Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher suggested Max Verstappen surpassed Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel with one important world champion trait.

The fourth championship title that Max Verstappen scored in 2024 stands out among his remaining three because the 27-year-old did not have the first or the second fastest car on many occasions.

F1 team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari should take a lesson from Verstappen in terms of how he was able to make the most of every single opportunity.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks this ability is precisely the reason why the Dutchman was able to secure yet another title. He told Sky Germany:

“He simply makes the difference. Max Verstappen is really capable of giving that little bit extra that those exceptional world champions before him already have.”
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Interestingly, Schumacher said he doesn’t include the multiple world champions Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in the same category as Max Verstappen:

“There are not many of them, and I honestly don’t count Lewis Hamilton among that list. Hamilton is certainly exceptional, but also needs a bit of the perfect environment and car, just like Sebastian Vettel.”
“But Max Verstappen, what he has achieved this year in these circumstances – problems with Christian Horner, the departure of Adrian Newey. The car was superior in the beginning, then a disaster.”
Verstappen faced multiple setbacks, including internal conflicts within the team, departing personnel, decreasing car performance, and major outside criticism regarding his driving style, personality, sim racing, and many other things.

Yet, he still won the Drivers’ Championship quite comfortably – two race weekends before the end of the season. Ralf Schumacher added:

“Despite all the setbacks, he always kept working well with his team and always delivered. If you compare it to his teammate, it is absolutely incredible.”
The Dutchman hasn’t lost a single Grand Prix to his teammate Sergio Perez since the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and 42 race weekends have passed since then.

In 2024, Verstappen collected almost three times as many points as his teammate. While Perez struggled and underperformed on many occasions, Verstappen always maximized the result and hasn’t finished worse than sixth.