F1 icon explains Max Verstappen trait that puts him above Lewis Hamilton in all-time list | F1 | Sport

Former F1 star David Coulthard believes that Max Verstappen’s ‘grounded’ and ‘present’ approach separates him from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the greatest of all-time list.

Verstappen narrowly missed out on a fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship crown in 2025 – one that would have put him within two of former title rival Hamilton in the record books. The Brit may lead the way with 105 Grand Prix victories, but the Red Bull driver already has 71 of his own and, at 28, has plenty of time left to catch the Ferrari star if he so desires.

Asked about the best F1 champions on the Red Flags podcast, Coulthard said: ​​”I’m going to go with Max, and this won’t surprise some people who know me and like me and know me and dislike me, for the following reasons.

“I think that every generation should be better. That’s what evolution is. I think that there’s a crossover of generations there, and Hamilton has been incredible. But there’s also a little bit of a disconnect in some ways.

“Max, I find very grounded. If he’s here, it’s just Max. He’s present, and we know when he’s doing his interviews and press conferences; if he’s not happy, he says it, and he’s not shy to say that. He owns his beliefs, whether he’s happy, whether he’s sad.”

While Verstappen remains, in the eyes of most pundits and fans, the strongest driver on the grid, Hamilton endured a challenging 2025 campaign, ending the year without a podium finish and accumulating just 156 points. His qualifying performances also raised eyebrows, with the second half of the year littered with uncharacteristic Q1 knockouts.

Explaining his choice further, Coulthard added: “So I’ll go with Verstappen because they’re very difficult to separate in terms of Hamilton at his peak, and I keep saying that because I’m not sure that 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 team-mates or beat their team-mates. And in the last couple of years, if I’m not mistaken, he didn’t do that with George [Russell]. And it doesn’t feel like he’s done that with Charles [Leclerc].

“So if we put opinions to one side and we just use the two things that are ultimately important in Formula One, it’s a stopwatch, and it’s a chequered flag. Everything else is opinion. So the stopwatch gives you your qualifying position, as we know, chequered flag gives you the number-one trophy.

“And I think that the outright speed is maybe not there with Lewis anymore. But you’ve got to give him so much respect, but Max, it still feels like he’s developing, it still feels there’s more to come.”