As he arrives in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend, Max Verstappen will be targeting a 58th career victory. Verstappen bounced back from his retirement in Australia with a comfortable win in Japan last time out.
The Red Bull driver surpassed predecessor Sebastian Vettel on the all-time wins list at the final race of last season as he took the chequered flag for the 54th time at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That moved him up to third behind Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher, who scored his final victory in 2006, held the record with 91 until the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, when Hamilton took his 92nd. The Englishman raised the benchmark to 103 before the end of 2021.
However, the Mercedes driver hasn’t won since the latter part of that season during his famous duel with Verstappen. The Dutchman has enjoyed a period of dominance since, winning the last two titles at a canter.
While Ferrari look like they can pose a stronger challenge this time around, Verstappen still appears on course to win a fourth title with relative comfort. He’ll still only be 27 by the time the current campaign finishes.
However, he already ranks inside the top 25 for race starts with 189. That’s a reflection of just how early he started in F1, with Red Bull handing him a seat at Toro Rosso at the age of just 17.
Christian Danner says Max Verstappen is almost unstoppable
Speaking on Servus TV’s Sports and Talk from Hangar-7, former F1 driver Christian Danner predicted that Verstappen will break the ‘really big’ records posted by Hamilton and Schumacher. In his eyes, only an early retirement could stand in his way.
F1 is embarking on its most taxing season this year with a record 24 races. And the sport has already confirmed that the 2025 calendar will feature the same number of events.
Danner, who competed in 36 Grands Prix during the late 1980s, said: “I think the only thing that can stop Verstappen from breaking all the records, including the really big ones set by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, is simply the possibility that at some point he won’t like what he’s doing anymore. Because it’s too much, because the stress of travelling or 24 races is simply too much for him.”
Will Max Verstappen join Mercedes?
One thing that could play into Hamilton’s hands, as he tries to hold onto his records, is that the current era won’t last forever. Red Bull are expected to remain the class of the field until at least the end of the 2025, but then there will be a major rule change.
In one of the biggest shake-ups in the sport’s modern history, F1 will adopt new engines, new fuels and lighter cars. This could significantly impact the pecking order at the front.
And Verstappen could choose to take a potentially career-defining gamble by joining Mercedes. It worked out well for Hamilton, who’s won six of his seven titles with the Silver Arrows after leaving McLaren for the German manufacturer in 2013.
The door is open for Verstappen to join after Hamilton decided to switch to Ferrari for 2025. Toto Wolff appears to be throwing everything at him, from a giant contract offer to an ambassador deal.
His former trainer feels he’ll only leave Red Bull if he has a better chance of winning elsewhere. While his contract runs until the end of 2028, Joe Saward suspects it features a get-out clause if Red Bull struggle come 2026.
Verstappen will have to assess the landscape and decide which team is in the strongest position. The Bulls will move on from their Honda partnership and build their own powertrains, albeit with Ford badges.
The post ‘At some point’: Max Verstappen told the ‘only thing’ that could stop him breaking Hamilton’s records - pundit appeared first on F1 Oversteer.