Over the years in Formula 1, there have been some iconic rivalries. James Hunt Vs Niki Lauda, Mika Hakkinen Vs Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher Vs Damon Hill. Now? We have Lewis Hamilton Vs Max Verstappen.
Mercedes Vs Red Bull. So how has this rivalry evolved over the years? That's what we're here to discuss today. Of course no Mercedes Vs Red Bull discussion would be complete right now without talking about the most recent incident between Lewis and Max would it? So strap in and get your helmets on ‘cause it's go go go!
So where do we begin? Well, let's start by looking at who the drivers are and figuring out when the drivers signed for their respective teams. First up Lewis Hamilton. Lewis started his Formula 1 career at McLaren (I miss him dearly, McLaren fan here) where he lined up alongside Fernando Alonso, who at the time was two time and defending world champion. After finishing on the podium in his debut Lewis went on to set many records, finishing runner up in the 2007 World Drivers Championship by ONE single point, losing out to the legendary Fin, Kimi Räikkönen. Those records include "Most consecutive podium finishes from debut (9)" "The joint most wins in a debut season (4)" and finally "The most points in a debut season (109)"
After a few heated incidents between Alonso and Hamilton, Alonso would go on to leave McLaren leaving Hamilton to sign a multi-million pound deal that would keep him with the team until 2012. Following the signing of his new contract Hamilton went on to continue his successful run into the following year, he achieved 5 victories and 10 podium finishes. In the last race of the season, the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton overtook Timo Glock for 5th position in the final corners of the last lap to become the then-youngest F1 world champion in history by one point, Hamilton would go on to tie the record for total world championships (7) and is looking to try and break that record outright. He has 99 wins and 175 podium finishes in total.
Max Verstappen on the other side of this battle hasn't necessarily had the best run of things, he's a solid driver who still has a lot of maturing to do. He has managed to rack up 17 wins and 52 podium finishes. He started his career driving under the charging bull of the Scuderia Toro Rosso where he spent 3 seasons before making the step up to Red Bull. In the 2015 season Max became the youngest full time driver after taking part in the first free practice session of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix then in the 2016 season with Red Bull, he became the youngest race winner.
So when did this rivalry really start? Well Hamilton has always been consistent, but Verstappen has slowly been improving over time and has been pushing Lewis to become the driver he is now. It's very easy to consider that Lewis might have just got comfortable being the best driver on the grid, but with a young driver who is finding himself rapidly improving with each passing race, Lewis has had to reach for an extra level that nobody knew existed.
Lewis has been one of the most consistent drivers in F1 history for a LONG time now and it's no wonder he's one of the best bets for today if you're looking to get in on the action. Lewis is F1's fan base favourite to lift another world drivers' championship at the end of the season, but could his battle with Verstappen throw a spanner in the works? This season in particular that battle has been unbelievably spicy, more wheel to wheel action than ever before, more crashes etc. Only time will tell, but what we do know for sure is we're incredibly lucky to still be able to witness this battle.
At Monza 2021, on lap 26 of the race, Max Verstappen somehow ended up mounting the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. As you can see in the picture (right), if it weren't for the Halo (the curved reinforced bar in front of the drivers head) who can say what would have happened to Lewis? In an interview Lewis said "I feel very fortunate today, thank God for the Halo which saved me and saved my neck." Lewis was also heard saying "I don't think I've ever been hit on the head by a car before. It's quite a big shock for me." Monza was a crazy race with a crazy outcome (McLaren 1-2 Yesss Lads!) but it's safe to say that the one outcome we can all agree on is that we're all in appreciation of the Halo now.
So that's gonna do it for me today, I for one have been really enjoying the hectic battle between Lewis and Max and I am looking forward to it continuing in the coming races. What do you folks think about this season so far? Do you think Lewis will take a record 8th World Drivers Championship or do you have your eyes set on somebody else? Let us know below and as always, take care!
