Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher: Comparing Their Road to 50 F1 Race Wins: Who Was Quickest?

• Max Verstappen won his 50th Formula 1 race at the 2023 United States Grand Prix
• The Dutch driver needed just 181 races to reach that impressive milestone
• Michael Schumacher needed 153 races to reach the 50-win milestone in 2001

Max Verstappen made history on Sunday, becoming the second-fastest driver ever to reach 50 career victories in Formula 1 following his win at the 2023 United States Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher is the only driver to reach that milestone in fewer F1 races.

Sports Brief looks at how the two legends accomplished this historic feat.

Schumacher’s road to 50 wins

The German star needed just 153 races to reach the 50-win mark in Formula 1, per Sky Sports.

He registered his first career victory with Benetton at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. He drove masterfully on a wet track, claiming his maiden win at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

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His second F1 win came in 1993 during the Portuguese Grand Prix. It was his lone victory that year as Damon Hill and Alain Prost dominated the 1993 season with their Williams cars.

Schumacher finally became the top dog in 1994, winning the Driver’s Championship after claiming eight race victories.

He won the first four races that year, capturing the Brazilian, Pacific, San Marino, and Monaco Grands Prix.

Schumacher followed that up with victories at the Canadian, French, Hungarian, and European Grands Prix to win his first F1 title.

He successfully defended his title in 1995, capturing nine race wins. He reigned supreme at the Brazilian, Spanish, Monaco, French, German, Belgian, European, Pacific, and Japanese Grands Prix.

Schumacher already had 19 F1 race wins when he joined Ferrari in 1996. He won three races in his first season with “The Prancing Horse” as he finished third in the Driver’s Championship.

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He added five more race wins in 1997, but his season ended in disappointment after he was disqualified from the Drivers’ Championship after deliberately ramming title rival Jacques Villeneuve at the European Grand Prix.

Schumacher added six more race victories to his tally in 1998, but he once again fell short in his bid to win the Drivers’ Championship, losing to eventual champion Mika Hakkinen.

The German driver struggled in the 1999 campaign, winning just two races as Hakkinen once again won the championship.

Schumacher’s luck turned in the 2000 season; he won nine races to capture his first title with Ferrari.

He continued his dominance in the 2001 season, winning six of the first 10 races. Schumacher made history at the French Grand Prix, claiming his 50th F1 race win at the sunny Magny Cours track, per Autosport.

Verstappen’s road to 50 victories

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Verstappen is the second-quickest to reach the milestone, grabbing his 50th Formula 1 win in his 181st race.

Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing in 2016 after starting his F1 career with Toro Rosso and immediately showed his great talent.

He won the Spanish Grand Prix in his maiden race with Red Bull, the first of 50 race wins for Red Bull.

The Dutch driver added two more race wins in 2017, capturing the Malaysian and Mexican Grands Prix.

The 2018 season yielded the same amount of race victories for Verstappen as he won the Austrian and Mexican Grands Prix that year.

He finally reached the three-win mark in 2019, capturing the Austrian, German, and Brazilian Grands Prix.

Verstappen won just two races in the shortened 2020 season, reigning supreme at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull finally gave the Dutch star a car that could contend with mighty Mercedes in the 2021 season.

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He won 10 times that year, including a memorable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the final race of the season.

He overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap on a controversial safety car restart to secure not only the race win but also his first-ever Formula 1 title.

He continued his dominance the following year, capturing 15 race wins in the 2022 season.

It was more of the same in 2023, with Verstappen winning 15 of the 18 races thus far.

His latest win at the United States Grand Prix earned him his 50th race victory in F1, per the Associated Press.

Hamilton, Leclerc disqualified from U.S. GP

Sports Brief recently reported on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc being disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix.

They failed checks on the planks underneath their Mercedes and Ferrari cars after the race.

Hamilton had finished in second place before his disqualification.