Max Verstappen equals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost
Max Verstappen took his 8th consecutive pole position on the Imola circuit, a record previously held by ... Ayrton Senna. He also joins Alain Prost in the history books...
It was without a doubt the most unexpected pole position of the season for Max Verstappen. He was struggling in free practice on Friday, his Red Bull was not performing as he wished. This surprise pole position is now historic. He joins Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in two different records.
The Dutch driver has accumulated 8 consecutive pole positions: from the last Grand Prix in 2023, to Imola this Saturday, May 18th! No one has shown as much consistency in qualifying except Ayrton Senna. Ironically, he equals the record of the Brazilian legend on the soil of his passing.
After the qualifying session, Max Verstappen was happy and moved to join this F1 legend: « It’s been 30 years since he left us on the same track. I am of course very happy to get the pole position here, and in a way, it is a beautiful tribute to his memory. » Before adding: « He was an incredible Formula 1 driver, especially in qualifying laps. » There is no coincidence in matching such a record, Max Verstappen’s performance is sensational.
He now co-holds another record: that of the number of consecutive pole positions since the first Grand Prix of a season. It was Alain Prost who held this record alone until now.
The next qualifying session will take place in Monaco next week. It is undoubtedly the most important of the season… the opportunity for Max Verstappen to surpass the two legends.