In the wake of Max Verstappen’s historic 10 consecutive wins, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has voiced his opinion, labelling the achievement as “completely irrelevant”.
Verstappen’s triumphant performance at Monza over the weekend not only surpassed the previous record set by Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in 2013 but also highlighted a remarkable feat that eluded Mercedes during their era of dominance from 2014 to 2020.
Wolff was candid in his assessment, stating, “For me, these kinds of records are completely irrelevant.
“They were irrelevant in our good days at Mercedes.
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“I don’t know how many races we won in a row.
“[I] didn’t even know there was a count.”
Despite his indifference to the streak, Wolff did acknowledge the brilliance of Verstappen, admitting that his success showcased “a great driver in a great car competing at an extremely high level.”
In a subsequent response, Wolff added, “By the way, that record, I would think it’s a good one, because it’s perfection.”
He also expressed his belief that Red Bull could continue their dominance for the remainder of the season unless they made a crucial mistake.
“I think they need to screw it up themselves in order not to win [every race] this season,” Wolff asserted.
Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, also joined the chorus of praise for Verstappen, commending his consistent performance over the past two years.
Vasseur remarked, “It’s easier to not make mistakes when you have a margin on the others, but even in these kinds of circumstances, he is able to manage a situation very well. To not do a single mistake over two seasons is just mega.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, was effusive in his admiration for Verstappen’s achievements, emphasising the significance of the moment.
“You have to recognise and applaud what Max is doing at the moment.
“It’s very special.
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“We shouldn’t detract from that in any way. In sport, very rarely things like this happen and it’s a golden moment for him and certainly a golden moment for the team,” Horner stated.
With his growing lead in the Drivers’ Standings, Verstappen has the opportunity to claim his third consecutive world championship at Japanese Grand Prix.
Going into the Singapore Grand Prix, Verstappen is 145 points ahead of his own teammate Sergio Perez and clear of the rest of the grid.