The Spanish Grand Prix was not one to write home about for Max Verstappen. While a podium finish was in sight for a long time, the Dutchman eventually fell back to tenth place, partly due to a time penalty. However, Verstappen still crossed the finish line before teammate Yuki Tsunoda, setting a new record for the four-time world champion.
The recent Spanish Grand Prix turned out to be a race to quickly forget for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was on track for a third-place finish for a long time until a late safety car threw a spanner in the works. Verstappen was the only one on the inferior hard tyres at the subsequent restart, and immediately saw Charles Leclerc on the softs pass him. George Russell was also soon in Verstappen’s wake, but a smooth overtaking manoeuvre was not in the cards for the Brit. Verstappen and Russell even collided, a moment for which the Red Bull driver later received a ten-second time penalty and three penalty points.
Thus, Verstappen eventually finished tenth in Barcelona, but the result does not prevent him from setting a new record. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished thirteenth, behind the Dutchman. This marked the 42nd consecutive time that Verstappen finished ahead of his teammate. No other driver has achieved this in Formula 1 so far. The last time Verstappen had to tolerate a teammate ahead of him was during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2023. Sergio Pérez won the race, while Verstappen finished in second place.
Alonso
The old record was held by Fernando Alonso, who defeated his former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa in a race a staggering 41 times in a row. The Spanish driver crossed the finish line before his Brazilian teammate between the Turkish Grand Prix in 2011 and the Indian Grand Prix in 2013. Verstappen has the chance to extend his record at the Canadian Grand Prix by once again defeating Tsunoda in the race on Sunday.
