Verstappen dominates Hungarian GP to give Red Bull a record 12th successive win

ABU DHABI, 24th July, 2023 (WAM) – Max Verstappen stormed to victory over Lando Norris and Sergio Perez with another commanding performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix, giving the reigning double world champion his seventh straight triumph and the Red Bull their 12th in a row – beating McLaren’s long-standing record.

Verstappen passed pole-sitting Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton at the start before settling into the lead and pulling clear of the chasing pack with aplomb, chalking up a lights-to-flag win that puts further distance between himself and team mate Perez in the drivers’ standings.

It means Red Bull continue their 100% winning run for the 2023 season, while setting a new outright milestone in terms of successive race wins, with their staggering tally now one clear of the 11 McLaren achieved with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during the 1988 campaign.

Verstappen took the chequered flag comfortably clear of Norris, who dropped behind fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri early on but regained the place at the first round of pit stops, while Perez – one of only two drivers, along with George Russell, to go long in the first stint on hard tyres – rose from ninth to third with another strong recovery drive.

With the penultimate round before the summer break completed, Verstappen now holds a 110-point lead over Perez in the 2023 title race, having also claimed the bonus point on offer for posting the fastest tour of the 70-lap encounter.