The Longest Waits for a First F1 Win
Sergio Pérez waited 191 Grands Prix for a first F1 victory — the longest wait ever rewarded with a win.
For every teenager who wins in their first season, theres a driver who spends a decade being told they'll never win at all. The drivers on this list started well over a hundred Grands Prix — some nearly two hundred — before everything finaly lined up: the right strategy, the right weather, the leaders crashing out, or simply a car good enough at last.
The count here is every championship race a driver started before the one they won. Its worth noting who this list filters out: it only includes drivers who did eventually win, which is exactly what makes it a list about persistance rather than failure. Plenty of very good drivers retired with more starts than anyone here and no win to show for it.
Race starts before the maiden win
Visualization · 10 entries
The Ranking
- 01Rank
Sergio Pérez started 191 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix for Racing Point.
Races: 191First win: 2020Team: Racing Point191Races before first win - 02Rank
Carlos Sainz started 150 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2022 British Grand Prix for Ferrari.
Races: 150First win: 2022Team: Ferrari150Races before first win - 03Rank
Mark Webber started 131 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2009 German Grand Prix for Red Bull.
Races: 131First win: 2009Team: Red Bull131Races before first win - 04Rank
Rubens Barrichello started 124 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2000 German Grand Prix for Ferrari.
Races: 124First win: 2000Team: Ferrari124Races before first win - 05Rank
Jarno Trulli started 118 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault.
Races: 118First win: 2004Team: Renault118Races before first win - 06Rank
Jenson Button started 114 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix for Honda.
Races: 114First win: 2006Team: Honda114Races before first win - 07Rank
Nico Rosberg started 110 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix for Mercedes.
Races: 110First win: 2012Team: Mercedes110Races before first win - 08Rank
Giancarlo Fisichella started 110 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix for Jordan.
Races: 110First win: 2003Team: Jordan110Races before first win - 09Rank
Lando Norris started 109 Grands Prix before finally winning the 2024 Miami Grand Prix for McLaren.
Races: 109First win: 2024Team: McLaren109Races before first win - 10Rank
Mika Häkkinen started 96 Grands Prix before finally winning the 1997 European Grand Prix for McLaren.
Races: 96First win: 1997Team: McLaren96Races before first win
There's a case that these wins mean more to the drivers involved than any of the easy ones further up the grid. A maiden victory after 150 starts usually arrive in chaos — safety cars, rain, retirements ahead — and requires the driver to execute perfectly on the one afternoon the door opens. None of the drivers on this list needed to be told what the moment was worth.
Frequently asked questions
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