Webber: Only reliability will stop Verstappen from breaking Vettel's record

Verstappen has been winning everything since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, eight wins in a row, and if he wins the next race at Zandvoort, he will equal the record set by Vettel in the 2013 F1 season when he won nine in a row.

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber hailed the job being done by Verstappen and Red Bull in 2023, insisting is cannot be taken lightly.

He told Formula 1's Official Website: "I think it’s really hard for people to understand this level of domination, how much work and effort goes into it. That’s the big thing, you’ve got to give credit, people have to give credit where it’s due.

"To get that level of advantage with the depth of competition in F1… There’s so many, so many opportunities to make mistakes, whether it’s pit stops, reliability, presentation of the car, driver errors, but it’s just been a run for the ages, and obviously [McLaren in] 1988 was the last time it happened," he explained.

As for Verstappen's chances of beating Vettel's record, the man who currently manages Oscar Piastri said: "It’s only reliability [problems] that will stop it, I think.

"I think the world would like to see him win his home race [at Zandvoort]. To do the business there would be extraordinary. He should win that one and then he’s equal," the Australian maintained.

Verstappen may have the best F1 car on the grid today, but that doesn't make the job he is doing driving it any less admirable.

Webber commented: "He’s the one out there executing, he’s dancing when the curtains go back, and he goes out on stage and does it.

"We know the level of intensity he brings – he’s top drawer. For the opposition, of course, he’s now well-established in his career, he’s got an immense amount of experience.

"He’s going to enjoy the break, he’s going to come back refreshed, and I think because there’s even no pressure on him, it’s even more of an advantage for him," the 46-year-old concluded.