Max Verstappen has set a new Formula 1 record after ending a nine-year wait for victory at the Sepang International Circuit, surpassing a mark previously held by British legend Nigel Mansell.
Verstappen and Red Bull Racing made history in more ways than one during Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman claiming his first victory for the team using its own power unit while also rewriting a long-standing F1 record.
The four-time world champion had previously finished second on four occasions with Red Bull’s new in-house Ford V6 hybrid power unit. Victory in Malaysia finally delivered the breakthrough result Red Bull had been chasing.
Verstappen ends nine-year Sepang wait
Verstappen’s victory was particularly significant because it came at a circuit where he had previously tasted success almost a decade earlier.
The 29-year-old last won at Sepang in 2017, meaning 3,291 days passed between his two victories at the circuit.
That gap is now the longest between two victories by the same driver at a single circuit in Formula 1 history.
Verstappen’s latest success therefore rewrites a record that had stood for more than three decades and belonged to one of the sport’s most famous drivers.
Mansell’s long-standing record beaten
Nigel Mansell previously held the record after winning twice at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa.
The British driver claimed victory at Kyalami in 1985 before Formula 1 withdrew from South Africa. When the championship returned to the circuit seven years later, Mansell was once again victorious.
There were 2,325 days between Mansell’s two victories.
Verstappen has now comfortably surpassed that figure, with almost 1,000 additional days separating his two Sepang triumphs.
The record is another unusual entry in Verstappen’s rapidly expanding list of Formula 1 achievements.
Postponed race creates unusual record
The circumstances behind Verstappen’s record are equally unusual.
The Malaysian Grand Prix had originally been scheduled to take place at a different point in the season, but escalating conflict in the Middle East forced the Bahrain Grand Prix to be cancelled from its original date.
The race was subsequently rescheduled, with Malaysia becoming the venue for the event.
That change ultimately created the circumstances for Verstappen to return to Sepang and claim another victory at the circuit.
His success therefore delivered both Red Bull’s first win with its own power unit and a record that had previously belonged to Mansell.
For Verstappen, the result adds another piece of Formula 1 history to a career that continues to produce statistical milestones.
The Dutchman’s ability to combine the two achievements makes his Malaysian Grand Prix victory particularly significant for Red Bull as the team continues to establish itself as a manufacturer of its own power units.
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