Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1. Nobody has won more world championships (seven), and he stands alone for race victories (105).
But change just three results, and Hamilton would have won 11 titles. He’s had multiple heartbreaking near-misses during his career.
During his rookie season, Hamilton fell victim to Kimi Raikkonen’s historic comeback, losing out on the title by a single point. He shared second place with Fernando Alonso.
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In 2016, his battle with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg went to the wire as he chipped away at the German’s sizeable early lead. Rosberg ended up winning the title by just five points.
And most infamously, he surrendered the 2021 crown to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton is still looking to correct that perceived injustice and cap off his career by overtaking Michael Schumacher at the top of the leaderboard.
F1 fans assess how Max Verstappen would have done in Lewis Hamilton’s cars
With this in mind, F1 Oversteer asked fans how many titles Verstappen would have won in Hamilton’s cars. Clearly, the 40-year-old hasn’t always maximised a contending machinery, though the same could be said for virtually every elite driver.
Verstappen has already established himself as a legend of the sport by winning four championships. He’s climbed to third on the all-time wins list behind Schumacher and Hamilton on 65.
Many of the fans who responded reckon that, in the hypothetical scenario, Verstappen would have collected nine championship trophies by now. One said Rosberg would have had ‘no chance’ against him in 2016, and that he would also have taken the Mercedes ‘rocketship’ all the way in 2021.
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Another agreed that Verstappen would have flipped those two scripts while replicating Hamilton’s existing triumphs. It was also pointed out that the Briton won his titles pre-cost cap, which has somewhat levelled the playing field.
A fellow Facebook user argued that, with Red Bull weakened by his absence, Verstappen wouldn’t have been up against a formidable ‘challenger’.
Other responses included ‘at least nine, if not more’, and ‘he would never have lost to Rosberg – nine easy titles’.
Max Verstappen might be the best driver in F1 – but he’ll never be the face of the sport
All of this is highly speculative, of course, but it highlights the growing debate within F1 circles. Few would dispute that Verstappen is the quickest driver on the current grid, but it could also be argued that he merits a place in the greatest of all time conversation.
Verstappen will never be the face of F1, but that’s because he has little interest in a celebrity lifestyle. He’s a pure racer who doesn’t seem to be preoccupied with how he’s perceived.
Alex Albon says Verstappen is ‘misunderstood’, and his colleagues speak about him in reverential terms both on and off the track. He’s a divisive figure due to his uncompromising driving style and the circumstances of his first title.
One of the two McLaren drivers will end his reign this year. But one suspects that Liberty Media’s dream scenario would be a ‘rematch’ between Verstappen and Hamilton in 2026 or ’27 before the latter retires.