How Max Verstappen’s stats compare to Lewis Hamilton as he reaches 200 F1 races at the Dutch Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen will make his 200th race start this weekend. And fittingly, it will come on home soil at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 history when he signed for Toro Rosso as a 17-year-old back in 2015. He spent just over a year with the junior outfit before a promotion to Red Bull, winning on his debut at the Spanish GP.

Verstappen spent his first five seasons with the Milton Keynes outfit battling to be the ‘best of the rest’ behind a dominant Mercedes team. But he finally had the tools to beat Lewis Hamilton to the title in 2021.

While that title fight went down to the very last lap, Verstappen has won the last two in supremely comfortable fashion. In fact, his 2023 triumph was the most dominant in the sport’s history.

Firmly on course to make it four in a row this year, he becomes the seventh on the current grid to hit a double century. Fernando Alonso (391), Hamilton (346), teammate Sergio Perez (271), Daniel Ricciardo (253), Valtteri Bottas (236) and Nico Hulkenberg (217) are the other members of that club.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen almost equal before 200 races

The table below shows how Verstappen stacks up against Hamilton at the same stage of the Mercedes driver’s career. The latter reached the landmark at the 2017 Belgian GP, when he was battling Sebastian Vettel for the title.

Most importantly, they’re both level for world championships. It’s striking how close they are for race wins, where Verstappen has a narrow edge, and podiums, where Hamilton hits back.

The British driver has a clear advantage when it comes to poles. But it’s worth remembering that Verstappen started his career in a midfield car and Mercedes’ window of dominance lasted seven seasons.

Direct comparisons are always difficult in F1 for reasons like this. But what the numbers do show is that Hamilton’s records are very much under threat if his rival stays in F1 for a similar amount of time.

Where Max Verstappen stands on ‘best driver in the world’ debate

Hamilton was 32 when he hit 200 races, while Verstappen doesn’t turn 27 until next month. Red Bull fast-tracked him into F1 at an unprecedented speed, so he could have a considerably longer career.

Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso are the three world champions on the current grid. The Englishman will hit 350 starts in Singapore if all goes to plan, while Alonso will remarkably make it to 400 at the penultimate round in Qatar.

All three of these drivers will consider themselves the fastest in F1. Outwardly, Verstappen has shown little interest in the ‘best driver in the world’ debate but his innate skillset would serve him well in any discipline.

Hamilton won his 200th GP seven years ago and Verstappen is hoping to do the same with a fourth Zandvoort victory in succession. But the Dutch GP weather forecast could create some chaos.