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Max Verstappen has become a phenomenon in F1 over the last few years. Ever since the Dutchman got his hands on a Red Bull that could challenge for wins regularly, he's not looked back.
The last three seasons have seen him win three world championships. Not only that, the last three seasons have seen him appear utterly dominant in a manner that has not been seen in the past. The driver has made it a habit to go on these long win streaks where no one can touch him. Verstappen is currently on a seven-race winning streak. He also holds the record for the longest win streak in F1.
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Having said that, it's not always been the case that the driver has had the best car on the grid. Verstappen debuted for Red Bull in 2016 and he won his first title with the team in 2021. That's a long time and a lot of work put into the success that he now enjoys.
The driver sits at more than 50 wins in his career already, and he's not even hit his peak yet. In an already illustrious career, let's take a look at the races that Verstappen won but did not have the best car on the grid or was not expected to win.
5 races Max Verstappen won in a slower car
#5 2022 F1 Spanish GP
This one was unfortunate for Charles Leclerc as he had established a big lead in the first stint of the race. This was also arguably not a race where Max Verstappen performed at his best.
Verstappen first made a mistake early in the race, running through the gravel. He then lost a lot of time stuck behind George Russell.
All of this, however, turned into nothing as Charles Leclerc's Ferrari gave up midway through the race and forced him to retire. That gave Verstappen a new lease of life as he got the jump on Russell in the pitstops and then cruised to a win.
#4 2021 F1 Imola GP
The 2021 F1 Imola GP might come as a surprise here but there's more than what meets the eye with that race. Max Verstappen did have a competitive car under him but was it the fastest car in that race?
It's hard to say yes, because the driver was being chased by Lewis Hamilton before the pitstop. The second stint battle could also have been very interesting had Lewis Hamilton not binned the car into the barrier.
To add to this, all weekend Mercedes had looked like the quicker car, further cemented by the qualifying performance of that car.
#3 2019 F1 German GP
The 2019 F1 German GP has to go down as one of the more brilliant wet-weather performances by Max Verstappen. In a race that had multiple passages where rain played a part and forced teams to stay active, what stood out was the fact that the Mercedes was clearly the best car in all conditions. It didn't matter what was happening as Mercedes was just better.
But Verstappen made sure that he kept his head while everyone else around him was making mistakes in those conditions. In the end, it was Lewis Hamilton making multiple mistakes, Leclerc crashing out and Valtteri Bottas losing out as well, which helped Verstappen rise to the top and win.
#2 2018 F1 Austrian GP
The 2018 F1 season was one where the spotlight was on Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who were fighting for the title. The Ferrari vs Mercedes battle was a clash of Titans and Red Bull was just a tad behind these two.
At the 2018 F1 Austrian GP, Mercedes was dominating and had the duo of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas up ahead. In what was a clear case of not getting the call right, Mercedes pulled the trigger on a pitstop during a virtual safety car period, which left them in the traffic and gave Verstappen a free rein at the front.
It was at this time that the Dutch driver showed maturity in his approach and made the most of the car to win the race.
#1 2016 F1 Spanish GP
It's mind-boggling to think that Max Verstappen was still a teenager when he first graduated from Red Bull.
What's even more impressive is the fact that he won his very first race with the team. And Verstappen wasn't just lucky; he put together a race where he fended off a world champion Kimi Raikkonen followed by a four-time world champion in Sebastian Vettel and a young charger in Daniel Ricciardo.
Yes, the Mercedes duo crashing out at the start helped Verstappen, but even then he still has a lot of work to do. And he certainly got it done to win his first career race.
