Piastri set to etch his name among Formula 1 greats

The 24-year-old McLaren driver has surged to the top of the championship standings after wins in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Miami. Today, he starts the race at Imola from pole position; victory this afternoon in Italy would mark Piastri's fourth in a row.

An achievement only matched or surpassed by the sport’s most legendary names. Piastri’s hot streak is placing him in the same statistical bracket as McLaren icon Ayrton Senna, who remains the only driver to have taken four straight wins for the Woking-based team.

Senna accomplished the feat twice, most notably in 1991 with wins at Phoenix, Interlagos, Imola, and Monaco, a run that helped deliver his third world championship.

This weekend’s event at Imola will also mark 31 years since Senna’s tragic death at the circuit in 1994, adding emotional resonance to Piastri’s charge.

If Piastri wins on Sunday, he will become only the second Australian to claim four or more consecutive victories, joining three-time World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham won five in a row in 1960 on his way to the second of his three titles. He also strung together four wins in 1966.

No driver has managed four or more consecutive wins since Max Verstappen’s dominant run of ten in 2023. The Dutchman, now a four-time World Champion, also recorded additional win streaks of nine and five, placing him at the top of the historical list.

Apart from Senna, other champions to have achieved at least four consecutive Grand Prix victories include Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Jim Clark, Nigel Mansell, Nico Rosberg, Jochen Rindt, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Fernando Alonso, and Jenson Button.

For McLaren, a win in Imola would not only reinforce their return to front-running form, it would also place Piastri alongside the team’s most iconic legend. Senna’s wins at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, particularly in the 1988 and 1991 seasons, were key moments in McLaren’s golden era.

Piastri’s pursuit of four straight wins now carries both statistical and symbolic weight. He is aiming to join the greats in both performance and pedigree.