Will Max Verstappen surpass Michael Schumacher as F1's GOAT?

Max Verstappen’s fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship title in 2024 cements his position at the top of the motorsport world. At just 27 years old, Verstappen has reached a level of supremacy that can only be compared with the all-time greats – Michael Schumacher being chief among them.

But will Verstappen eventually surpass Schumacher as the greatest of all time (GOAT)? Let's look at the evidence so far.

Verstappen’s current trajectory suggests he could eclipse Schumacher’s once-untouchable records. Schumacher’s seven World Championships and 91 race wins stood as insurmountable milestones for years.

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Yet Verstappen’s rapid rise has already brought him close to Schumacher's pace of accumulation. By the end of the 2024 season, Verstappen has amassed 65 career wins, averaging nearly 10 wins a season since his first championship in 2021​. His 2023 campaign alone shattered records, with 19 victories in 22 races, as Planet F1 reported.

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One area where Schumacher still holds an edge in the GOAT debate is adaptability. Schumacher achieved his titles across different teams and regulations – two with Benetton before his iconic Ferrari run.

Verstappen’s success has been singularly tied to Red Bull, prompting critics to question whether he can replicate his dominance with a different team or under less favorable circumstances​.

However, Verstappen has demonstrated a mastery across conditions, from wet races to restarts and high-pressure qualifying sessions. Martin Brundle and others have likened his precision to Schumacher’s, blended with the instinctual aggression of Ayrton Senna. Yet this adaptability has not yet been tested outside the Red Bull ecosystem.

Schumacher’s legacy extends beyond his statistics. His work ethic, technical feedback, and leadership redefined what it meant to be an F1 driver, and his influence extended beyond the track. Schumacher became a household name and helped promote the sport globally during its early 2000s boom.

Verstappen, while immensely popular, takes a different approach. He shuns the media spotlight and prioritizes the racing itself over absolutely everything else in the competition, as his battles with the FIA earlier this year showed us.

We hate to use a term like 'brand recognition' but that is a big part of these debates – Verstappen just does not have the star power that Schumacher does or did... yet anyway.

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The aforementioned disputes with the FIA that saw Verstappen being fined over €40,000 ($44,556/£33k) over his lack of engagement with the press, as TalkSport reported, saw Verstappen vent his frustrations with the sport and hint at his early retirement – that alone would put an end to this debate.

The GOAT debate isn’t limited to Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen. Let's bring in Lewis Hamilton, who holds a record-equalling seven World Championships and an unmatched 103 Grand Prix wins.

Hamilton’s legacy is defined by his longevity, consistency, and ability to thrive across different regulation eras. Now, his move to Ferrari in the 2025 season could set the stage for a dramatic renaissance in his career.

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari comes after a decade of dominance with Mercedes, where he won six titles and rewrote numerous records. The move is reminiscent of Schumacher’s transition to Ferrari in the mid-1990s, where he rebuilt the Scuderia into a championship-winning powerhouse.

With Ferrari still struggling to find consistent success since Kimi Räikkönen’s (pictured) title in 2007, Hamilton’s arrival signals a renewed push for glory.

If Hamilton’s move pays off and sparks a resurgence at Ferrari, it could alter the dynamics of F1’s modern era. A revitalized Ferrari could challenge Red Bull’s dominance, potentially creating a new rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen. Such a rivalry would not only add intrigue to the GOAT debate, but also elevate F1’s appeal globally.

If Hamilton could win a world title at Ferrari, that would make a record-breaking 8 titles, won at three different teams.

For Verstappen to surpass Schumacher – or even Hamilton – definitively, he'll likely need to diversify his achievements; either by winning with another team or continuing his dominance as the sport undergoes regulation changes in 2026.

But despite all of this, if Verstappen was to retire today he would still go down in history as one of the greatest the sport has ever seen. What comes next is anybody's guess, but the Dutchman has a legacy all of his own, and we as fans are just lucky enough to witness another great period in F1 history.

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