Formula 1: The intriguing record Max Verstappen wants to be rid of

Records are a funny thing. It’s always nice to have your name alongside a record in the history books of Formula 1, although not all are great, as Max Verstappen can show you.

The Formula 1 circus has reached round two of the 2021 season and the first round in Italy at the infamous Imola (San Marino) circuit for the Imola Grand Prix.

No, the full name of the weekend’s race will not be mentioned as it is, quite frankly, overkill. But, anyway.

Red Bull’s lead driver Max Verstappen will be looking forward to amending his and his team’s failure to be the victors of the opening round in Bahrain three weeks ago, but Verstappen might want to forget his Formula 1 history in Italy.

Verstappen is a holder of a number of records, and that will only increase, but this is a record he will want to change, and quickly.

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The 23-year-old Dutchman probably does not think of this record, but his fortune over the three Italian rounds during the 2020 season shoved it into the spotlight. Records like this are not a major concern. For most, they are just water off of a duck’s back, but they become more and more irritating if they continue to rail on.

Verstappen began his Formula 1 career in 2015. From 2015 to 2019, Monza held the Italian Grand Prix, with Mugello and Imola (San Marino) also hosting races during the 2020 season. Frankly, it has never gone to plan for Verstappen in Italy.

So let’s do the math here: six Grands Prix at Monza and one each at Mugello and Imola. Eight rounds in Italy. Or seven in Italy and one in San Marino?

Right, Monza 2015, with Verstappen in the Toro Rosso. No points came on this occasion, as he crossed the line in 12th place, which for Toro Rosso was quite normal. 2016 is when the Italian disappointment really started to come around. A fully-fledged Red Bull driver by this point, Verstappen finished a very forgettable race, especially for the fans, in seventh.

The rut continued into 2017 for multiple reasons. A soaking qualifying session saw some impressive laps, notably by both Red Bull drivers, Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, and then Williams rookie Lance Stroll.

However, in what is now the usual “Red Bull at Monza” fashion, both drivers knew they were taking engine grid penalties for the race. Due to that, back to the grid they were thrown. In all fairness, only four drivers started that Grand Prix where they qualified.

This meant a clean fight back was needed to secure what would have been crucial points. But it all swung downhill quite early on. In the early going, Verstappen found himself wheel-to-wheel with Felipe Massa going into turn one.

A squeeze from Massa alongside a risky move by Verstappen led to inevitable contact at the turn one and two chicane, causing an early puncture for Verstappen. By the end, he was able to rescue a single point by finishing in 10th place in what was another forgettable round.

2018 had a positive, as it welcomed Verstappen’s best result in Italy. It was only a fifth place finish, but hey-ho, a best result is a best result. It was an uninspiring round which had a notable event between Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, again into turn one.

Into the first turn, the Red Bull moved to the left under braking, seemingly to squeeze the Mercedes driver, and that caused contact. This action led to the FIA handing Verstappen a time penalty. He ended up crossing the line in third place, but the five-second penalty dropped him by two positions.

2019 is remembered for the titanic battle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, to the joy of the adoring Tifosi. Further away from the lead, Verstappen struggled again. Another “Red Bull in Monza” grid penalty left Verstappen starting in 19th place. And it went wrong at turn one, again — this time on the opening lap.

It was an odd clash by Verstappen to say the least. He was cautious but seemed to be caught out by the less then ideal speeds into the first chicane as 20 wide and clunky cars tried to shimmy through. Verstappen tried to avoid Sergio Perez directly in front of him, tagged his front wing and then said hello to the wall on his left. This again left Verstappen needing repairs to his car after the opening lap, and he ended up finishing in eighth place.

Then came 2020. If you though his Italian fortune couldn’t get worse, my word were you wrong. A poor start from fifth place on the grid in Monza left the Red Bull stuck behind Bottas’s Mercedes in a very expensive, very fast traffic jam, as the cars could not follow one another without overheating. Unsurprisingly, Verstappen’s RB16 overheated, ending his race.

Then came Mugello. A strong third place qualifying effort left Verstappen looking forward, as he showed strong pace throughout the weekend to fight both Mercedes cars. However, his Italy misfortune struck yet again. A problem on the grid left Verstappen and his team vulnerable and frantic, although the Red Bull team believed they had yet again worked wonders in a short amount of time.

But to no avail. A good start by Verstappen saw him swiftly move up the gears before swiftly going backwards, as Red Bull’s wonders did not work. A severe lack of power left him in the mid-pack going into the tight turn two, and he was then punted by an incident behind, leaving him stuck in the gravel. An angry Verstappen and another DNF — not a comfortable recipe.

And yet, it got worse. This one potentially hurt the most — the 2020 Imola Grand Prix, or the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Whatever.

Verstappen again lined up on the grid in third place, and with strong race pace, a strong finish appeared to be in the cards. After passing Hamilton at the start before eventually dropping to third due to strategy differences and a virtual safety car, the Red Bull was in third chasing the second placed Bottas before the Mercedes ran wide at Rivazza, allowing Verstappen to skip by.

But wham, misfortune struck again. Shortly after gaining second place, Verstappen’s left rear tire departed the race in a spectacular fashion going into the Villeneuve chicane, actually in similar fashion to the corner name’s origins — although Gilles nailed it slightly better. Verstappen was in the gravel with three wheels — another Italy retirement.

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Three Italian rounds in 2020, three DNFs. That kind of run cannot happen again this season, even with only two races in the country. Especially this season, Verstappen and the team cannot afford to have such results with the seemingly tight fight against Hamilton and Mercedes. His fortunes will need to turn around quickly in order to not allow Hamilton to secure a gap over him in the standings, and it starts this weekend in Imola.

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