Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the two most decorated F1 drivers on the grid today and have been at the apex of F1 for almost a decade. In fact, stats suggest that the two of them have comfortably dominated the grid since 2016.
Hamilton, of course, enjoyed the fruits of Mercedes’ strength in the turbo-hybrid era, winning 80 races between 2014 and 2021. With him making the P1 spot on the podium his own, many were eager to see who could dethrone him. That’s where Verstappen entered the foray.
Since his first win in his debut Red Bull race at the 2016 Spanish GP, Verstappen went on to establish himself as one of the best in the sport, which ultimately culminated in him beating Hamilton with a Championship-winning car in 2021. The Dutch driver coasted to glory in the subsequent two seasons as well.
Each has dominated in their own era—Hamilton from 2016 to 2020, and Verstappen from 2021 to the present. But, together, they hold the most victories over this combined period, with a total of 62 wins.
Most Wins Since Barcelona 2016:
Max Verstappen – 62
Lewis Hamilton – 62
All other drivers combined – 59No other driver has more than 11 wins during that span. Total domination by these two. pic.twitter.com/29O3z8su8l
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 7, 2024
What is extraordinary is that all the other drivers combined in this time, have managed only 59 victories. The best of the lot? Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel with 11 wins. Hamilton’s former teammate Valtteri Bottas comes next with 10. An absolutely staggering difference.
Since Verstappen is the only driver to consistently match Hamilton during this period, there has been widespread debate about whether the Dutchman will eventually surpass the records of the seven-time F1 world champion.
Is Breaking Hamilton’s Records Up to Verstappen?
Considering Verstappen is only 27, it seems more of a question of when rather than if he will break Hamilton’s records. In terms of overall tally of race wins, the Red Bull driver is 43 behind Hamilton.
Verstappen is also on track to win his fourth championship this season, bringing him within three titles of matching both Hamilton and the legendary Michael Schumacher—unless Hamilton secures his eighth title first.
But the question is, does he want to?
Time and again, Verstappen has insisted that he doesn’t care about records, often hinting that an early retirement is on the cards. With him already having achieved so much, he doesn’t see the point of racing just to chase records.
Instead, Verstappen might prefer to focus on setting up his own racing team—a plan he’s already outlined—or he could dedicate more time to sim racing and being with his family. However, if Verstappen decides to stay in F1 and continue racing for Red Bull (or another top team), he would have a strong chance of breaking all of Hamilton’s records.
