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'Verstappen is faster, but in that situation Hamilton will be there'
- Savannah Lenz
Fans and critics alike are always looking for the next best thing. In recent years, many think that that has been Max Verstappen. Others think Lewis Hamilton is better. Comparisons between the two world champions have been common since their 2021 championship battle. During a live stream on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor weighed in and gave his opinion on who is faster.
During the 2021 Formula 1 season, Verstappen and Hamilton went head to head for their first and eighth championship titles alike. The season was full of controversy, tension and multiple crashes. In the end, Verstappen ended up winning his first while Hamilton lost out on solidifying his eight and surpassing Michael Schumacher's record, in which both Schumacher and Hamilton are tied.
Hamilton is still at seven championships three seasons later, as Verstappen has dominated the past three years. During this time, Hamilton has only won two races. Now, with his move to Ferrari, Hamilton hopes to achieve something that has never been achieved before.
During the live stream, Windsor was asked who would be better, Verstappen or Hamilton. He responded, "For the past seven or eight years, there are still three drivers who stand out for me. Those are Lewis, Charles [Leclerc] and Max. I think all three of them drive differently, but all three of them can steer enormously short on corners and manipulate the pedals and the steering wheel in bizarre ways. That way, they can rotate the car perfectly and also have a great exit."
Windsor then continued, "I put those three above the rest of the grid. I put them above Lando [Norris] and George [Russell]. Of course, with the situation of the last three years, Lewis has struggled against George at Mercedes. I think the situation was confusing for him because nothing seemed to work. And George in turn went to the absolute limit, which was difficult for Lewis to match at this stage of his career. But looking at what Lewis can do in the car, I'm sure he still has it 100 per cent in him."
'Verstappen is faster than Hamilton'
Finally, Windsor also indicated his choice between Verstappen and Hamilton: "I would probably prefer Max, but I still think that if Lewis has a good car, he will be on par with Max. In a bad car, I would say Max is better. I think you always have to factor that into your judgement."
This article was written in Cas van de Kleut.
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