Max Verstappen has corrected ‘handicap’ versus Lewis Hamilton, claims Marko

According to Helmut Marko, Lewis Hamilton was “a bit better” than Max Verstappen at tyre management during the iconic 2021 season.

However, Marko says this is a “handicap” which Verstappen has since shed completely. Marko would also compare Verstappen – the “perfect son-in-law” who turns no “compromise” racing driver – with fellow Red Bull and F1 great, Sebastian Vettel.

Max Verstappen ‘handicap’ is no more

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The Lewis Hamilton era came to a close in 2021, Verstappen clinching the crown at the end of an all-time classic F1 season.

Verstappen duly embarked on his own era of Formula 1 dominance from there, reeling off four consecutive World Championships. He fell just two points short of going five in a row in 2025.

Verstappen’s former Red Bull ally Helmut Marko, during an appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast ahead of his departure, was asked if Verstappen is the best driver that he has ever seen.

“It’s difficult to say. Different periods. Different cars.

“But he’s definitely one of the greatest.”

Marko was asked what it is that makes Verstappen so good.

As part of his explanation, he harked back to 2021, a year in which he claimed that Hamilton was “a bit better” at managing his tyres.

Marko stressed that this is an area where Verstappen grew stronger, to the point that it is no longer a “handicap” at all.

“He’s improving, improving,” Marko said of Verstappen. “He’s completely focused, and now he’s 10 years with us.

“Nowadays, he doesn’t make any mistakes. Lap by lap, he’s within one tenth. If they tell him the tyre, let’s say, the left one, is overheating, okay, within two laps, he does the same lap time, but the tyre temperature goes down.

“So he also learned this feeling for the tyres, which was, I would say, in ’21, a handicap, because in this area, Hamilton was a bit better than him.”

As for picking the best drivers which Red Bull has ever had, Marko said it was a “very easy” choice. It is “of course, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel”.

Marko gave a clear “no” though when asked if Red Bull’s pair of four-time World Champions would have rubbed along well together.

“They are completely different characters,” Marko added, “and you know that when Vettel left, we didn’t look for a new Vettel, we looked for a new champion.

“So, it’s not part of our philosophy to have the driver put in a schedule or in a form.

“But what makes the difference is, I think Max is absolutely committed.

“What I don’t understand, after grand prix winning, he jumps on his plane and goes in a simulator and makes the E-race… Okay, that’s maybe the modern times.

“But also, like the Nurburgring, with his Ferrari victory, that meant to him so much, and that shows that he’s a racer pure.

“I mean, Max is a perfect son-in-law for I think every mother. But, once he is in the car, he’s a different person, and he doesn’t have any compromise.

“He goes for it. Like he did at Imola with his manoeuvre. Also his overtaking, he’s watching the guy and poof, and he overtakes some of the other drivers that drive left, drive right, and so on.

“So his commitment is an absolute one.”

Having spoken of Verstappen’s strengths, Marko was asked what Vettel’s were.

“Vettel was, in the beginning already, going in each detail, was sitting with his engineer, and a little bit like [Ayrton] Senna, insisting on small details, you know, how much fuel and so on.

“Where they are similar is the mental strength.

“I remember 2013, we were around, I think, 40 points behind Alonso, and we still won the championship.”

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Vettel, like Verstappen, was not afraid to ruffle a few feathers in pursuit of his goals.

Marko was reminded of Vettel’s infamous ‘Multi-21’ team orders incident, and his 2010 Turkish GP collision with teammate Mark Webber, as examples.

“He was a racer, and if you want to be champion, you are not a gentleman driver,” said Marko.

“So of course, the ego is so big, and you have to be like that to win a championship.”

Vettel – in post-Red Bull stints with Ferrari and Aston Martin – was unable to add further titles to his CV.

He retired at the end of 2022 as a four-time World Champion and winner of 53 grands prix.

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