F1 champion Max Verstappen compared to legendary Michael Schumacher

Verstappen, Schumacher, social — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 champion Max Verstappen compared to legendary Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen is a four-time world champion

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Sunday 4 January 2026 16:58

Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has compared Max Verstappen with his seven-time champion brother Michael Schumacher.

Ralf's brother Michael is one of the greatest drivers that F1 has ever seen, behind only Lewis Hamilton in the all-time lists of race victories, podiums and pole positions.

Verstappen hasn't quite reached those heights in terms of numbers just yet but at the age of 28, the Dutchman is already a four-time champion and sits third on the all-time list of grand prix victors.

Article continues under video

Red Bull's star driver has a plethora of F1 records to his name, including being the youngest ever grand prix victor and holding the record for the number of consecutive grand prix wins (10).

How many more all-time records Verstappen breaks probably depends on how long he is willing to stay in the sport, with the Dutchman recently having suggested that he will not race long after his 30th birthday, but Ralf Schumacher believes that he has a touch of the Michael Schumacher in him.

Speaking to Sport1, the German said: "Max is someone who can get an extremely lot out of a car - you saw that in comparison to Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson. But it was still a tremendous team effort. And that changed Max.

How long will Verstappen continue in F1?

Verstappen has many passions outside of F1, with sim racing, GT Racing and a desire to one day compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race just to name a few.

On top of this, Verstappen also has a young family, following his partner Kelly Piquet giving birth earlier this year.

Verstappen, who has constantly reiterated that he will not race in the sport as long as the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, has recently also said that he doesn't see himself racing in F1 for much longer than his 30th birthday if the lengthy 24-race calendar remains.

"I don't see myself driving in Formula 1 until I'm 44, let alone with 24 races per season," he told Viaplay in an end of season interview. "Even being in F1 at 34 would be too much."

The length of Verstappen's career may well rest upon how long he can be challenging for championships for, with the Dutchman unlikely to be wanting to run in the midfield.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Michael Schumacher Ralf Schumacher