Nico Rosberg is on the brink of winning his sixth race in a row this weekend. Only 3 drivers have had more consecutive wins.
This could be a milestone weekend for Nico Rosberg. The German driver is on the cusp of taking his sixth victory in a row in car number 6. The momentum seems to be swinging in his favour at the moment and, with Lewis Hamilton already taking a 5-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox, it looks highly possible that Nico’s winning ways will continue in the Chinese Grand Prix. If Rosberg is indeed on pole, then his start will be critical. A fast starting Ferrari, as they were in Australia, could scupper Nico’s chances of 6 consecutive wins.
Every other driver who has taken 5 or more consecutive race wins has been a World Champion at some point in their career. The three drivers who have scored 6 or more consecutive race wins have been multiple World Championship winners.
But who has scored the longest winning streak in Formula One? Here’s the Top 3:
3. Michael Schumacher, Europe 2004 – Hungary 2004.
At the start of the 2004 season, Michael managed 5 wins in a row from the opening round in Australia to the Spanish Grand Prix. It was in the summer of 2004 though, when Schumacher took seven victories in a row and earned his place in the top 3. He became a 7-time World Champion at the race after his 7 race winning streak ended, finishing second to McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen at the Belgian Grand Prix. Incredibly, in the 2004 season he won 13 of 18 races – the highest percentage of race wins since Ascari’s 1952 record. The streak also included a win at the Magny Cours circuit in France, a circuit at which Michael won a phenomenal 8 times in his career.
2. Alberto Ascari, Belgium 1952 – Argentina 1953.
The Italian double World Champion won 7 consecutive races on his way to the 1952 and 1953 championship titles. Considering there were only 8 Grands Prix in 1952, to win 6 of them back-to-back was mightily impressive and his record remains the highest percentage of wins in a season. Ascari’s actual tally of consecutive wins is arguably longer, but he missed the 1953 Indianapolis 500, which counted towards the Formula One World Championship. Without the Indianapolis round, Ascari’s streak would have been 9 in a row.
Take a look at the 1952 British Grand Prix from Silverstone, won by Ascari:
1. Sebastian Vettel, Belgium 2013 – Brazil 2013
You don’t have to look back too far in the history books to find the consecutive race win record. It was set by Sebastian Vettel who won every one of the 9 races in the second half of the 2013 season. After the summer break the Pirelli tyres were changed back to the 2012 compounds, following concerns over the tyre failures at the 2013 British Grand Prix. The 2012 tyres suited the Red Bull better and, from Belgium onward, the German driver became unstoppable and wrapped up the title at the Indian Grand Prix. The end of this streak was also the last time that Vettel led the Drivers’ Championship.