviously dont understand.
AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
24th April 2024, 17:01
To add to this:
According to Wikipedia, the record for most podiums before the first win sits at 15 and is shared between four drivers: Jean Alesi, Patrick Depailler, Mika Häkkinen, and Eddie Irvine. This means that if and when Norris gets his first win, he will either be joint record holder or the sole record holder – depending on whether his next podium appearance is on the top step or not.
I also couldn’t help but notice that of the four current record holders, only one – Häkkinen – ever won the championship.
RH
24th April 2024, 18:58
In the grand scheme of things, the teams deserve praise for building rocketships for both. One had it for 8 consecutive years and more counting the McLaren years, and the other for the fourth year and running.
Lucky guys.
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
24th April 2024, 22:21
Norris is only the 2nd driver to manage 2+ sprint poles (after Verstappen).
Tracks at which Verstappen has raced but not won: Istanbul, Mugello, Nurburgring, Portimao, Singapore, Sochi.
First 2024 race not to be a 1-2 finish.
Alonso keeps alive his record of at least 1 top 3 start every season since his 2021 comeback.
28th consecutive season in which at least 1 Mercedes-powered car has set Fastest Lap.
Thanks to statsf1 and the official F1 site for some of these.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
25th April 2024, 1:40
Well not surprising if all the races since 2022 have been given to him on a silver platter baring unreliability!
Ajaxn
25th April 2024, 11:22
poster child for liberty’s target audience.
Johnny
25th April 2024, 12:50
Love how the entire writeup glosses over their driver partnering and team prefered number 1 status.
Hamilton’s teamates have a combined 4 WDC amongst them. It’s not just having a rocket ship of a car to drive. It’s having a teammate that can win races and challenge you every step of the way. Something Verstappen has never had to deal with. Knowing that unless your car blows up, you’re going to win the race because your team mate is lucky to come in 3rd.
erik
25th April 2024, 13:50
Aah another cute little story, my explanation is that Hamilton isn’t really that good. Getting beaten by several teammates is not really a sign of someone whos supposed to be a goat rrright? Hamilton just get beaten easily, that’s it!
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 18:21
lol. some wins and titles for your favourite to catch up still.
erik
25th April 2024, 13:48
Haaa howcute the Hamiltonc*lt just cannot help themselves, you tell yourself these little stories so reality doesn’t hit you as hard. Stop being toxic and enjoy the sport or go watch something else.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th April 2024, 18:20
orange eriks world