Max Verstappen & Charles Leclerc Partner in Recreating Astonishing F1 Feat After 43 Years

Formula 1 drivers are very ambitious. They chase after podium, victories, and ultimately the championship. However, the Grand Slam is a feat not achieved by many. To win a Grand Prix from pole position, leading every lap of the race, and setting the fastest lap of the race, is quite an accomplishment.

After Sunday’s racing action in Imola, Max Verstappen achieved the rare feat for the second time in his career. Surprisingly, he is not the first driver to go into the record books for a Grand Slam this year. Charles Leclerc grabbed the prestigious feat during the Australian GP, a weekend where he dominated the grid.

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And to make matters interesting, it is only the second time in F1 history that two different drivers have achieved a Grand Slam in one season.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc achieve a rare feat

The 1979 Formula 1 season was the last time two separate drivers recorded a Grand Slam. One of Canada’s greatest F1 drivers, Gilles Villeneuve, and 6-time Grand Prix winner Jacques Laffite, achieved the feat. The former, driving for Ferrari, won the United States Grand Prix, while, Laffite secured the Grand Slam during the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix.

43 years later, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are added to the record books. The Monegasque was in a league of his own in Australia. Max Verstappen, after a disappointing race in Albert Park, bounced back in style to achieve the Grand Slam in Imola. Fortunately for the Dutchman, the sprint race is not included in achieving this rare accomplishment.

However, this is not the first time the Red Bull driver has tasted a Grand Slam. He pulled off a Grand Slam during the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix as well. The reigning champion also broke the record for most points achieved in a single Grand Prix in F1 history after his stunning victory in Imola.

Two-time F1 champion, Jim Clark, holds the record for the most Grand Slam achieved. He has accomplished it 8 times, while Lewis Hamilton is second on the list with 6.

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To throw in another interesting fact, neither Villeneuve nor Laffite won the championship in 1979. Villeneuve’s Ferrari teammate Jody Scheckter won the 1979 World Championship. Will the same happen in 2022 as well? We will have to wait and watch.