Norris' Title Win Preserves Michael Schumacher's Historic Record

Lando Norris's 2025 championship victory, which denied Max Verstappen a fifth consecutive title, has preserved one of Michael Schumacher's most significant records. The German legend's streak of five straight world titles with Ferrari from 2000-2004 remains unmatched, a feat Verstappen was poised to equal before Norris's triumph.

Why it matters:

Schumacher's five-title run is a monumental benchmark in F1 history, representing an era of sustained dominance. Verstappen's failure to match it, despite a dominant four-year stretch, underscores the immense difficulty of maintaining peak performance and reliability over half a decade in the modern, ultra-competitive era. This record's endurance highlights the unique challenge of long-term supremacy.

The details:

• Verstappen's streak ended at four championships (2021-2024), leaving him one short of Schumacher's record.
• This is the second time in recent years Verstappen has been involved in preserving this record. In 2021, he himself stopped Lewis Hamilton from achieving a fifth consecutive title with his last-lap victory in Abu Dhabi.
• The list of drivers with consecutive titles is exclusive. Beyond Schumacher, only Sebastian Vettel (2010-2013), Verstappen (2021-2024), and Lewis Hamilton (2017-2020) have managed four-in-a-row.
• A select group of champions have secured back-to-back titles, including Alberto Ascari, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and Fernando Alonso.

The big picture:

Schumacher's record has now survived two major assaults from the sport's most dominant drivers of the hybrid era. Its longevity speaks to the confluence of factors required for such a streak: a dominant car, relentless driver performance, team stability, and an element of fortune over multiple seasons. As the field converges and technical regulations evolve, achieving five consecutive titles may become an even rarer feat, cementing Schumacher's achievement as a potential high-water mark in the sport's history.