Red Bull reach 100 wins in F1: Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo feature in best victories

After Max Verstappen claimed Red Bull’s 100th victory in Formula 1, Sky Sports F1 take a look back at some of the most memorable wins in the team’s storied history.

A dominant display from the Dutchman in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix extended Red Bull’s winning streak at the start of the 2023 season to eight races, with four in a row for Verstappen putting him firmly on course for a third successive world championship.

While Verstappen dominating races has become a regular sight over the past season and a half, the victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was undoubtedly celebrated with extra vigour.

Red Bull currently sit fifth in Formula 1’s records for the number of race victories, with Ferrari on 242, McLaren on 183, Mercedes on 125 and Williams on 114.

Unlike the great names they continue to chase, Red Bull are relative newcomers having only entered the sport in 2005.

To celebrate the team’s stunning achievement, Sky Sports F1 have picked out 10 of Red Bull’s most significant victories on their path to 100.

Win No 1 – Chinese Grand Prix 2009: Vettel claims Red Bull’s first win

Somewhat bizarrely, Red Bull’s first win in Formula 1 came after their junior team Toro Rosso, who entered the sport in 2006, had already won a race the previous season.

However, the two victories had something rather significant in common: a young Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel.

The German showed the metronomic and sizzling pace that would define an era of Red Bull dominance, taking pole position with a driveshaft issue that only allowed him to set one lap time in both the penultimate and final rounds of Qualifying.

While many, including then reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, struggled in the wet conditions on race day, Vettel was in a class of his own as he led home team-mate Mark Webber to secure the first of his 38 victories for Red Bull.

Team boss Christian Horner joined his drivers on the podium, with the British national anthem played for the first and only time for a Red Bull victory.

Despite being based in Milton Keynes, Red Bull are registered as an Austrian team, and that is the anthem that has played in the 99 victories since.

Vettel’s first win rubber-stamped Red Bull’s ability to develop the finest young talents into the best in the world, and was a sign of things to come over the next few years.

Win No 15 – 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Vettel seals first title

Red Bull arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2010 in high spirits.

2010 had been their best ever season and having taken 15 pole positions, eight Grand Prix victories, and their maiden constructors’ championship, Red Bull had two drivers in with a chance of becoming world champion for the first time.

Mark Webber was second in the championship, and Vettel was third, with rivals that would become ever-familiar in Fernando Alonso and Hamilton first and fourth, respectively.

All four drivers could take the title in the final race. Still, Ferrari’s Alonso was the favourite, only having to finish in the top two positions, with Webber eight points back.

In a race that would lead to the invention of the Drag Reduction System (DRS), Alonso and Webber got stuck in traffic after early pit stops, finishing a measly seventh and eighth.

This left the door open for Vettel to lead Hamilton over the finish line, breaking the Brit’s record to become the youngest ever F1 world champion.

The style of Vettel’s championship triumph couldn’t have been more appropriate, with the Red Bull driver snatching the crown from his more established rivals.

Win No 35 – Malaysian Grand Prix 2013: Vettel shows ruthless side

Malaysia is known for its high temperatures, and in 2013, things boiled over for Red Bull.

Vettel, at this point seeking a fourth successive drivers’ title, led from pole position, but his team-mate Webber managed to get ahead after the first round of pit stops, much to the German’s annoyance.

“Mark is too slow – get him out of the way”, Vettel said on the team radio. But he didn’t get what he wanted.

After Webber’s final planned pit stop, he came out in the lead just ahead of his team-mate.

Rather than letting the drivers race, Red Bull tried to call off the fight, giving Vettel the code over the radio that we now understand to mean car two (Webber) finishes ahead of car one (Vettel) – “Multi map 21”.

Vettel decided not to listen, swarming around the back of Webber’s car, leading his boss Horner to get more direct with the team’s instructions.

“Come on, Sebastian, you need to give him the space, hold position – this is silly, Seb, come on.”

Not even Horner could stop Vettel dancing around the outside of Webber on the exit of turn four, much to the fury of his team-mate.

This would lead to the iconic moment in the cooldown room following the race where Webber reminds Vettel of the instructions, “Multi 21, Seb,” before slamming his water bottle down.

Horner lost control of his team this day, but perhaps this was the Grand Prix victory in which he grew most as a leader.

Once the youngest team principal and now the longest-serving F1 boss, this tough experience helped Horner to the position he holds now as one F1’s best leaders.

Win No 51 – Spanish Grand Prix 2016: The start of the Verstappen era

Red Bull’s brand is all about breaking records – not just winning races, they doing it in their own unapologetic style.

In circumstances mirroring those we are seeing so far in 2023 with Red Bull’s dominance, in 2016, Mercedes headed into every race as the favourite.

However, when Hamilton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg came together on lap one, this opened the door for Red Bull to fight Ferrari for the top spot.

Daniel Ricciardo initially took the lead, but a puncture would take him out of contention – that was not a problem for Red Bull, though.

Just that week, they had taken a risk, dumping their more experienced driver Daniil Kvyat for 18-year-old Max Verstappen, who was in just his second season in F1.

Remarkably, it was Verstappen that could take on the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Vettel, who had left the team a season earlier, to claim his first F1 victory in his first race for Red Bull.

This was the start of something special, and that something continues to this day.

Win No 57 – Monaco Grand Prix 2018: Redemption for Ricciardo

This was a race victory made over two years.

In 2016, one of Red Bull’s most popular drivers, Daniel Ricciardo, lost out on victory around the hallowed streets of Monaco due to a disastrous pit stop at which new tyres were not ready for him.

Monaco is the race the drivers want most, so this was the loss that hurt Ricciardo the most – Red Bull owed the Australian a win around the streets of Monte Carlo.

In 2018, that debt looked set to be settled as Ricciardo led after 28 laps.

But then came the gut-wrenching words on the radio from Ricciardo: “Losing power”.

In normal circumstances, Ricciardo would have been toast, but this was Monaco, and, despite Vettel and Hamilton climbing all over the back of him at times, the Australian kept calm among the waiting walls.

The word “redemption” was heard coming from Ricciardo’s cockpit over team radio amid giggles and swear words as he took the chequered flag.

Red Bull have made Monaco their own – from their floating Power Station, extravagant parties and celebrations, and most importantly successes on track, they can stake a claim to owning the place, and on that day, Ricciardo certainly did.

Win No 61 – German Grand Prix 2019: Verstappen triumphs in wet thriller

If Red Bull like doing one thing, it’s winning races that they shouldn’t, and that’s precisely what they did at the 2019 German Grand Prix.

Their rivals, the untouchable Mercedes, were celebrating 125 years in motorsport in a special white livery, and when Hamilton led away from pole position and team-mate Valtteri Bottas snatched second position from a slow-starting Verstappen, it looked set to be the perfect day for the Silver Arrows.

But then the rain came down, changing the Hockenheim circuit from a racetrack to an ice rink.

The considerable challenge thrown up by the weather allowed Red Bull’s star boy Verstappen to shine.

While the Dutchman had one spin, he crucially kept the car on the circuit – the key to success that day.

This was something that many great drivers that day could not do – Hamilton and Bottas crashed out of the points, while talented youngsters Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc also lost control.

While his team-mate Pierre Gasly seemingly hit rock bottom in his Red Bull career, clashing with Alex Albon, Verstappen showed the world what he could do in one of Red Bull’s most dramatic race victories.

Win No 67 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021: Super Sergio saves the day

It’s fair to say that the 2021 F1 season was closely fought in a cauldron of tension.

Red Bull’s challenger Max Verstappen was taking it to arguably the greatest driver and team of all time in Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, and every point was vital.

So, when a tyre failure meant a sudden and scary end to Verstappen’s race after the Dutchman had led for so long, it looked like a crucial 18 points dropped to rival Hamilton, who moved up to second behind the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

However, a late red flag meant that things could go from bad to worse – the race would restart with just two laps remaining from the standing start, giving Hamilton the chance to take victory while Verstappen could only watch from the garage.

Verstappen’s fears looked set to become a reality as Perez looked unable to defend the charging Hamilton, who had grabbed the inside line into turn one at the restart.

But it was Perez who remained calm as Hamilton cracked. The Mercedes driver locked up violently, having accidentally changed the brake bias, leaving the Mexican to claim his first win for Red Bull.

Without that win, the way the 2021 season turned out could have been very different…

Win No 75 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021: Verstappen seals title amid major controversy

Remarkably, the two protagonists, Verstappen and Hamilton, went into the final race of the season level on points – it was a one-race shoot-out.

Things didn’t start well for Red Bull when Hamilton took the lead into turn one, and despite running wide at the turn six chicane when Verstappen came up his inside, the Briton kept the lead.

The Mercedes man looked to be in a comfortable position as he expanded his lead over Verstappen ahead of the pit stops.

Despite being briefly held up by a dogged defensive effort from Perez, Hamilton still appeared to be cruising towards victory, with Verstappen and Red Bull requiring some sort of intervention in the final stages.

That came when Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams in the closing stages, triggering a Safety Car.

What followed will likely continue to be debated until the end of time, with race director Michael Masi taking an unprecedented approach of only allowing certain cars to unlap themselves, setting up a one lap race to the end.

The Safety Car meant Verstappen had closed to the rear of Hamilton, while the Dutchman had also been able to pit for new soft tyres, while Hamilton couldn’t risk giving up track position so remained on old – much slower – hard tyres.

Despite the situation – cruelly for Hamilton and his hopes of a record eighth world championship – having been turned in Verstappen’s favour, the Dutchman still had work to do, and executed a brilliant final lap overtake.

The argument would rage on after the race, with Verstappen having to wait for a Mercedes appeal to be rejected for several hours before fully being able to celebrate a maiden triumph, which was richly deserved in spite of a controversial conclusion.

Win No 85 – Belgian Grand Prix 2022: Spectacular supremacy in Spa

The Belgian Grand Prix is a popular race for much of the Orange Army supporting Max Verstappen, with just a short trip over the border to the Ardennes Forest, and he put on quite a show for them in 2022.

Engine penalties meant that despite qualifying fastest, he would start the race 14th on the grid – but that wouldn’t turn out to be an issue.

Verstappen had been engaged in what appeared to be shaping up as a tight title battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc during the first half of the season, but this was a race that just about confirmed the end of that contest.

Verstappen’s incredible speed saw him take the lead within just 12 laps, and what would turn out to be a comfortable victory was one of the early examples of the dominant form that Red Bull have maintained since the summer of 2022.

Perez took second place to make things even better, following Verstappen over the line in one of the most comprehensive victories for Red Bull in F1.

This race flexed Red Bull’s strengths in straight-line speed, cornering, tyre wear and driving ability, and was undoubtedly a sign of things to come.

Win No 100 – Canadian Grand Prix 2023: Landmark day for Verstappen and Red Bull

With Red Bull having won each of the first seven races of the 2023 season, the Canadian Grand Prix offered up a first opportunity for the team to reach 100 race victories.

Verstappen, arriving with three successive wins of his own, always looked likely to be the driver to seal the landmark, and that’s exactly what happened.

He reached the it in style, taking pole position before leading from start to finish, swatting away the challenges of Alonso and Hamilton.

There was also an additional milestone for Verstappen, as a 41st career triumph drew him level with Ayrton Senna in fifth on F1’s list of all-time race winners.

The Dutchman’s performance in the challenging and changing Canadian conditions was Senna-esque as he asserted his unrivalled control, and he even revealed after the race that an unfortunate bird had been stuck in his brake duct for much of the race.

Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey joined Verstappen on the podium to celebrate what he believes is his 200th F1 victory, which goes to demonstrate the vital part he has had in helping Red Bull turn a struggling Jaguar team into the winning machine that it is today.

Reacting to the landmark victory, team boss Horner told Sky Sports F1: “To get a century of victories, for the whole team, is an incredible achievement – and not just here but for all the people, the men and women back in the team that put in all the long hours.

“100 races is a lot, but 100 wins – that’s 27 per cent of all the races that we have entered, we have won, is an incredible statistic.”