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Victories aren’t just earned. They’re exorcised.
For some, that top step feels like a ghost—always visible, never touched. Years of near-misses, cursed luck, and whispered doubts haunt drivers long before champagne finally soaks their firesuits. Lando Norris’ Miami breakthrough (after 109 races of aching almosts) was a crack of lightning. But he walks a path paved with others who waited even longer…
10. Mika Häkkinen: 96 Races
The Weight of “When?”
Seven years. Seven seasons of watching rivals sip victory champagne while his McLaren sputtered. Then, Jerez 1997: Chaos. Schumacher and Villeneuve tangled, the crowd gasped—and suddenly, Mika was through. No triumph lap felt sweeter than outlasting the ghosts of “not yet.”
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9. Lando Norris: 110 Races
Redemption Tastes Like Miami Humidity
Russia 2021 broke him. Rain, heartbreak, seconds away. For three years, that pain lived in his steering wheel. Miami 2024? A safety car gamble, a pit stop for the ages… then silence as he crossed the line. The scream inside his helmet said it all: “Finally.”
8. Giancarlo Fisichella: 110 Races
The Win They Tried to Steal
Brazil 2003: Fisichella crossed first in monsoon madness. Celebrated. Then—stripped. A timing error handed it to Kimi. Days later, FIA reinstated him. His trophy arrived by courier. No podium, no anthem. Just a bittersweet paperweight for 110 races of sweat.
7. Nico Rosberg: 111 Races
Breaking Free from Shadows
Always “Schumacher’s teammate.” Always “Niki’s son.” Shanghai 2012 was pure fury: a pole-to-flag demolition job. When he climbed from the car, his smile wasn’t joy—it was relief. The world finally saw Nico.
6. Jenson Button: 113 Races
Master of the Monsoon
Budapest 2006. Fourteenth on the grid. Then… biblical rain. Jenson danced where others drowned. Steering wheel blurring, visor fogged, heart pounding. When the deluge cleared, he stood alone. A win carved from chaos.
5. Jarno Trulli: 117 Races
The Monaco Fortress
Monaco 2004. Pole position. For 78 laps, Jarno became a human barricade. Alonso’s Renault snarled in his mirrors, inches away. One mistake—one—and the dream died. He held the door shut. When he finally exhaled, his hands were still shaking.
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4. Rubens Barrichello: 123 Races
Tears in the Rain
Hockenheim 2000. Started 18th. Ferrari’s forgotten man. Then… a downpour. Rubens became a wizard, slicing through spray and doubt. When he took the lead, his engineer sobbed over the radio. Nine years of waiting, washed away in German rain.
3. Mark Webber: *130 Races
The Vindication
Germany 2009. After years of “too aggressive,” “not champion material,” Webber executed a ruthless symphony. An early pit stop? Calculated genius. He didn’t just win—he crushed them. The roar from his garage wasn’t just cheers; it was a middle finger to every critic.
2. Carlos Sainz Jr.: 150 Races
Ferrari’s Phoenix
Silverstone 2022. Fire in his eyes after pole. Verstappen’s car failing? Fate’s cruel twist. For 52 laps, Carlos carried the weight of Ferrari’s entire history on his shoulders. The win wasn’t luck—it was destiny, delayed 150 times.
1. Sergio Pérez: 190 Races
The Unbreakable Man
Sakhir 2020. Ten years. Early collision? Last place. Most would quit. Not Checo. He carved through the field like a man possessed—every pass screaming “I deserve this.” When he crossed the line, Mexico wept. Proof that stubbornness can move mountains.
