Red Bull arrived at Spa having already broken McLaren’s old record for consecutive constructor victories. A one-two in the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix added another measure of dominance: 12 wins from the first 12 races, the most successful opening to a season in Formula 1 history.
Max Verstappen started sixth after a gearbox penalty, while Sergio Pérez lined up second behind Charles Leclerc. Pérez took the lead on the opening lap, giving Red Bull control before Verstappen had completed his recovery through the leading group.
Sixth on the grid, first by a distance
Verstappen passed Leclerc and then caught Pérez, taking the lead before half distance. He won by 22.305 seconds, with Pérez second and Leclerc third. It was Verstappen’s eighth consecutive Grand Prix victory and Red Bull’s fifth one-two of the season.
The team had won the final race of 2022 in Abu Dhabi and every Grand Prix held in 2023, extending its overall run to 13 consecutive victories. More specifically, Spa made Red Bull the first constructor to win the opening 12 races of a championship season. McLaren had won the first 11 in 1988 before Ferrari interrupted the sequence at Monza.
A record that still had room to grow
Red Bull’s perfect 2023 run finally ended in Singapore, where Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari. By then, Verstappen had established a separate record of ten consecutive victories and the team had converted its early-season advantage into both championships.
The Belgian result captured the scale of the gap. A grid penalty moved Verstappen backwards, but not far enough to create a contest. Red Bull left Spa with another one-two and a season-opening record that no previous constructor had managed.
Help shape the archive
Discussion
Which was more remarkable in 2023: Red Bull's opening streak or Verstappen's personal run?
Join the discussion
Comments are open to FlatSpot members. Log in or become a member to share your take.