Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been in a fierce rivalry since the 2021 season. No wonder the popularity of F1 was skyrocketing two years back. It was because of the young Dutchman challenging Hamilton to end his winning streak. However, the way things ended in 2021 was nothing short of drama and controversy. Even two years later, people are talking about the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi back in 2021 with a lot of interest.
The Abu Dhabi GP in 2021 changed the F1 sport forever. On top of that, this season, Max Verstappen joined the elite group of three-time champions, including Ayrton Senna and Jackie Stewart. With back-to-back three titles, Max has written his name among the greats of the game. Recently, a former F1 Motorsport team owner talked about the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen.
In Terms Of Dominance, Who’s Greater – Verstappen Or Hamilton?
Recently, Eddie Jordan told UK’s talkSport that the gap between Max and Lewis in terms of greatness is tiny. However, he feels that Hamilton’s struggles since his childhood and finally debuting in F1 give the Briton the overall edge. Moreover, the former Motorsport team owner mentioned Max Verstappen had it a lot easier than Lewis Hamilton. Max’s parents were brilliant drivers, and Jos Verstappen used to drive for the Jordan F1 team. Hence, Eddie Jordan knows what he is talking about. Moreover, the Irish businessman mentioned the seven-time champion’s father, Anthony Hamilton, had to do three jobs to get his son into F1.
On top of that, Eddie talked about the issue of discrimination with respect to color that Lewis Hamilton had to face all his career. After fighting against adversity and all odds, Lewis Hamilton made it to the seven-time champion, equaling Michael Schumacher. That’s the reason why Eddie Jordan says he is a bit biased toward the Mercedes star. However, Jordan added the gap is minimal and tiny. Moreover, Eddie Jordan mentioned that Hamilton and Schumacher’s records are in danger as Max Verstappen can win ten titles if he pushes for it. Adding to that, Jordan mentioned the value Adrian Newey adds to these victories, saying, “Newey is the kingpin. He’s building the dominant cars. We must keep him alive.”
Red Bull And Max Verstappen Have Not Looked Back Since 2021
From 2014 to 2021, the German team dominated the grid. No other team could build a car that could topple Toto Wolff’s team. But in 2021, Red Bull had a car that could challenge their rivals. Albeit Mercedes won the constructor title in 2021, Lewis Hamilton could not win his eighth title. There was a lot of controversy, but in the end, Max Verstappen became the new F1 champion. Since then, neither Max nor his team have looked back.
Red Bull has won back-to-back constructor titles, including the current season, since 2021. But Max Verstappen as a driver has enjoyed an unprecedented dominance since last year. In 2022, Max won 15 races, breaking the earlier record of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher’s 13 race wins in a season. But in 2023, the Dutchman has won 14 GPs already, with five more races to go. Verstappen can easily break his own record.
