Max Verstappen’s dominant run in F1 over the last three years has quickly elevated his name into the same conversation as the sport’s greatest drivers. The Dutchman’s tally of success has been such that he has regularly been compared to Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
Since beating Hamilton at the 2021 season finale, Verstappen’s stocks have raised dramatically and rightly so. He has been the outright best on the grid, with no driver coming close to matching his superiority.
Only 26 years old, Verstappen has age on his side to potentially surpass all records set by Schumacher and Hamilton. But even today, he has started beating the goliaths of motorsport in the numbers game.
According to a statistical compilation, Verstappen has the legs on Hamilton and Schumacher in terms of getting to the 60 Grand Prix wins mark first. The Red Bull driver grabbed his 60th win at the 2024 Canadian GP two weeks ago and he is in his mid-twenties.
The age difference between Max Verstappen & other drivers when they reached 60 wins shows how ahead of schedule he is in the record books.
Age at 60th win
Verstappen: 26 years, 8 months, 11 days
Hamilton: 32 years, 8 months, 11 days
Schumacher: 33 years, 6 months, 5 days pic.twitter.com/KeoCGGR10m— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) June 17, 2024
On the other hand, both Hamilton and Schumacher reached this particular milestone in their thirties. Verstappen is currently in his 10th full-time season, whereas it took Hamilton and Schumacher 11 and 12 seasons respectively, for the same.
All three drivers have raced and defined different eras of F1. Naturally, a straight competition could be seen as unfair. However, Verstappen’s results on the track stand as a true testament to his status as one of the greatest to ever grace the paddock.
Despite a rising trajectory, Max Verstappen is not interested in winning seven or eight world titles
Verstappen’s recent prowess on the track could be a precursor to one of F1’s most iconic records being broken. No driver has more World Championships than Hamilton and Schumacher (7). But with how Verstappen has dominated F1 as of late, he is being tipped to eclipse that record very soon.
With three Titles already under his belt, Verstappen could end 2024 with number four. However, he isn’t concerned about his overall tally. “Once you stop with Formula 1, then the book is closed for me and then it’s over. Then I don’t care what other people think about it,” he told Motorsport.com.
He went on to explain that winning seven or eight world titles does not motivate him. For him, he has already achieved what he wanted to in the sport, and if the sport gets in the way of his quality of life, he would have no qualms about quitting it at a moment’s notice.
