Sebastian Vettel has revealed that Max Verstappen disagreed with a prediction he made after the Red Bull star equalled the German's nine consecutive Grand Prix wins.
Verstappen claimed his ninth-straight triumph, an extremely rare feat which not many drivers have got close to achieving, during his dominant 2023 season.
Vettel’s record was matched when the Dutchman raced to victory at his home Grand Prix in August 2023.
Verstappen cruised to the World Championship that year, with Red Bull producing by far the best car on the grid. But after winning at Zandvoort, Verstappen was unsure that he would go on to beat Vettel’s record outright.
But he did - winning the Italian Grand Prix a week later. That was the end of the run, though, with Carlos Sainz winning the Singapore Grand Prix.
Remarkably, Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races that year and went on to record another nine consecutive race wins in a run that stretched from the end of the 2023 season into the 2024 campaign.
"When he equalled I told him you are better than me, you will beat me,” Vettel told BBC Sportsworld. “He said I am not sure - then he did 10!”
Vettel maintains a strong relationship with Verstappen, who once said of his bond with the four-time world champion: “We [message] each other after almost every race. Sebastian is very nice, I like him a lot.”
Despite sharing a friendship with Verstappen, Vettel wants rival Lewis Hamilton to win the Drivers’ Championship this year.
Hamilton has enjoyed a mixed start to the season since joining Ferrari from Mercedes, winning the sprint race in China before being disqualified from the next day’s Grand Prix.
A record eighth world title is at stake for Hamilton but he faces strong competition from the likes of Verstappen and McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“My fingers [are] crossed,” Vettel admitted. “I obviously raced him a long time, we get along really well, and he's by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute, his on-track skills don’t need to be repeated.
“I think the numbers [and] statistics speak for themselves but it’s great to see he’s still on the grid and still has that influence and he uses it in a positive manner. So naturally my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship.”
The Formula One season continues with the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6.
