Max Verstappen is currently experiencing a highly dominant season in Formula 1. With 10 wins out of 12 races, he is on track to break his own record of 15 wins in a season. The combination of Verstappen and the Red Bull RB19 has proven to be unparalleled, with the only driver able to interrupt their winning streak being Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez. This combination of the best driver and best car has resulted in spectacular dominance.
However, Verstappen is not the first to achieve such a feat in F1 history. There have been six other examples of drivers and cars displaying relentless brilliance. One such example is Nigel Mansell and the Williams FW14B in 1992. Mansell had performed well in the previous season but faced pressure from his teammate. However, in 1992, Mansell and the active touring Williams FW14B showcased an unmatched level of pace. Mansell set the fastest lap time in 15 out of 16 race weekends, demonstrating the dominance of their partnership.
Another example is Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull RB13 in 2013. Vettel and Red Bull had a slow start to the season but hit their stride in the second half. Vettel won all nine races after the August break, displaying his genius in maximizing the car’s potential. Vettel’s adaptability and brilliance enhanced the performance of the car, resulting in their unstoppable dominance.
Jim Clark and the Lotus 33 in 1965 is another noteworthy partnership. Clark’s unique driving style perfectly complemented the capabilities of the Lotus 33, resulting in a dominant season. Despite some reliability issues and skipping a race, Clark could have won all 10 races that year. His victories were highlighted by leading every lap in two races and producing legendary wet-weather performances.
Michael Schumacher and the Ferrari F2004 in 2004 hold another spot on the list. Schumacher won a record 13 out of 18 races that season, showcasing the incredible speed and performance of the car. The F2004 was considered the fastest F1 car until the introduction of newer models in 2017. Schumacher’s only defeat in a direct fight came from Kimi Raikkonen, and Ferrari’s strategic decisions also contributed to their dominance.
Lastly, Alberto Ascari and the Ferrari 500 in 1952 and 1953 displayed unparalleled dominance in the Formula 2 championship. Ascari won 11 out of 14 races in those two seasons, showcasing his skill and precision in extracting the maximum performance from the car.
These examples demonstrate that Verstappen’s current dominance is not unique in the history of Formula 1. It is the result of a perfect combination of driver talent and superior car performance, leading to an impressive display of dominance on the track.
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Max Verstappen is in the midst of what is sure to be one of the most dominant seasons in Formula 1 history. He has won 10 of the 12 grands prix so far and will add many more to the tally in the second half of the year, perhaps enough to break the record he set last year of 15 wins in a season.
The combination of Verstappen and the Red Bull RB19 has been unbeatable for most of the season, with only his teammate Sergio Pérez able to break that winning streak. It’s a classic case of the best driver and the best car combining to produce spectacular dominance.
But this is far from the first time in F1 history that such a combination has won race after race.
Judging not just from his statistical success, but also from his pace advantage over the pack, his style of execution and his contribution to F1 legend, here are six more examples of such unrelenting brilliance.
Nigel Mansell and Williams FW14B (1992)
In 1991, Nigel Mansell performed well in the Williams-Renault FW14 but missed out on the world championship, and had been put under heavy pressure by teammate Riccardo Patrese. But in 1992, with the active touring Williams FW14B, he obliterated everyone, including Patrese.
In terms of pure pace, this is the most dominant car/driver combination in F1 history. Mansell set the fastest individual lap time in 15 of the 16 race weekends, with the exception of Hungary, where Patrese won pole position from him. On average, Williams was an astonishing 1.5% faster than the second-best McLaren, which equates to 1.2s around a hypothetical 80s lap.
Mansell was always a staggeringly quick driver, capable of lightning-fast reactions but with an underrated level of precision in his driving, one who could have won multiple titles before 1992. But he was at his best in the Williams FW14B.
It was clearly the fastest car, thanks to Adrian Newey’s aerodynamics, the powerful Renault V10 and the mechanical design genius of Patrick Head. But there was a knack for bringing out the best in him.
The active suspension required the driver to fully engage on corner entry despite a lack of feel and a time when the car didn’t look like it would stall before the system responded. Patrese lacked the confidence to do it consistently, but Mansell could live with the lack of sentiment.
The result was nine wins out of 16, the title won with five races to go, and one of the most dominant seasons of all time.
Iconic Mansell and Williams Partnership
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull RB13 (2013)
Go back a decade and instead of Verstappen and Red Bull, it was Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. In 2013, the fourth consecutive season of dominance, Vettel and Red Bull were unstoppable. Or, at least, they were after a relatively slow start.
While Mercedes showed threatening pace in the first half of the year, with Vettel ‘only’ winning four of the first 10 races, the combination hit its stride in the second half of the year. Vettel won all nine races after the August break, a record Verstappen will match if he wins the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort later this month.
Vettel’s genius was crucial in getting the most out of the car. Red Bull’s exhaust blower technology was used mercilessly by Vettel, who adapted his styling superbly to optimize it. The combination of a car that could corner positively and the availability of rear downforce from the way he used the throttle to give the car grip in the corner made it unstoppable.
Vettel also won races in many different ways in 2013, producing dominating races, tire management masterclasses, top sprint victories and decisively clearing traffic as he did in India.
This was Vettel’s peak, not just benefiting from being in the best car, but enhancing it with his brilliance.
Vettel’s dominance at Red Bull
Jim Clark and Lotus 33 (1965)
Clark’s early turning style, dragging the brakes, meshed beautifully with the Lotus 33 in 1965. His smooth, economical ride in the 1.5-liter Climax-powered machine was also fearsomely fast. If not for reliability issues, and skipping Monaco for the small matter of winning the Indianapolis 500, Clark could have won all 10 world championship races that year.
He had already enjoyed a dominant season two years earlier, winning the world championship at a canter in the Lotus 25 and achieving the third-highest winning percentage in F1 history of 70%. The Lotus 33 was effectively a stiffer, lighter evolution of that car with upgraded suspension.
READ MORE: Jim Clark – What made him so good?
His victory at the season-opening South African Grand Prix at the East London circuit was dominant, leading every lap and setting the tone for 1965. After winning the Syracuse Grand Prix to no points and the Sunday Mirror Trophy at Goodwood, he secured the world championship with five consecutive victories.
And what victories they were. Two: the French and German Grands Prix were ‘grand slams’, meaning he led every lap from pole position. That despite having to switch to the Lotus 25 spare car for France after the Climax 32-valve engine in his Lotus 33 expired. He also took a legendary wet-weather victory at Spa and took a miracle win by 3.2 seconds. over BRM driver Graham Hill at Silverstone despite suffering a misfire in the final 18 laps.
Although he hasn’t finished any of the last three races and Clark has had no success in the Lotus 33 with the formula three-litre engine, that astonishing run of success in 1965 is one of the greatest in history.
Michael Schumacher and Ferrari F2004 (2004)
Schumacher won a record 13 of 18 races in 2004 driving a Ferrari that stood as the fastest F1 car in history until the introduction of wider, high-downforce cars in 2017 displaced it.
Schumacher was only really beaten once in a direct fight in 2004, by Kimi Raikkonen at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the other losses coming due to mishaps.
That’s because the Ferrari F2004 had the most downforce, the most powerful engine and Bridgestone rubber optimized for both it and Schumacher. Even Ferrari was surprised by how fast the F2004 was, which beat pace predictions by several seconds.
The famous win at the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours is the most celebrated win for the combination. That was the result of Fernando Alonso’s Renault’s Michelin tires producing great grip for a qualifying lap or the start of the stint, but being slower than the Bridgestones during a race stint. Ferrari’s solution was to switch from a three-stop to a four-stop strategy to find the clear air needed to deliver the searing pace needed to win.
Michael Schumacher and the legendary Ferrari partnership
Alberto Ascari and Ferrari 500 (1952-1953)
The world championship was run on Formula 2 machinery in 1952 and 1953, and Alberto Ascari was the dominant force with the almighty Ferrari 500.
Excluding the anomalous Indianapolis 500, which was a world championship race between 1950 and 1960 but really a different world, Ascari won 11 times in 14 starts in 1952 and ’53.
While the Ferrari 500 was the fastest car, it required a driver of Ascari’s speed and precision to get the most out of it. He led 763 laps of a potential 921 (83%) on his way to back-to-back titles with no other driver winning more than once.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes W11 (2020)
The combination of Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes W11 won 11 of the 17 races in 2020, despite missing the Sakhir Grand Prix race thanks to Covid-19 and a subdued showing at the Abu Dhabi season finale where he was still under the weather.
The fact that he also lost victory at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone to unexpected rear tire blistering and at Monza to an illegal pit entry and untimely red flag shows just how dominant he was this season.
The Mercedes W11, with its low rake concept, had a decisive lead for most of the season. Equipped with the innovative DAS (dual axis steering) system used to help warm up the tires and with an innovative rear suspension setup that increased downforce-generating potential, Mercedes was even able to introduce its latest significant upgrade in just the seventh race before concentrating. about the events of 2021.
Hamilton and Mercedes mercilessly blew up the car and it was clear it was destined for a seventh world championship from the start of the season.
The moment Lewis Hamilton became a 7-time world champion
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.6-times-the-best-f1-drivers-and-best-cars-combined-to-produce-relentless.1CTkcvRroW9ejeyjnKDTTU.html
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