It has been more than ten years since Max Verstappen finished a Grand Prix without scoring points. An exceptional statistic that illustrates his consistency.
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Max Verstappen has just reached a particularly impressive milestone. For more than ten years now, the Dutchman has never seen the checkered flag of a Formula 1 Grand Prix without finishing in the points.
You have to go back to the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix to find the last race finished by Verstappen outside the top 10. On August 28 of that year, the driver who had just been promoted to Red Bull a few months earlier crossed the finish line in eleventh position.
Since that day at Spa-Francorchamps, a surprising rule has been established: whenever Verstappen finishes a Grand Prix, he systematically scores points.
It all started at Spa in 2016
The 2016 Belgian Grand Prix had, however, started badly for Verstappen. Involved in a collision with the two Ferraris on the first lap, the Dutchman suffered significant damage to his Red Bull.
He nevertheless managed to reach the finish, but only in eleventh position. This is still today the last time Verstappen was classified at the finish of a Grand Prix without scoring any points.
From the 2016 Italian Grand Prix to the recent round at Zandvoort, Verstappen has participated in 213 Grand Prix races.
Out of these 213 races, he has been classified at the finish 183 times. And in each of these, he was among the top ten.
A streak that has now officially entered its second decade.
183 consecutive finishes in the points
The statistics accumulated during this period give even more weight to this performance.
Among his 183 finishes, Verstappen counts no less than 70 wins and 128 podiums. But above all, none ended beyond tenth place.
The other 30 Grand Prix races all ended in retirement. Verstappen has also never recorded a non-start in his Formula 1 career.
In other words, for ten years, there have only been two scenarios when he starts a race: either he retires, or he scores points.
A consistency all the more remarkable as it spans very different periods of his career, from the sometimes fragile Red Bulls of his early seasons to the dominant cars with which he has won four world titles.
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A tenth place as the worst result for years
Verstappen has come very close to ending this streak several times.
The most spectacular example dates back to the 2017 Italian Grand Prix. After a difficult race at Monza, the Dutchman finished tenth, one lap behind the winner.
He thus narrowly saved the last available point.
The 2017 season had also been particularly difficult in terms of reliability. Verstappen recorded seven retirements, but every time he managed to reach the finish, he was able to score points.
Even the difficult 2026 season does not break the streak
The current campaign also represents a real test for this statistic.
Red Bull is experiencing a much more difficult season and Verstappen has already recorded four retirements in the first twelve rounds.
When he sees the finish, the four-time world champion continues, however, to maximize his results.
His eighth place at the Japanese Grand Prix is thus his worst ranking among the races he finished in 2026. Even with an RB22 that is no longer able to dominate like its predecessors, Verstappen therefore remains systematically in the points when he reaches the finish.
This ability to limit damage in difficult weekends partly explains the impressive consistency of his record.
A statistic that sums up Verstappen’s consistency
Since that eleventh place at Spa on August 28, 2016, Verstappen has become world champion four times and has accumulated records.
But this streak is probably one of the most revealing statistics of his consistency.
It does not depend solely on the period of Red Bull’s dominance: it started several years before his first title and continues today while his team is going through a much less favorable period.
183 finishes, 183 results in the points, including 128 podiums and 70 wins: for more than ten years now, Max Verstappen has simply never finished a Grand Prix outside the top 10.
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