Max Verstappen praises Red Bull for achievement ‘even Mercedes couldn’t make happen’

With Red Bull having now surpassed McLaren’s record for the longest F1 winning streak, Max Verstappen claimed this is something a Mercedes team that was more dominant than them could not even manage.

After claiming victory in the 2022 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull have continued their winning ways into F1 2023 and there is still no end in sight.

With 12 rounds of the campaign having come and gone, each of them has produced a Red Bull victory, meaning their streak now stands at 13.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Max Verstappen references Mercedes in regards to Red Bull run

The previous record was set by McLaren back in 1988 as they went on a run of 11 victories in a row, and Red Bull could yet set the bar higher still with no obvious contender having emerged to threaten their dominance.

Red Bull then have settled into the role of Formula 1’s unstoppable force which was previously held by Mercedes, the team winning eight Constructors’ titles in a row from 2014-21 and seven Drivers’ titles in that time, Verstappen ending that streak when he rose to World Champion prominence in 2021.

But even when Mercedes were at the peak of their powers, such a streak of F1 wins was not achieved, despite Verstappen believing that the stranglehold which Mercedes had over the competition eclipses what Red Bull has now.

“I think it means more to the team, but for my side I just focus on every single race I try to win,” Verstappen told media including PlanetF1.com.

“We just try to keep it going honestly, and just enjoying the moment.

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“But I think it’s just an incredible achievement from the whole team. Because yes, we have the dominant car, but it’s also very easy to make mistakes, and then not win one race and then of course, the streak is gone, right?

“Because even in the dominant years of Mercedes, they couldn’t make it happen. And I think it was probably even more dominant than what we have at the moment or what McLaren had because there, there were a lot more retirements going on just because of reliability stuff.

“So yeah, I’m really proud to be part of the team and to achieve something like this.”

Verstappen has now opened up a 125-point lead over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez at the top of theDrivers’ Championship, as he marches towards his third World title in a row.

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