Although Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had their title fight in 2021, the two Formula One drivers have hardly faced each other in the past three seasons.
Hamilton dominated F1 for most of the Hybrid Era with Mercedes, winning six titles with the Brackley-based team between 2014 and 2020.
In 2021, Red Bull Racing emerged with the RB16 car, which was as competitive as Hamilton’s W12 Mercedes. Throughout the season, both drivers exchanged the championship lead, culminating in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, where they were equal on points. Hamilton took the lead in turn 1 and seemed poised to secure his eighth F1 title. However, a late safety car allowed Red Bull to make a third stop for Verstappen, while Mercedes chose to keep Hamilton out to maintain track position.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crashed several times in 2021
With race director Michael Masi suggesting that the race would end under the safety car, it seemed Mercedes had made the right decision. After pressure from Red Bull, Masi ultimately allowed a certain number of lapped cars to unlap themselves, leading to one final lap of racing. On this lap, Verstappen, equipped with fresh and faster soft tyres, overtook Hamilton to claim his first F1 title in a controversial finish.
Here are the five times Hamilton outperformed Verstappen
Brazil 2021
Starting from the back in the Sprint Race, Hamilton delivered what many consider the greatest performance of his career by winning the main race. With Verstappen comfortably in the lead, Hamilton closed the gap and, despite several questionable defensive moves from Verstappen, ultimately passed him with over 10 laps remaining in Brazil.
Hungary 2019
Max Verstappen secured pole position and watched as the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton battled for second place on the first lap. The Dutch driver remained comfortably ahead until halfway through the race when Hamilton caught up. After defending fiercely for 10 laps, Mercedes called Hamilton into the pits with 20 laps to go, catching Red Bull by surprise. Hamilton subsequently passed Verstappen easily to win the race.
Two years later, he would use a similar strategy against Verstappen in Spain.
2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
With Verstappen desperately trying to fend off a pursuing Hamilton, the Red Bull driver forced his rival off the track. Verstappen was instructed to give the position back and did so strategically, only to regain the lead moments later by passing Hamilton in the DRS zone. Hamilton managed to pass Verstappen on the 43rd lap, setting the stage for the title fight in the final race of the season.
2022 Brazil GP
The Mercedes looked good in Interlagos in 2022 and was marginally the fastest car ahead of Red Bull. After passing Max Verstappen in the sprint race, Lewis Hamilton looked set to challenge pole sitter George Russell for the rin in the main race. A few laps into the main race, the Dutch driver made an aggressive move on the outside which saw him collide with his rival.
Verstappen was blamed for the collision which ruined Hamilton’s chances of winning the Brazilian GP that weekend but still made a recovery drive to finish second.
Hungary 2024
The two former rivals faced off once again this year at the Hungarian Grand Prix. With Verstappen unable to catch the flying McLarens, he battled Hamilton for third place. Although the 27-year-old had the slightly faster car, he struggled to find a way past the stubborn Mercedes racer. On lap 63, Verstappen attempted an overtaking manoeuvre but lost control of his car in the braking zone, resulting in a collision with Hamilton. During the race, his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, criticized him as being ‘childish.’
The F1 2024 season concluded this past weekend, and many are already anticipating the 2025 campaign. The recently finished season featured seven different winners, but it was the flying Dutchman who secured his fourth consecutive title. With Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari next year, fans are eager to see his rivalry with Max Verstappen resume.
Who will win the F1 title next year?
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