Ralf Schumacher — former F1 driver turned pundit and brother of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher — has weighed in on the relative merits of both drivers to explain just what makes them both great.
The last decade of Formula 1 has been largely dominated by two drivers: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.
The Mercedes outfit flourished upon the introduction of hybrid V6 power units, launching into competition in 2014. Though Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas played critical roles in the team, it was certainly no secret that Lewis Hamilton was the star.
But in 2021, in the final year of F1’s previous regulatory set, a new challenger emerged: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing.
While there’s still ample controversy surrounding the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi that saw Verstappen secure his first World Championship, the Dutch racer’s abilities weren’t confined to just one season.
In 2022 and 2023, he put on a masterclass of dominance. Though 2023 saw the introduction of challenges from McLaren and Ferrari, Verstappen remained the dominant driver — even in equipment that was obviously struggling.
That’s because, according to pundit Ralf Schumacher, Verstappen “makes the difference.”
In speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Schumacher stated that “Max Verstappen is really capable of giving that little bit extra that those exceptional world champions before him already have.
“There are not many of them, and I honestly don’t count Lewis Hamilton among that list.”
It’s an extremely bold statement to make about a driver that has won more races than any other, and Schumacher does admit that Hamilton is “exceptional.” However, he also argues the Briton “needs a pit of the perfect environment and car” to succeed — “just like Sebastian Vettel.”
Max Verstappen, on the other hand, needs nothing of the sort.
Schumacher pointed to the various problems that plagued Red Bull in 2024, from the departure of designing mastermind Adrian Newey to the allegations of misconduct aimed at Christian Horner. It led to a season where “the car was superior in the beginning, then a disaster.”
“Despite all the setbacks, he always kept working well with his team and always delivered,” Schumacher said.
“If you compare it to his teammate, it is absolutely incredible.”
Ralf Schumacher isn’t the only person to express a similar sentiment this season. Lando Norris, who worked hard to dethrone Verstappen in 2024, admitted that the Dutch driver is uniquely able to extract the most from a race weekend, no matter the circumstances.
After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Norris told media, including PlanetF1.com, that Verstappen hadn’t “put a foot wrong, really, the whole year.
“That’s a strength of his, he has no downsides. He has no negatives.
“When he’s had the quickest car, he dominated races. When he’s not in the quickest car, he’s still been just behind us and almost winning the races anyway.
“So he’s just not had a bad side to him. He’s not had any bad races the whole year. You know, his worst was like a fifth or something.”
