Verstappen ties Senna in Formula 1 victories
When he won the pole in the pouring rain, Max Verstappen was quick to explain that it had been his father who would stand on the wet track during his early days of karting and point him to the correct driving lines.
So when Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix on Father’s Day — a 41st victory that tied the Dutchman for fifth on the alltime Formula One wins list with the late Ayrton Senna and gave Red Bull its 100th win as an organization — he was quick to salute the man who had molded him into the two-time reigning world champion.
The 25-year-old reminisced of the days he and Jos Verstappen traveled by van throughout Europe to his karting races, the father hoping to raise a winner. Jos Verstappen made 107 F1 starts and was once a teammate of Michael Schumacher.
“Without him I would not sit here today,” Verstappen said of his father. “He has taught me and prepared me for so much, from a very
young age. He had this goal, he had this goal set for me to first of all be better than him. And then try to get to Formula One, you know?
“We still call every day. I mean right before the race, I was still talking to him about what we were going to do with that strategy.
He likes to know. Even when he’s not here. It’s just nice to have that kind of relationship with your dad.”
The Dutchman’s repeat win in Montreal extended his season-long dominance.
Verstappen won for the sixth time this season — the fourth in a row — and
Red Bull remained a perfect 8 for 8 on the year. Tying Senna was simply a byproduct of his success.
“I hate to compare different generations,” Verstappen said, deflecting. “From my side, the only thing I can say is when I was a little kid driving and karting,
I was dreaming about being a Formula One driver. I never imagined to win 41.
“And of course I’m proud of that. But of course I hope it’s not stopping here. I hope that we can keep on winning races.”
Lewis Hamilton holds the all-time record with 103 wins, but the seven-time champion said in Canada he expected Verstappen to surpass the mark eventually. Verstappen was quick to note that as Red Bull celebrated its 100th win, he alone was responsible for 41 victories.
“We’ll talk about maybe a new contract because of that,” he said with a laugh.
Red Bull principal Christian Horner radioed his gratitude when Verstappen crossed the finish line.
Hamilton and the rest of the field had hoped to give Verstappen a challenge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where rain throughout the weekend scrambled the competition and created optimism that Red Bull would be challenged.
The one bright spot for everyone chasing Verstappen was that his margin of victory over Alonso was only 9.5 seconds.