Kimi Antonelli joined an exclusive club of Formula 1 drivers who have won three or more races on the bounce with his victory at last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix – adding to previous triumphs in China and Japan.
But who exactly has the Italian teenager slotted alongside in the sport’s record books – from the 1950s all the way through to the present day – and what does the three-in-a-row statistic tell us about his chances of future F1 success?
The F1 stars Antonelli joins
In short, Antonelli has become only the 23rd driver – across more than 75 years of F1 competition – to win three successive Grands Prix.
The first to do so was another Italian, Alberto Ascari, in the early-1950s – a remarkable seven straight P1 finishes coming across his 1952 and 1953 title-winning campaigns.
Ascari’s tally remained the record until midway through the 2004 season, when Michael Schumacher equalled that number, and it was subsequently beaten outright by Sebastian Vettel (nine) and Max Verstappen (10) in later years.
Flick further through the list and a clear pattern emerges, with a whopping 20 of the 23 drivers who have scored three or more wins in a row also claiming the F1 world title at some stage in their careers.
Not including Antonelli and Oscar Piastri, who are active today in their pursuit of that goal, and it comes down to just one driver – Stirling Moss, who many regard as one of the greatest never to earn F1’s ultimate prize, and who finished runner-up four times.
It is also worth mentioning that out of the 23 drivers now on the list, 15 have successively won three or more races on more than one occasion.
That list comprises Jack Brabham, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alan Jones, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Verstappen.
Schumacher and Hamilton have both done so 11 times, predominantly during their dominant title-winning runs with Ferrari and Mercedes respectively, followed by Verstappen on seven and Vettel on five.
Check out a full list of consecutive F1 race winners below, taking into account each driver’s longest and most recent runs.
