The longest intervals between two consecutive victories in Formula 1

Sebastian Vettel went 392 days, or more than a year, without a win after the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, but he is not the driver who has experienced the longest interval between victories. The FanF1 editorial team took a look at the most patient F1 drivers.

5th: Kimi Raikkonen (5 years and 7 months)

2013 Australian Grand Prix After 114 races without a win, the Finnish veteran finally ended his drought in Melbourne on March 17, 2013, winning the first race of the season for Lotus. It was an unexpected but well-deserved victory: Raikkonen was one of the few drivers to quickly master the new Pirelli tires. The 2007 champion would have to wait another five seasons before climbing back onto the top step of the podium. 2018 United States Grand Prix
The drought finally came to an end at the 2018 United States Grand Prix. Starting second on the grid for Ferrari, Raikkonen took the lead from the start and then resisted Lewis Hamilton's relentless attacks lap after lap. It was his first and only victory in red since returning to Scuderia Ferrari in 2014.

4th: Mario Andretti (5 years, 7 months)

1971 South African Grand Prix After waiting more than five years for another victory, Andretti finally clinched his first F1 win in South Africa. Mechanical problems for Stewart and Hulme paved the way for him, but Andretti still had to battle to overtake Hulme's struggling McLaren. Once in the lead, he put in a string of fast laps to build a 20-second gap over Stewart, who finished second. 1976 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying in pole position, Andretti led the first Japanese Grand Prix ahead of his title rivals, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. A wet start caused him to lose the lead, and Hunt proved to be the fastest driver. However, Andretti made a remarkable comeback, overtaking Patrick Depailler on lap 63 after falling 20 seconds behind on lap 50. It took him 81 starts to claim his second victory, which heralded a series of ten wins in 1977-1978 and the 1978 Drivers' World Championship title with John Player Lotus.

3rd: Jack Brabham (5 years and 10 months)

1960 Portuguese Grand Prix Only 51 races separated Brabham's two victories, a short interval made possible by the ten-race calendar of the time. Starting third in the 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix, he took advantage of the retirements of Dan Gurney and John Surtees to claim his seventh career victory. 1966 French Grand Prix The 1966 French Grand Prix marked a turning point in Brabham's career. After leaving Cooper and Lotus, he joined his own team and, starting fourth on the grid, won a victory that secured him the championship. He is the only driver to have won the title with a car bearing his own name.

2nd: Bruce McLaren (6 years old)

1962 Monaco Grand Prix
The creation of a legendary team did not spare McLaren from long waits. Starting third in Monaco, he ran in second place for most of the race until Graham Hill's engine failed, allowing the New Zealander to claim his third career victory at the wheel of a Cooper. 1968 Belgian Grand Prix Six years later, McLaren repeated the feat at Spa, this time driving his own car. Starting in sixth position, he only took the lead on the last lap, winning the race after a cascade of retirements by Chris Amon, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, and Jackie Stewart. This victory marked a historic moment for the McLaren name. 1st: Riccardo Patrese (6 years and 6 months) 1983 South African Grand Prix
Patrese holds the record for the longest interval between two victories. The Italian driver, also known for sharing the record of 147 retirements with Andrea de Cesaris, won his second victory at Kyalami in 1983. While Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, and René Arnoux were battling for the title, Patrese ran in second place for most of the race before taking the lead. Piquet, focused on the championship, conserved his engine and did not attack, allowing Patrese to take the win. After more than half a decade without a victory, Riccardo Patrese finally ended his losing streak at Imola. The Italian, who had enjoyed a solid 1989 season with four podium finishes for Williams, had competed in 98 Grand Prix races and experienced six years and six months of near misses before the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix gave him his first victory with the team. Patrese took the lead on lap 51 and never looked back, crossing the finish line to claim what would remain his only victory of the season. This success marked the beginning of a modest resurgence: he added three more victories over the next two years before hanging up his helmet in 1993, his last season at the wheel of a Benetton Ford.