Verstappen's record championship-leading streak is over · F1 · RaceFans

Max Verstappen’s record spell as the world championship leader has ended at the first race of 2025.

The Red Bull driver has not been headed in the championship standings since the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022. Charles Leclerc arrived at that race leading the championship, 1,029 days ago, or just over two years and nine months.

Verstappen broke the previous record for longest championship reign during last season. It was held by Michael Schumacher, who led the standings for 896 days.

Coincidentally, both runs were ended by victories for British drivers in McLarens who won a season-opening race at Melbourne. Schumacher finished fourth but went on to win the 2003 title. Verstappen took the chequered flag in second place today, less than a second behind winner Lando Norris.

Schumacher’s spell in the lead ran from the 2000 United States Grand Prix until the first race of the 2003 season, held in Australia. That was won by David Coulthard. During that time Schumacher, driving for Ferrari, scored three of his seven world championship victories.

Verstappen also picked up three titles during his unbroken spell at the top of the standings. He is the first driver ever to spend 1,000 days in the lead of the world championship.

He said today’s race shows Red Bull are not on McLaren’s pace at the moment. “It is what I expected it to be,” he said. “You can see also, in that first stint, we were lacking a little bit of pace compared to McLaren.

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“But it’s still 18 points more than what I had here last year so I’ll take that.”

If Verstappen rebounds to take the title this year, he will emulate another of Schumacher’s feats by winning five consecutive world championships. No driver other than Schumacher has previously achieved this.

Schumacher is one of only two drivers who has won more grands prix than Verstappen. The Red Bull driver has 63 victories, Schumacher 91 and Lewis Hamilton holds the record with 105.