Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, has written his name into the F1 history books after displaying the competition’s most dominating spell ever last season. The Dutchman has been in fiery form for the last few years, proving to be almost unbeatable since 2022.
His current run of dominance is, undoubtedly, an extraordinary streak in Formula One, ushering in comparisons with Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher by the F1 community. Despite this, ex-Mercedes boss Nick Fry has compared the Red Bull driver with these legends in a ‘strikingly different’ way.
Ex-Mercedes CEO drops bold Max Verstappen claim
Max Verstappen has put himself in a league of his own with last season’s performance, driving the RB19, which he once termed ‘undriveable’. This record-breaking performance—plus the ones from the past two years—has been drawing in some great, positive comparisons with Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher by F1 pundits.
However, former Mercedes CEO Nick Fry has gone in the other direction of the spectrum, showing mixed feelings about this comparison. In a recent interview with Online Betting Guide, he revealed his thoughts on F1’s greatest driver ever.
When asked about the ‘Michael Schumacher-F1’s greatest driver’ debate, he said, “Everybody has their own view on who the greatest driver ever is. I think it’s a personal choice as it’s not just about winning races.”
Former Mercedes F1 CEO Nick Fry doesn’t believe Max Verstappen will be remembered as “the most heroic” and the driver “who they’ll make movies about”.#F1 #TeamLHhttps://t.co/E9Es41E3vi
— Mercedes F1 News – SilverArrows.Net (@SilverArrowsNet) February 4, 2024
Bringing Verstappen into the mix, he revealed that he has doubts over Verstappen getting to the heights of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. “Max Verstappen can very well finish as the most successful driver ever, but I’m not sure if he’ll be the most heroic and the one who’ll they’ll make movies about,” he claimed.
This is a very bold claim, considering Max’s outstanding performances in the last three consecutive years, where he demonstrated blistering pace that solidifies him well with the best racers of all time. And, considering his age, there is surely even more to come down the line.
Max Verstappen is years ahead of Lewis Hamilton in F1
With Max Verstappen’s latest record-breaking F1 season, the world of Formula One has been busy drawing comparisons between the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton. Much has been debated over who is the better driver in F1.
Although this spicy debate makes a good topic to be discussed over coffee, it would be very unjust to make comparisons purely based on achievements between 26-year-old Verstappen and 39-year-old Hamilton.
At the age of just 26 years, Max Verstappen is already a three-time World Champion in nine seasons of racing in Formula 1. With a total of 185 starts, he has 54 Grand Prix victories, 98 podium finishes, and 32 pole positions under his belt. He has also broken over 15 world records in Formula One.
A decade long journey: Formula 1 since 2015.#F1since2015 #KeepPushing pic.twitter.com/LJNBZ38Twn
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) January 9, 2024
In 2023 alone, he captured 18 F1 records, such as the ‘Highest percentage of wins in a season’ and ‘F1’s most consecutive wins’ records. These are in addition to his 7 ‘youngest-ever’ records that he has clinched in the past.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton won only one world title by the age of 26. At 26 years of age, he raced in 58 GPs. Out of these 58 starts, he grabbed 12 wins and 17 pole positions.
Despite being 13 years younger, Max Verstappen is miles ahead of seven-time world champ Lewis Hamilton, purely based on age-wise achievements.
Can Max Verstappen overtake Lewis Hamilton when they both retire from Formula One? Or will Verstappen fail at his quest? Let us know about your take on the debate.
