Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says Max Verstappen’s Formula One win record is irrelevant to him

MONZA – Max Verstappen made Formula One history at Monza on Sunday with a record 10th win in a row, and 12th of the season, but Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff sounded unimpressed by the Red Bull driver’s achievement.

The one-two Italian Grand Prix victory was also Red Bull’s 15th in succession, and 14th out of 14 so far in a 22-round season.

“For me, these kinds of records are completely irrelevant,” said Wolff, whose team won an unprecedented eight constructors’ titles in a row from 2014 to 2021.

“They were irrelevant in our good days in Mercedes. I don’t know how many races we won in a row. I didn’t even know that there was a count of how many races in a row you win,” added the Austrian.

“It never played a role in my whole life. It’s yesterday. But the result itself shows a great driver in a great car who is competing on an extremely high level.”

Verstappen, who has often appeared to care little about records and carving a place among the greats of the sport, admitted after taking the chequered flag that the record was a “nice stat”.

Team boss Christian Horner also said it definitely meant something to the Dutch driver.

“We’re making history and it’s not often you get the chance to do that,” he added. In the early days of the Formula One world championship, seasons had fewer than 10 races, whereas now they run to more than 20 and 2024 is scheduled to have a record 23.

Even greats like seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton did not come close to 10 in a row in their most dominant campaigns, however.

Schumacher managed seven on the trot in 2004 while Hamilton did five in a row in 2014 and 2020.

Hamilton last week suggested Verstappen had easier teammates during his career than the ones racing alongside the Briton.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel enjoyed a streak of nine in a row in 2013, also with Red Bull, while Italian Alberto Ascari won nine consecutively over two seasons in 1952-53.

The latter’s run remains contentious because the Indianapolis 500 was considered a round of the championship in those days, but few Formula One drivers entered.

Wolff recognised Red Bull could ultimately win every race this season, something that no team have ever done.

“I think they need to screw it up themselves in order not to win every race this season. That by the way, that record, I think that’s a good one,” he added. “Because that is perfection.”

While Red Bull seek perfection, Ferrari thrilled their fans by keeping Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc unleashed in a wheel-to-wheel battle for the podium at their home Italian Grand Prix, despite the risk of a collision.

Spaniard Sainz, who had started on pole, prevailed for a third-place finish with Leclerc fourth and only 0.184 of a second behind.

Fred Vasseur, experiencing his first Monza as Ferrari principal, had told his drivers in the closing stages that they could race without taking risks but they may have had a different interpretation to the Frenchman’s.

“It was tough, hard racing. It’s always been a pleasure to race Charles whenever we’ve had the chance,” Sainz said, after a wave of red-shirted fans poured out of the grandstands to celebrate in front of the podium.

Leclerc said it was what racing was all about.

“I’m sure many people did not enjoy that... the guys on the pit wall perhaps had one heart attack or two, the tifosi probably also, but for me, this is Formula One, this is what it should be all the time,” he added. REUTERS