Former Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Max Verstappen has surpassed Lewis Hamilton in a key skill that the seven-time F1 champion excelled at until 2021. That year marked a change of guard in F1, as the Verstappen era began and the Hamilton era concluded.
Though the two champions cannot be compared outright because 2021 was the only season where they were title rivals, and that ended in controversial circumstances. From 2022 onwards, Lewis Hamilton struggled in the ground-effect era, with his driving style challenged. Moreover, Mercedes’ aero deficiencies did him no good, and his first year with Ferrari in 2025 was worse.
In a recent interview with F1-Insider, Helmut Marko, who ended his 20-year Red Bull stint after the 2025 season, showered praise on Max Verstappen. He explained how modern F1 doesn’t allow even the best drivers to excel in subpar cars. But Verstappen managed to do that in 2025.
“If you’re not in the right car, the greatest talent won’t help you,” Marko said. “Max shows that you can win with a car that is not absolutely top – because of his incredible car control and because he has learned a lot.”
The 82-year-old also highlighted that Verstappen became better at managing his tires than Hamilton after 2021.
“In 2021, Hamilton was still the better tyre understander – now Max is also the champion in that area,” Marko added.
Max Verstappen had to fight an uphill battle in 2025. Red Bull was no longer the fastest car on the grid and failed miserably against McLaren’s pace and adaptability. However, once new team principal Laurent Mekies placed more emphasis on incorporating the four-time F1 champion’s feedback into the RB21, their performance improved substantially.
Verstappen overturned a 104-point deficit to Oscar Piastri and just missed out on the title by two points to Lando Norris.
David Coulthard ranks Max Verstappen above Lewis Hamilton with clear reasoning
Statistically, Lewis Hamilton is the greatest F1 driver. However, a touch of recency bias, combined with Max Verstappen’s obsession with racing and his versatility to excel in other series, like winning on his NLS GT3 debut, makes the Dutchman a more feared opponent.
Moreover, Verstappen has been ruthlessly beating his teammates for over half a decade. Contrastingly, Hamilton has failed to do so consistently after his 2021 title loss. George Russell bested him twice in three seasons at Mercedes, and Charles Leclerc did so in 2025 at Ferrari.
It was this happening that made David Coulthard rate Max Verstappen higher than Lewis Hamilton. When comparing the two on the “Red Flags” podcast, the 13-time Grand Prix winner said:
“I go with Verstappen because they’re very difficult to separate the two of them, in terms of Hamilton, at his peak, and I keep saying that because I’m not sure he is at his peak anymore. Controversial for a loser like me to dare to say that. But it just feels the greats match their teammates or beat their teammate, and the last couple of years, if I’m not mistaken, he didn’t do that with George, and it doesn’t feel like he’s done that with Charles.”
Coulthard, a former McLaren and Red Bull driver, further explained his stance, adding:
“So if we put opinions to one side and just use… what are the two things that are ultimately important in F1? It’s the stopwatch (qualifying results), and it’s the chequered flag (race results). Everything else is opinion. I think the outright speed may be not there with Lewis anymore, but he’s still, you’ve got to give him so much respect. But Max, it feels like he’s developing, there’s more to come.”
Max Verstappen’s 2025 championship comeback was one for the history books even though he couldn’t seal the deal. Though fans and analysts applauded Lando Norris for his first F1 title, many felt that the Verstappen would’ve been the ‘deserving’ champion.
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