'Give Verstappen the Oscar': Does Lewis Hamilton have competition from huge F1 rival?

Hamilton in black suit with Oscars-themed awards background featuring circular inset of Verstappen in Red Bull garage in race suit — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off The Track

'Give Verstappen the Oscar': Does Lewis Hamilton have competition from huge F1 rival?

The talents of Hamilton and Verstappen extend way beyond driving

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 1 February 2026 22:56

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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has showed off his acting chops in his latest campaign with Heineken, but could he really rival Lewis Hamilton at this year's Oscars?

Just last year the Dutchman featured in Heineken's 'The Best Driver' advert thanks to his role as a global ambassador for Heineken 0.0, continuing the brand's storied relationship with F1 drivers.

In the past, three-time title holder Jackie Stewart starred in the When You Drive, Never Drink campaign, with Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg among the many other stars of the sport to also feature with Heineken over the years.

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Now, Verstappen has been joined by fellow Dutch legends Virgil van Dijk and DJ Martin Garrix for Heineken's new 'Fans Have More Friends' promotion, which sees the Red Bull F1 star attempt to blend in so he can enjoy sports as a regular fan.

As clips of the promotion have once again done the rounds on social media, one F1 fan even called for Verstappen to be given an Oscar for his performance in the Heineken ad, writing on 'X': "I’ve seen enough, give him the oscar," in response to a video of Verstappen celebrating like any regular football fan would.

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To be fair to Verstappen, he has once again put on a convincing performance in his latest Heineken appearance.

That being said, it is in fact his former title-rival Hamilton who actually has the best chance of adding an Oscar to his impressive list of career achievements due to his work on 2025 summer blockbuster, 'F1'.

The movie co-produced by the seven-time champion has been nominated in the Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects categories ahead of the 2026 Oscars, after the production won big at this year's Critics Choice Awards.

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 2026 at 11pm GMT, although Hamilton's appearance at the ceremony is highly unlikely unless Ferrari miraculously allow him to skip the Chinese Grand Prix which takes place the same day.

Hamilton can rest easy knowing the F1 movie won't have to go head-to-head with Verstappen this Awards season, Abu Dhabi 2021 style, but record-breaking picture nominee Sinners has also been nominated in all three of the same categories as F1.

F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton