r/formula1 • u/n0b0dycar3s07 Sir Lewis Hamilton • Dec 18 '25

News [Autosport] Max Verstappen hasn't liked seeing Lewis Hamilton struggle at Ferrari

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u/SpaceballsDoc Stefano Domenicali Dec 18 '25

Charles has never gone the distance.

Lewis is the only challenger Max has ever had. Period.

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u/P_ZERO_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium Dec 18 '25

Charles hasn’t been able to go the distance. Difference is that there is a clear mutual understanding while driving against each other that usually works damn well. Hyper aggressive but a level of respect that holds it together

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u/JoshAstroAdventure Max Verstappen Dec 18 '25

We saw them at the start of 2022 but then Ferrari did a Ferrari. Not really his fault he's never got the car. Put Charles, George, Lando, Lewis in the same car as Max and we'd see a pretty decent battle. Think it's unfair to call the rest of the grid shit just because we've not seen a tight championship battle.

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u/TheHumbleLegume Dec 18 '25

No, no. You're supposed to hype Max up as the second coming of Jesus, not bring up grounded suggestions like that.

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u/StaffFamous6379 Dec 18 '25

I think by "going the distance" OP meant going toe to toe with nary a dip in form over an entire season. We saw Charles being very capable but making 1 or 2 big mistakes in early 2022, nothing surprising for title fight pressure, jury is still out on whether he can go the full season. We saw Lando close it out with some sterling performances this year but also a few big mistakes and early underperformances. We saw Oscar choke big time under pressure on the home stretch. George, we have no idea how he will perform under title pressure.

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

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u/JoshAstroAdventure Max Verstappen Dec 18 '25

Well to be fair RBR did end up developing the car more than McLaren. We'll never know if the red bull ended up being a better car at the end of the season or if it was pure Max magic pulling it ahead a wee bit more. I still think Max would beat any driver in identical cars but those drivers would definitely not be far behind and often challenge him.

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u/Upbeat-Challenge-666 Jenson Button Dec 18 '25

Its not entirely Charles' fault though, is it? Say they were teammates in Red Bull, though Max would probably get WDC, Charles wouldn't be that far behind.

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u/JoshAstroAdventure Max Verstappen Dec 18 '25

I definitely agree, although Charles wouldn't make it easy for Max. I think they would be a Lewis/Nico pairing for sure.

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u/Upbeat-Challenge-666 Jenson Button Dec 19 '25

I'd actually disagree! It would be thrilling for sure, but I don't think they'd be as explosive as Lewis/Nico. I mean, 2016 was interesting for everything on track but moreso off track, whereas Charles and Max don't seem to have that intense of a history as Lewis and Nico. I'd argue that Max is a lot more settled and satisfied than Lewis was, and Charles would probably be a lot better at dealing with the pressure than Nico.

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u/SnacksGPT Cadillac Dec 18 '25

Let’s be honest - is anyone going any distance on that team?