Reigning Method 1 world champion Max Verstappen is on a four-race winless streak, which is his longest drought for 4 years.
It started with the Austrian Grand Prix in June, the place the Pink Bull driver was main with seven laps to go till his collision with Lando Norris dropped Verstappen to fifth.
The triple world champion then completed second on the following weekend’s British GP earlier than fifth in Budapest, as Pink Bull struggled to match the tempo of Mercedes and McLaren.
Verstappen was quickest in qualifying for the Belgian GP although, however a 10-place grid penalty attributable to an engine change put him out of competition and he crossed the road in fifth – but ultimately completed fourth attributable to George Russell’s post-race disqualification.
He does nonetheless lead the championship by 78 factors although, as he received seven of the opening 10 grands prix that means Verstappen is on track for a fourth consecutive title regardless of Pink Bull now not holding such a tempo benefit.
So, what are among the longest profitable droughts throughout a driver’s title-clinching yr?
Podium: Race winner Keke Rosberg, Williams
Photograph by: Motorsport Images
13 – Keke Rosberg (1982)
Keke Rosberg clinched the 1982 F1 world championship in peculiar style, because the then-Williams driver solely received one grand prix that yr. That made him simply the second driver after Mike Hawthorn (1958) to clinch the title with just one race win, one thing no one has since achieved.
Rosberg’s victory got here on the season’s third-to-last spherical in Dijon, that means he went the primary 13 grands prix with no win. However he did declare 5 podiums and three different high 5 finishes throughout that point, so Rosberg was constantly on the entrance but his championship struggle largely got here by circumstance.
That’s as a result of Ferrari’s Didier Pironi was main the standings when he suffered a career-ending leg harm after crashing in qualifying on the Hockenheimring, which was that season’s twelfth spherical. Rosberg was fifth within the championship, 16 factors behind Pironi on the time of the crash, however 4 top-five finishes together with three podiums and a victory within the closing 5 grands prix meant he received his one and solely title by 5 factors.
Nelson Piquet, Brabham BT52B BMW
Photograph by: Motorsport Images
11 – Nelson Piquet (1983)
Nelson Piquet has the second-longest win drought throughout a championship yr, which coincidentally got here the season after Rosberg’s crown. The then-Brabham driver began 1983 with a win at his residence Brazilian GP, but went the next 11 rounds with out victory.
Piquet got here shut on a number of events although with podiums in France, Monaco, Britain and Austria, in addition to main the early phases of the Detroit GP, but a lot of the season was dominated by Alain Prost.
The then-Renault driver led Piquet by 14 factors with three rounds remaining (solely a most of 27 left obtainable attributable to F1’s scoring system that season), however dangerous luck hit as Prost retired from the Italian GP attributable to a turbo drawback whereas Piquet ended his profitable drought.
Piquet claimed one other victory on the Manufacturers Hatch penultimate spherical with Prost in second, that means the Frenchman led the championship by two factors. Prost then misplaced the title on the Kyalami season finale, as he retired on lap 35 with one other turbo failure whereas Piquet completed third to clinch his second of three championships by simply two factors.
Jenson Button, Brawn Grand Prix celebrates profitable the World Championship
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Brawn GP’s Jenson Button profitable the 2009 world championship is considered one of F1’s finest underdog tales. Within the winter of 2008, Button misplaced his race seat attributable to Honda exiting the sequence however then its former technical director Ross Brawn purchased the squad for simply £1 in March 2009 to create a group in his title.
The Brackley-based outfit, that underneath its Honda guise in 2008 completed ninth, surprisingly emerged because the main squad after an aerodynamic rule change that shook up the aggressive order. Brawn achieved it largely due to its double diffuser, which created higher downforce by increasing the airflow and reducing strain beneath the automotive.
This resulted in Button profitable six of the opening seven grands prix, however Pink Bull introduced a number of updates to Silverstone which was a turning level within the season. The Austrian squad immediately had the quickest automotive culminating in Button failing to win any of the ultimate 10 races.
He solely had two podiums throughout that run as effectively: second in a Brawn 1-2 at Monza and third within the season-closing Abu Dhabi GP. However Button nonetheless sealed the championship with fifth on the penultimate spherical in Brazil due to his early profitable run.
Sebastian Vettel, Pink Bull Racing RB8
Photograph by: Motorsport Images
The 2012 F1 season was one of many tightest in historical past, because it had a distinct winner in every of the opening seven rounds and the championship lead modified eight occasions all through the marketing campaign. Sebastian Vettel ultimately pipped Fernando Alonso to the title by three factors, regardless of the Pink Bull driver enduring a nine-race winless run that helped his Ferrari rival emerge because the championship favorite.
It got here between rounds 5, the Spanish GP, and 13, the Italian GP, so Vettel’s championship hopes appeared useless and buried as he trailed chief Alonso by 39 factors after Monza.
However, all the pieces modified when the season headed to Asia as Vettel ended his drought by claiming 4 consecutive victories, starting with the Singapore GP the place he took the lead due to Lewis Hamilton’s retirement. Vettel then received in Japan, South Korea and India to steer the standings by 13 factors with three rounds remaining.
The German stored his championship lead after podiums in Abu Dhabi and Austin earlier than sixth within the Interlagos season finale, regardless of spinning to the again on lap one, as he sealed his third of 4 consecutive world titles.
Emerson Fittipaldi celebrates with Ronnie Peterson
Photograph by: David Phipps
8 – Emerson Fittipaldi (1974)
Emerson Fittipaldi clinched the 1974 F1 world championship, regardless of not profitable the center eight rounds. The then-McLaren driver had a powerful begin with two victories and a podium within the opening 5 races, however second at Manufacturers Hatch and Monza was the most effective he completed within the subsequent eight grands prix.
He was near victory on the Italian GP although as a result of Fittipaldi completed 0.8s behind Ronnie Peterson, as varied retirements meant the drivers who began sixth and seventh ended up 1-2. However, Fittipaldi was seemingly content material with second figuring out it will put him simply three factors behind championship chief Clay Regazzoni with two rounds remaining.
Fittipaldi then ended his drought on the following race, as he received the Canadian GP from pole to maneuver atop of the standings. That was his third and closing victory of the season, as fourth at Watkins Glen gave Fittipaldi his second world championship.
Niki Lauda, Ferrari 312T2
Photograph by: Rainer Schlegelmilch
7 – Niki Lauda (1977), Alain Prost (1986), Nelson Piquet (1987), Fernando Alonso (2006)
There are 4 drivers who’ve gone seven grands prix with out victory throughout a championship-winning yr. Niki Lauda was the primary to take action in 1977, when he astonishingly claimed his second world title only a yr after his horrifying crash on the Nurburgring.
Lauda’s first victory of the marketing campaign got here on the third spherical in South Africa, however the then-Ferrari driver didn’t win the next seven grands prix. He was nonetheless quick throughout that interval with 4 runner-up finishes that means Lauda led the championship and he prolonged his benefit by profitable the eleventh spherical in Hockenheim. That was the primary of two victories within the following 5 races that means Lauda clinched his second title with two rounds left. He then skipped the remaining grands prix after a fallout with Ferrari.
His future team-mate Prost additionally went seven races with no victory, when he received his second of 4 world championships in 1986. The then-McLaren driver received two of the opening 4 rounds, however Williams quickly grew to become the dominant drive by profitable six of the following seven grands prix with Lotus’ Ayrton Senna claiming victory within the different.
Williams was due to this fact on track for a double championship, as Nigel Mansell led the drivers’ standings with 5 rounds left. However Prost staged a late cost by ending his drought in Austria the place each Williams automobiles retired. Regardless of being disqualified from the next race at Monza attributable to an unlawful automotive change, Prost nonetheless solely trailed Mansell by eight factors with three races remaining.
He minimize that hole to 6 with runner-up finishes in Portugal and Mexico, however all appeared too little, too late for Prost as Mansell was initially third within the Adelaide season finale. That was till his left rear-tyre exploded with 19 laps remaining and Prost quickly took the lead after Williams pitted Piquet as a precaution. Prost ultimately held on to clinch the title.
Podium: race winner and World Champion Alain Prost, second place Nelson Piquet, third place Stefan Johansson
Photograph by: Sutton Pictures
An identical win drought occurred the next yr when Piquet went the primary seven grands prix with no victory, however nonetheless claimed 5 runner-up finishes throughout that point.
So, Piquet solely trailed chief Senna by one level earlier than ending his drought by profitable the following two rounds in Germany and Hungary. This gave Piquet the championship lead, which is a place he then by no means misplaced due to a win in Monza and three different podiums in the course of the closing seven rounds.
Alonso then grew to become the ultimate driver so far to go seven grands prix with no victory when he claimed the 2006 title. It got here after a dominant begin to the yr, the place Alonso received six of the primary 9 races whereas ending second within the different three.
However the FIA then banned Renault’s tuned mass damper – a stability help that improved front-end downforce – which gave the tempo benefit to Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, who subsequent received 5 races to Alonso’s none.
It left each drivers degree on factors with two rounds remaining, however Alonso then ended his drought in Japan whereas Schumacher retired with an engine failure. This all however sealed back-to-back crowns for Alonso, who ultimately clinched it with second on the closing spherical in Brazil.
Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren Mercedes MP4-20 Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault R25 and Fernando Alonso, Renault R25
Photograph by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
6 – Alain Prost (1993), Fernando Alonso (2005), Kimi Raikkonen (2007), Lewis Hamilton (2008), Sebastian Vettel (2010)
Alonso additionally received the 2005 championship having gone six races with no victory. It occurred in a similar way to 2006, as Alonso started 2005 with six victories in 12, that means he led the standings by 36 factors.
McLaren progressively improved all through the season although, culminating in it profitable six consecutive races from rounds 13, the Hungarian GP, to 18, the Japanese GP, with Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. Alonso was nonetheless on high type although, as 5 podiums throughout that run clinched his maiden title with two rounds remaining earlier than ending the drought on the Chinese language season finale.
He was the second driver to have a six-race winless run earlier than clinching the title. Prost first did it in 1993, which additionally adopted a dominant begin because the then-Williams driver received seven of the primary 10 rounds but didn’t win for the remainder of the yr.
Prost was nonetheless fast, as he claimed 4 poles in that point however two of these ended up in retirements on the Hungaroring and Monza. He was on the rostrum for the opposite 4 races although, so Prost clinched his fourth title with two rounds remaining earlier than retiring on the finish of the season.
Raikkonen, Hamilton and Vettel additionally went six races with no victory throughout a championship-winning yr. In 2007, Raikkonen received the Melbourne season opener however didn’t stand on the highest step once more till July’s French GP. That reignited his championship struggle and Raikkonen ultimately sealed the title on the closing spherical in Brazil, that means Hamilton missed two alternatives to turn into world champion in his rookie yr.
Podium: second place Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Race winner Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, third place Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
Photograph by: Sutton Pictures
Redemption adopted in 2008 although, as Hamilton dramatically pipped Felipe Massa to the title on the ultimate day. Each drivers had been concerned in a season-long battle, which Hamilton led after 10 rounds with 4 victories, however a drought adopted as Heikki Kovalainen received in Hungary, Massa claimed two victories, Vettel had a shock win at Monza, whereas Alonso controversially received the Singapore GP earlier than profitable in Japan.
However Hamilton had scored three podiums throughout that point so he nonetheless led the championship earlier than the penultimate spherical, which he received in Shanghai to finish the drought. Hamilton then clinched his maiden crown on the Brazil season finale after ending fifth, having overtaken Timo Glock within the closing corners.
Vettel had the same drought two years later, as he didn’t win from rounds 10, the British GP, to fifteen, the Singapore GP, in 2010. It meant Vettel had solely received two of the primary 15 grands prix, leading to him trailing team-mate and championship chief Mark Webber by 21 factors.
However all the pieces modified within the closing 4 grands prix, which Webber drove with a fractured shoulder after a biking accident, as Vettel claimed three victories beginning with the Japanese GP. He subsequent received in Brazil earlier than one other on the Abu Dhabi season finale, that means Vettel received an unlikely maiden title regardless of by no means main the standings in the course of the yr.
