Verstappen HUGE way behind Hamilton claims global superstar

Rapper and songwriter Will.i.am has claimed that Max Verstappen is a long way behind Lewis Hamilton in the F1 history books.

The last two seasons have seen the Dutchman and Red Bull dominating both championships, with the 26-year-old achieving his third world title last season by winning 19 out of 22 races.

Verstappen currently sits with 54 victories, 32 pole positions and 30 fastest laps.

But that pales in comparison to his championship rival Hamilton, who hold the record for the most race wins (103), pole positions (104) and podium finishes (197).

The Brit also equals Michael Schumacher with seven world titles, six of which he won with Mercedes in what was one of the most dominant era’s in F1 history, as he continues to search for that record-breaking eighth title.

Will.i.am: Verstappen huge way behind Hamilton

Despite Verstappen’s current dominance and Hamilton struggling with his machinery since end of the hybrid era, musician Will.i.am shares Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s optimism for 2024.

When asked by F1 Briefings about whether he thought Mercedes could be competitive this season, he said: "With engineering, yes, they're the best engineers on earth. And Lewis Hamilton is one of the best drivers that ever existed.

“So yeah, I'm super optimistic. And Toto [Wolff] is an amazing leader. George [Russell] is fearless and one of the nicest guys I've ever met. George is an amazing cat. So yeah, I'm super optimistic.

Will.i.am went on to add that he believes Verstappen has a long way to go to catch his close friend Hamilton.

“They have an awesome team. They know what's at stake. And if Lewis gets a win, that's historical,” he continued.

“So yeah, a lot for not only Lewis to accomplish as far as history books, but for Mercedes to accomplish that as well because it's going to take a long time for somebody to beat that once Lewis has that in the bag.

“So this is a legendary moment for Lewis, for the sport and for Mercedes, and when Lewis does it, it's going to take a long time for Max [Verstappen] to catch up, even though he is awesome, don't get me wrong, but when Lewis has it in the bag, it's going to take Max some years."

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