Formula 1: George Russell quietly makes history, joins elite group

George Russell now trails only Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna on Formula 1’s all-time list of consecutive teammate qualifying battles won.

The 2020 Formula 1 season has been a tale of one British driver catching and surpassing multiple records held by the legendary seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

That driver is, of course, 94-time race winner and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

But another British driver has done something that not even Hamilton has done, and in doing so, he has put himself on an all-time list where he now trails only Schumacher and fellow legend Ayrton Senna.

More from Formula One

• Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
• Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
• Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
• Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
• Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points

Williams have run at the back of the pack in each of the last three seasons, but the arrival of the 22-year-old George Russell has provided at least somewhat of a spark as the organization tries to at least get back to fighting for points on a semi-regular basis.

While Russell has yet to score through 35 career starts, finishing his rookie season in 2019 as the only scoreless driver and having not yet finished a race in the top 10 in the first 14 races of 2020 either, his pace has been incredible.

Russell’s 14th place qualifying effort yesterday for today’s Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit marked his 36th career qualifying attempt.

After advancing from the first to the second round of qualifying, he qualified six positions ahead of rookie teammate Nicholas Latifi, who is set to start today’s 57-lap race around the 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) road course in Sakhir, Bahrain in 20th (last).

Through 36 races in his Formula 1 career, Russell has never been outqualified by a teammate.

Last season, he was 21 for 21 in terms of beating Robert Kubica, a former race winner. He is 15 for 15 in terms of beating Latifi this season with just two qualifying sessions remaining.

The chances of winning 36 consecutive teammate qualifying battles, with all other things remaining equal, are 1 in 68,719,476,736 (0.0000000014551915%).

By pulling this off, Russell now trails only two drivers on Formula 1’s all-time of consecutive teammate qualifying battles won: Schumacher and Senna.

Russell’s 36rd consecutive win tied Nelson Piquet’s 36-race streak, which lasted from 1979 through 1982. Schumacher holds the record with 56 in a row from 1992 to 1995 while Senna sits in second place with 44 in a row from 1985 to 1988.

None of those drivers, however, recorded their streak to start their careers.

Russell’s streak of 36 consecutive qualifying wins over his teammate to start his career is by far the all-time record, and it has been a growing all-time record for more than a year already.

By comparison, Piquet did not win his first qualifying battle. Schumacher won his first five but lost his sixth. Senna won his first two but lost his third.

Russell may not be in that legendary category just yet, but he has now won his first 36 and counting and has all the makings of a future Formula 1 world champion. He is set to enter the 23-race 2021 season with Latifi as his teammate once again, so this record may very well end up becoming his next year, assuming he extends that streak to 38 to conclude the 2020 season.