43 races after his first Formula 1 victory, George Russell has won a Grand Prix for the second time, but which drivers had to wait even longer?
Some Formula 1 drivers follow up their first Grand Prix win with a second. Lewis Hamilton, for example, did just that: after the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, he won the USA Grand Prix, two races in quick succession.
The case is different for Hamilton’s current Mercedes team-mate George Russell. He has had to wait for his second Formula 1 victory since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. This has now come at the Austrian Grand Prix, in the 43rd race after his debut victory.
This raises questions, namely: Are there any drivers who have taken even longer than Russell to win a second Formula 1 Grand Prix? And where is the record for the longest wait between the first and second victory?
The drivers who contested the most races before their second Grand Prix win. And this much can already be revealed: Two current Formula 1 drivers are among them and a total of four world champions.
The circumstances surrounding the first and/or second victory are also exciting in the cases mentioned. Because they were not always “normal” races. Russell’s second victory in Austria in 2024 was only possible because McLaren driver Lando Norris and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen got in each other’s way and dropped back.
Other Formula 1 drivers have also benefited from incidents – or have become a side note with their victory because the race made completely different headlines, for example.
Curiously, one driver did not even stand on the podium for his first victory, another driver did not stand on the podium for his second victory. And yet other drivers did not manage to win any more Formula 1 races after their second victory – for a variety of reasons.
