‘Superior’ Verstappen closes in on all-time F1 record
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The Dutchman overcame a penalty which left him sixth on the grid and stormed past the likes of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to take the lead by Lap 17, before going on to win by 23 seconds.How have McLaren turned their 2023 F1 season around?Video of How have McLaren turned their 2023 F1 season around?Verstappen, who has won 10 of 12 races this season, now has eight victories in a row, moving him just once behind Sebastian Vettel’s all-time tally of nine consecutive wins. Vettel’s overall record was set during his final title-winning campaign with Red Bull in 2013, beginning in Belgium and ending at that year’s finale in Brazil. Verstappen, whose own run started at the Miami Grand Prix in May, can now equal Vettel’s tally by sealing Red Bull’s 14th straight win at his home race at Zandvoort when the season resumes at the end of August. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Verstappen is currently operating in a league of his own, having inflicted another crushing defeat on Perez to extend his championship lead to 125 points.
“He is levels of superiority over everybody at the moment. What we are witnessing with Max at the moment is something you see once in a generation,” Horner said. “Like all the great drivers, he has that extra capacity. His ability to read a tyre, read the race and extract absolutely everything out of it, it’s great to see. He’s at the top of his form at the moment.”Ominously for his rivals, Verstappen, who has racked up 45 career wins, feels he can keep improving. Related Wolff admits upgrade may be behind Mercedes’ bouncing issues Prost’s scathing attack on “incapable” Rossi amid Alpine turmoil”It’s not so much about learning about myself, it’s just always wanting more and I’m trying to look at every single situation what you could have done better,” he said. “I know that how I’ve been brought up as well to always want more and always look at details. Even when people say that it’s great or amazing, there are always things that can be done better.”And I also know that I’ve been on the other side of it where you’re trying to hunt for victories and you always come short, because you just don’t have the package or whatever.”
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