Coulthard decides: Does Hamilton on Verstappen overtake better?
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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are two of the top drivers in Formula 1 currently. Both have been praised throughout their careers for their overtaking abilities. Despite Verstappen not having to do much overtaking in recent seasons due to the domination of Red Bull, Coulthard believes there is no one better than the Dutchman, but also praised Hamilton.
For years, Daniel Ricciardo was thought of as one of the best drivers at overtaking on the grid, known for braking later than everyone else. Coulthard compared this to Max Verstappen on his Formula For Success podcast. "If he [Ricciardo] was behind someone in the early stages of his career, you knew something was going to happen. Max represents that too, when he has a chance. In '21, the way he overtook Lewis [in Abu Dhabi], a straight earlier than I would have even considered doing it; that was absolute belief and dedication. And I know that race was controversial."
Verstappen better than Hamilton?
Coulthard admits to having little knowledge of the older days of the sports. However, according to the Scot, there was a German driver at the end of the last century, the beginning of the current, who was a master of overtaking. "Michael [Schumacher] was pretty good at it. Lewis, he keeps it neat as a driver. I know, there was some contact between him and Max at Silverstone in '21. Emotions ran high there. But overall in his career, he was pretty good."
Ultimately, Coulthard revealed if he had to pick one driver who is the best in terms of overtaking, that he is in no doubt who he would choose. "But I go for the modern era and I go for Max, of the current drivers. You know if he's behind you, then the driver in front of him knows: 'Either he's going to pass or you're both going to go off,'" Coulthard believes.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.
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11 October 2024
