Max Verstappen secured his 74th career Grand Prix victory at the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix, further extending his record for wins from diverse starting grid positions. The Red Bull driver achieved his first win from fifth on the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
This latest triumph means Verstappen has now won from 11 different starting positions in Formula 1 history. His current list of winning grid slots includes positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, and 17.
Only the eighth starting position remains for Verstappen to complete a victory from every top-ten grid slot. Fernando Alonso holds the second-highest record, having won from nine different starting positions.
Historically, other prominent drivers such as Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, David Coulthard, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, and Lewis Hamilton each recorded wins from eight different grid positions. Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg notably secured all their victories exclusively from the top three starting positions.
The 2026 Mexican Grand Prix was a chaotic event, featuring a red flag and three safety car periods. Verstappen, starting fifth, made an excellent initial move to claim second place after an incident involving Charles Leclerc.
He ultimately held off Lewis Hamilton, who finished 0.799 seconds behind, to secure his sixth victory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Kimi Antonelli finished third in the race, which was sufficient for him to clinch the 2026 World Championship.
Verstappen’s victory from P17 at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix stands as another significant achievement. He started 17th due to a five-place grid penalty and a challenging wet qualifying session.
That rain-soaked race saw Verstappen make rapid progress, reaching tenth position on the opening lap. He eventually took the lead from Esteban Ocon after a restart and won by 19.477 seconds.
In 2025, Verstappen also secured a victory from second on the grid at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. He overtook polesitter Oscar Piastri at the start of the race.
The 2025 Imola event included both a Virtual Safety Car and a late full Safety Car period. This marked his second win of the 2025 season.
Beyond Verstappen’s records, other drivers have achieved notable wins from deep in the field. Rubens Barrichello won the 2000 German Grand Prix from 18th on the grid.
This was Barrichello’s maiden F1 victory, achieved in his 123rd Grand Prix attempt. He gained 13 positions by the first safety car period in that race.
More recently, Kimi Antonelli secured his home victory at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, starting from 19th position. This marked the first Italian win at Monza in 60 years.
Antonelli incurred grid penalties for new power unit components, leading to his P19 start. The race featured an early red flag due to a Charles Leclerc crash.
Antonelli rapidly advanced through the field, reaching P12 after two laps and P3 by lap 13. He then battled teammate George Russell, ultimately passing him with fresher tyres to claim the win.
His victory from 19th on the grid is recorded as the second-lowest starting position from which a Grand Prix has been won in Formula 1 history.
