Max Verstappen matches Michael Schumacher record with dramatic first F1 win of the season
Max Verstappen took another step towards a Formula One record on Sunday after match Michael Schumacher's race wins with Ferrari.
After a dramatic race involving a late start caused by adverse weather conditions and saw three drivers, including title challenger George Russel, fail to finish the race, Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
In doing so, the four-time champion got his first race win of the season, taking his total with Red Bull up to an incredible 72, matching Schumacher's record with Ferrari and putting himself within touching distance of the number one spot.
Max Verstappen matches Michael Schumacher with stunning F1 win in Sepang
Since being promoted to Red Bull to partner Daniel Ricciardo in 2016, Verstappen has been one of the most dominant drivers in Formula One, picking up four drivers championship titles.
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Despite this, the Dutchman has struggled in the 2026 season, no doubt partly due to the controversial regulation changes and the car provided to him by Red Bull, leaving him sixth in the driver standings ahead of the Bahrain GP in Sepang, Malaysia.
Throughout the opening 15 races this year before Bahrain, Verstappen was yet to win a Grand Prix or sprint race, securing 163 points with seven podiums.
But in Sepang this finally changed as Verstappen won a dramatic race following a fierce battle with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes teammate Russell, who failed to finish the race due to a late engine failure.
In doing so, he took his total wins with Red Bull to 72, putting him level with Schumacher for wins with a single team.
"72 mate, 72. What a fantastic weekend, Verstappen said on his team radio after crossing the finish line in Sepang.
F1 legend Schumacher spent the vast majority of his stellar career with Ferrari, claiming 72 of his 91 Formula One victories with the Italian manufacturer.
And it's likely not going to be too long before Verstappen gets number 73 and makes a step towards taking the top spot on the list.
As it stands, it is seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth in Sepang, who tops the list of most F1 race wins with a single team.
Throughout 12 seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton secured 84 race wins, securing all but one of his championship titles.
In total, the Brit has 106 race wins in his career.
That means that Verstappen is now just 12 wins away from matching Hamilton's record, or 13 away from surpassing it, something which seems very achievable given the fact Hamilton has now left Ferrari.
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Max Verstappen reflects on 'hectic' race win at Bahrain GP
Post-race, Verstappen admitted that it was nice to finally get a win after all the hard work that Red Bull have put in this season so far.
"It's a really nice one after the year we've had and the progression we have made. I'm incredibly proud of everyone. Just super nice to win here.
"It was very hectic with a lot of different things at the start - no power, because you have to wait for the power to kick in. We made the right call with the intermediates.
"After that, step by step we moved out way forward. From there, once we could do our own race then we had the Safety Car but we kept it all under control."
F1 will return again next week for the Singapore Grand Prix set to take place at 13:00 BST on Sunday, October 11, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
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Topics: Max Verstappen, Michael Schumacher, Red Bull Racing, Formula 1
Ben McCrum