Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will perhaps go down as one of the fiercest rivals in the history of Formula 1. They have been among the frontrunners for a long time, and last week’s British Grand Prix saw them creating history as F1 rivals.
According to a recent post from The Race on X, Hamilton and Verstappen have now shared the podium on 60 different occasions, more than any other rivals in the sport’s history. They have also shared the top two steps of the podium 37 times regardless of who won the race.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have now shared the podium 60 times, more than any other pair in F1 history pic.twitter.com/D4sZA8FiK5
— The Race (@wearetherace) July 10, 2024
Interestingly, Hamilton was not present on the podium when Verstappen took his first Formula 1 win in Barcelona in 2016 because of his infamous crash with Nico Rosberg on the opening lap. The first time Hamilton and Verstappen shared a podium was during the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix when the Briton edged out the Dutchman by six seconds.
Meanwhile, 2021 was the most intense season of their rivalry as their championship bid went down to the last lap of the season. However, due to Mercedes’ slump after 2021, Hamilton had not been able to compete with Verstappen, who had been utterly dominant in the last two seasons.
However, with Mercedes finally starting to make its way back to the top, Hamilton can hope to fight a few more battles with Verstappen while he’s still at Brackley.
Will Hamilton and Verstappen go toe to toe once again in 2024?
The upgrade package introduced by Mercedes in Canada saw the team immediately improve its form with George Russell taking pole position right away. And with even more upgrades in the pipeline, Mercedes is tipped to get even closer to Red Bull and McLaren.
Congrats from Max #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/1TZaYmj4cf
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 7, 2024
If Mercedes do indeed improve, it can give fans another chance to see Hamilton and Verstappen battle for wins. And if that were to happen, Verstappen will not only have Lando Norris and McLaren to worry about. Norris has arguably had the fastest car in the last few races and has taken Verstappen to the limit in most of them despite coming short.
Although Verstappen currently has a healthy 84-point lead, a few good weekends for Norris can still make life difficult for the Dutchman this year. Fans will hope for the same, having missed a strong level of competition at the front in the past couple of seasons.
