How long can Red Bull’s unbeaten start to the 2023 f1 season last? The team has won all five races so far this season, with four of them being one-two finishes. Max Verstappen’s win in Miami extended their winning streak to six, which started at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in 2022. It puts the team halfway towards breaking an F1 record, 35 years in the making. *Intro*
That record is for the most consecutive wins by a Formula 1 team. And amazingly, it could be in play for Red Bull before we even get to the summer break. The record is currently held by McLaren, going back to 1988 and one of the most iconic teams in F1 history. The McLaren MP4/4 is regarded as one of the greatest F1 cars ever, piloted by two of its greatest drivers – Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
Not only did they win 11 consecutive races from the season opener in Brazil in April to the Belgian Grand Prix in August, they also won 15 out of the 16 races in total. It’s still the best single-season winning percentage of all time at nearly 94% and the closest an F1 team has ever come to sweeping the entire year.
For perspective, Red Bull’s personal best is nine straight which they achieved twice. Once in 2022 from France to Mexico City, but also in 2013 when Sebastian Vettel won every race after the Summer Break from Belgium to the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Even the most recent dominant spell in F1; coming from Mercedes in the V6-hybrid era, only ever got to 10 in a row, which they managed three times in 2015, 16 and 19.
Red Bull has a chance this year to surpass McLaren’s 1988 record before we even get to the Summer Break. Even with Imola’s unfortunate cancellation, if Red Bull can keep on winning, their 12th consecutive win would be at the Hungaroring in July 2023. And with Max Verstappen in imperious form, and Sergio Perez more than good enough to follow him home, there’s a very good chance Red Bull will make short work of one of the oldest F1 records in the history books.
Do you think Red Bull can break McLaren’s record? And how many races do you think they could win this season? Let us know in the comments, and if you liked the video, be sure to subscribe!