Verstappen suffers unwanted first in nearly a decade at Red Bull
In his decade-long spell with Red Bull, there has only been one season in which Max Verstappen failed to win a single race before the summer break, a situation that has repeated itself this year with no victories from the opening 11 Grands Prix. Excluding his debut Formula 1 season with Toro Rosso, when he did not have a car capable of challenging for victories, the Dutchman has always claimed at…
Max Verstappen has experienced an unwanted first in nearly a decade, failing to secure a single victory before the summer break during his decade-long tenure with Red Bull. This marks the sixth consecutive year Verstappen has struggled to win before the summer break, with only one exception in 2017 when he claimed his first victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
In previous seasons, Verstappen had consistently managed to secure at least one win before the summer break, with notable achievements including his Red Bull debut win in Spain in 2016 and victories at Austria and Germany in 2018. Among his most impressive performances were the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons, where he amassed a total of 25 victories before the summer break.
These campaigns coincided with Verstappen's dominant period in Formula 1, culminating in three of his four Formula 1 titles. Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe has praised Verstappen's ability to extract exceptional performance from his machinery, highlighting his dominance this season despite the challenging nature of the RB22.
Despite teammate Isack Hadjar's strong performances, Hinchcliffe believes Verstappen's ability to make the difference remains intact, citing Hungary as a clear example of his ability to turn a difficult car into a winning performance.
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