The records and milestones F1 drivers can break in Saudi Arabia 2024

The 2024 Formula 1 season is now in full swing. The second round in the World Championship is already upon us: the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. There are many milestones and records that the F1 drivers and teams can hit this weekend. Once again, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen take the headlines.

Records and milestones for Max Verstappen

Verstappen and Red Bull Racing are on a remarkable run. The Dutchman has won 18 of the last 19 Grands Prix and is just two races shy of equalling his record-breaking consecutive streak, which began in 2023. Verstappen is tipped for more success in Saudi Arabia, and these are just some of the records and milestones he can hit this weekend.

It starts with qualifying. If Verstappen gets pole position in Jeddah, the Dutchman will achieve the feat at 20 different circuits in his career. This is more variety than Michael Schumacher and the same amount of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. Only Alain Prost (22), Sebastian Vettel (23), and Lewis Hamilton (32) have secured pole position at more circuits should he get P1 on Friday night. It will be his 34th career pole, taking him to P5 on the all-time list.

Should Ferrari get pole position instead, they will secure their 250th pole in Formula 1. No other constructor has achieved that many. Charles Leclerc will attend his 100th Q3 on Friday if he gets through to that session.

Verstappen has more records and milestones to achieve on Saturday. Should Verstappen lead for 17 laps, he will overtake Senna for most Grands Prix laps led. He is fast approaching 3,000 laps led, but that won't be hit this weekend even if he leads from start to finish. Only Vettel, Schumacher and Hamilton have done 3,000 or more laps in the lead. A podium for Verstappen will mean he has finished in the top three 100 times in his F1 career. That's almost as many as Kimi Raikkonen (103) and Fernando Alonso (106) achieved in their entire careers. Should either Perez or Verstappen win the race, Red Bull will overtake Williams in the list of all-time wins.

Good news for Mercedes, bad news for Hamilton

Should Hamilton miss out on the top five, he will have done so for five consecutive races. This will then equal his worst run since 2009 at McLaren. Hamilton has not finished in the top five since the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix in October. Hamilton's previous run outside the top five came between the 2009 Spanish and 2009 German Grands Prix. Hamilton then went on to win the following event, the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

But it could be the opposite for Mercedes. The German team can equal their scoring streak. At least one Mercedes driver has scored points at every race since the 2021 French Grand Prix. This is currently 61 events ago, and it will be 62 if they score points in Jeddah. They managed to do the same between Brazil in 2012 and Russia in 2016.