Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen: How the two have fared at F1 Brazilian GP

Ever since Max Verstappen emerged as a title contender in 2020, he has become one of Lewis Hamilton's staunch rivals. Delivering a glimpse of his capabilities, the Red Bull star was against the seven-time world champion in the very next year, and began his dominance at the track at Interlagos.

However, he was competing against a driver who was equally dominant at this very track. As the two aforementioned drivers were at par in Brazil, we brought the head-to-head statistics to show who has been a better driver at the renowned Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton is arguably the greatest F1 driver, and undoubtedly the most successful F1 star, with seven titles, 105 wins, 104 pole positions, and 202 podiums to his name. Even though Max Verstappen is one of the most dominant drivers in the sport with four Championships, 68 race wins, 47 pole positions and 123 positions, he has yet to match the British star.

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 14, 2021 in Sao Paulo, Brazil - Source: Getty Images

However, when it comes to the Brazilian GP record, Hamilton, who raced at this track 17 times, is almost positioned equally with Verstappen, who raced nine times.

Race Wins (3 vs 3)

In 17 attempts, Hamilton came out as the winner at this track three times: 2016, 2018, and 2021. Compared to him, Verstappen also won three times, in 2019, 2023, and 2024.

Podiums (7 vs 6)

Lewis Hamilton has seven podiums to his name at Interlagos, while his rival from Red Bull has one less, six.

Poles (3 vs 2)

Out of 17 races, Hamilton has had the fastest time in qualifying three times, whereas Verstappen has taken pole twice.

Fastest Lap (4 vs 3)

Lewis Hamilton has four fastest laps recorded against his name, while Verstappen has three, despite racing eight fewer races.

DNFs (2 vs 0)

Hamilton faced DNFs twice, and on the other hand, Verstappen has yet to face any.

Average Starting Position (5.65 vs 4.11 )

In just nine races, Verstappen has a better average starting position, 4.11, as compared to Hamilton. The Ferrari man has 5.65, which is one and a half positions more than Verstappen.

Average Finishing Position (3.76 vs 3.33)

Despite having 5.65 as his starting position, Hamilton has an incredibly better finishing position, which is 3.76. However, it is still not better than Verstappen, who has 3.33.

Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas