Verstappen placed above Hamilton: 'Only a few F1 champions have that'
17:00, 23 Dec 2024
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Nicole MulderManaging Editor
Nicole Mulder is Managing Editor at GPblog and a specialist in Formula 1 and MotoGP. With years of experience and permanent FIA accreditation at Grands Prix worldwide, she delivers reliable coverage and insights based on direct access to drivers and the F1 paddock.
After securing his fourth world title, Max Verstappen has joined an illustrious list of Formula 1 drivers. He is now on a par with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel and only has Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton ahead of him. Ralf Schumacher sees in Verstappen an exceptional quality that he believes not all great F1 champions possess.
Schumacher: 'Verstappen has just that little bit extra'
"He simply makes the difference. 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," Schumacher praised Verstappen's skills to the German branch of Sky Sports.
"Hamilton is certainly exceptional, but also needs a bit of the perfect environment and car, just like Sebastian Vettel," the former F1 driver explained. "But Max Verstappen, what he has achieved this year in these circumstances - problems with Christian Horner, the departure of Adrian Newey. 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. If you compare it to his teammate, it is absolutely incredible," Schumacher concluded.
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This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica
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