F1: The Age of Lewis Hamilton is over as Max Verstappen steps in

The Age of Lewis Hamilton is now over, and the Age of Verstappen has begun; and there is no one who has the power to halt that change in power dynamics. Verstappen is simply the most talented race car driver we have seen in this century, and maybe ever.

Lewis Hamilton had his day when Mercedes provided him with a car so good, none of the other drivers had a chance.  Mercedes outspent all teams by tens of millions of dollars every year and gave Hamilton a superior car. An unfair advantage, akin to cheating in today’s age of cost caps.

Hamilton no longer has the best car, and he is unable to win. Maybe he could if he was still 22 years old, but now at 37 (38 in January) the reflexes slow and age begins to creep in.

At just 17 years and three days, Verstappen burst onto the F1 scene in late 2014 for the Toro Rosso team at the Japanese GP, but it was not until 2016 that Red Bull promoted him up to their ‘A’ team, which is when he took his first F1 win amid 7 podiums.

Following his maiden Formula One win, at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, three-time Formula One World Champion Niki Lauda described Verstappen as the “talent of the century.” He said that despite Lewis Hamilton driving for his Mercedes team.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner stated that “Verstappen is the best driver Red Bull have ever seen: “I have no doubt [Verstappen is] the best we have seen on one of our cars, in terms of outright raw ability and commitment. He’s the best driver we’ve seen.”

Former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger echoed Jenson Button’s recent comments, anointing Max Verstappen as the “Formula One driver of this era with the most raw talent.”

Speaking to Sport1, Berger ventured: “When it comes to raw talent, Max Verstappen is the most talented of all. But it’s not just about raw talent, it’s about the whole package. That means it’s not just about setting the fastest laps but also to win a race. And not just [about] one race but many and eventually a championship, and championships.”

Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso commented that Verstappen is the standout driver in Formula One, declaring the Red Bull star to be “one step ahead” of everyone.”

Verstappen has accumulated a significant fan base from around the world, but in particular from his home country of the Netherlands. Grand Prix events have dedicated Verstappen grandstands with thousands of travelling Dutch fans, boosting ticket sales particularly for European races such as Belgium, Austria and Hungary.

During the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix, Honda’s Formula One managing director Masashi Yamamoto praised the Verstappen supporters, saying that ″in the six years I’ve been involved with Honda F1, I’ve never seen such a great turnout as at the Dutch Grand Prix. “It was like being in a football stadium and when Max crossed the finish line first, the whole circuit colored Orange.

His performance in Suzuka on Sunday, on his way to winning the Japanese GP on a very wet track, was an Ayrton Senna-like driving display that made all the other drivers look like rank amateurs.

Biblical weather, and he dropped the field by 27 seconds in 26 laps of racing.

The race was shortened to a 2-hour limit and just 28 of 53 laps, but in the 26 laps running under the green, Verstappen gapped Perez and Leclerc by 1-second per lap. Total domination.

Just like Senna did in the rain.

Senna was deemed the best driver ever in the rain, but Verstappen drives as well as Senna in the rain.

He now has 12 wins in 18 races this season, and is on pace to break the record held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, of 13 wins in a season.

It is beginning to look like Verstappen is a better driver than even Lewis Hamilton, who the British think is the best F1 driver ever with the most wins and the most poles in history.

But Verstappen is on pace to destroy Hamilton’s records – all of them.

A superstar with the world at his feet.

Verstappen just turned 25 years old last weekend and has 32 wins to Hamilton’s 14 at that age.  However, Verstappen has another 51 weeks at the age of 25 to pad his record pace of wins at the young age of 25.

Should Verstappen have another dominating year next year like he did this year, he would be on pace to have over 40 wins at age 25 to the 14 Hamilton amassed by 25.

That has Hamilton so worried, he is going to stay in F1 another 5 years to win as many races as he can to delay the Dutchman from destroying his legacy.

Time will tell how it all will play out, but the next 5 years should be fun to watch as two of the all-time greats go at it tooth and nail.

Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com

Hamilton vs Verstappen Cumulative Win Record by Age

Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com