Former Formula 1 driver Damon Hill compares Max Verstappen to the driver whose record he just missed equalling in Abu Dhabi: Michael Schumacher. The former world champion tips his hat to the Dutchman, particularly impressed by his precision on the track: ‘He is accurate to the millimeter’.
Max Verstappen fell just two World Championship points short of matching Michael Schumacher’s record in Abu Dhabi. The seven-time world champion remains the only driver with five consecutive titles to his name – achieved between 2000 and 2004 – although, according to Damon Hill, the Dutchman does share something else significant with the German.
The 1996 world champion reflected on the 2025 season in the Drive to Wynn podcast, discussing which drivers made the most impression. “Lando (Norris) is a champion, Oscar (Piastri) is clearly championship material. There are also plenty of other drivers who are, who will prove themselves in the coming years.”
“On the other hand, you have drivers on their way out,” Hill continues. “I mean, I don’t know how much longer Lewis Hamilton can keep going, but Fernando Alonso is still performing above his age. You have Max, who I believe is considered by almost everyone to be, just like Michael was back then, the man to beat, the man who is almost unbeatable. Only under the right circumstances can he be defeated.”
Precision
The former Formula 1 driver is then asked to further explain his comparison between Verstappen and Schumacher. “Max is incredibly precise. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen him drive a qualifying round on a circuit like Suzuka. That’s a truly terrifyingly fast track. He is accurate to the millimeter and can place his car on the edge of the track. You need every millimeter of the track to drive the best line, and he does that. And he’s only 28, as I said, he’s now in the prime of his life.”
