Sebastian Vettel won the F1 world championship at the age of 23, making him the sport’s youngest title-winner of all time. He then went on to win three more times, establishing himself as a great of the sport, all before his 28th birthday. For a long time, he was considered to be the best young driver ever but that was until Max Verstappen entered the scene.
It took time for Verstappen to enter the championship picture. It was only in 2021 (six years after his debut aged 17) that he would go on to launch a serious bid for the crown, one in which he succeeded. That’s when the Vettel comparisons started to creep in.
Vettel, a former Red Bull driver himself, held the statistical edge for a long time, having more race wins (53) than the Dutchman. However, in 2023, Verstappen eclipsed that record and currently has 63 wins to his name in addition to having recently secured his fourth world championship (also won consecutively like Vettel). So, the question arises again: who is the better driver?
Vettel Verstappen
Max Verstappen has now matched Sebastian Vettel’s career total of 53 #F1 wins
How many victories do you think Verstappen will end his career with? #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/6ibNYDxwLi
— Autosport (@autosport) November 19, 2023
Ex-F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne thinks the answer is Verstappen. “I think Max is now a step ahead of Vettel,” he said to Formule1.nl. “Of course, every year is different, every championship too. But if you see how Max wins that title this season, just like in his first season: very special.”
Vandoorne was referencing Verstappen’s maiden title battle against Lewis Hamilton, a fiercely contested showdown that saw the Red Bull star triumph in one of the most intense championship fights in F1 history. Moreover, the Belgian driver shed light on his win in 2024, which was incredibly difficult since he won with what was an underperforming car.
Vettel compared to Verstappen
Verstappen’s 2021 and 2024 title wins were difficult, as Vandoorne highlighted. But it would be incorrect to assume that Vettel had it easy throughout his four-peat.
Yes, he won rather comfortably in 2011 and 2013, thanks to a dominant Red Bull car. However, his championship-winning campaigns in 2010 and 2012 went right down to the wire, with multiple challengers on his tail in those seasons. One of the best drivers of all time, Fernando Alonso — who was driving for Ferrari then — nearly defeated him twice.
In 2010, the Spaniard finished just four points behind Vettel, a margin that came down to just three in 2012. Vettel held on, but barely by the skin of his teeth and also because of errors made in Ferrari’s strategy leading up to the season finale.
Parallels between Verstappen’s and Vettel’s Red Bull campaigns are often drawn, highlighting their mix of dominant and hard-fought victories. One thing is undeniable: both drivers have cemented their place among F1’s all-time legends.
