General
Verstappen vs Hamilton after eight seasons: More similarities than you think
Max Verstappen has completed his eighth season in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton starts his 17th season in the sport this year, but like the Dutchman, Hamilton had two world titles to his name after eight seasons. However, the similarities do not end there.
Many fans will agree that Verstappen and Hamilton both belong in the list of best drivers of their generation. Yet the two rivals continue to be compared a lot since their controversial title fight in 2021. The statistics after their eighth season in Formula 1 are remarkably very similar.
The biggest difference is in the age of the drivers. At the age of 25, Verstappen already has two world titles to his name after eight seasons in F1. This just goes to show how young the Dutchman was when he broke through in the sport. Hamilton too had already won two world titles after eight seasons, but he did so at the age of 29.
In terms of victories, Verstappen has won two more than Hamilton, but there are also a lot more races on the F1 calendar these days. This is also reflected in the number of race starts of Verstappen, who has 15 more than Hamilton.
Verstappen and Hamilton evenly matched
The seven-time world champion is far ahead when talking about pole positions though, with a number of 38 compared to Verstappen's 20 poles. When it comes to fastest race laps and podiums, the two rivals are also evenly matched. Verstappen has recorded one fastest lap more from Hamilton, while the Dutchman also leads in podium finishes with 77 versus 71.
That the statistics of the two world champions are so similar is actually not surprising. After his world title in 2008, Hamilton finished the next five seasons outside the top three in the championship. It was not until 2014, his eighth season in F1, that the Briton had his first dominant year in the sport. Verstappen also had to get going at Red Bull Racing, as the team could not really compete for the world title until 2021.
View this post on Instagram
