It’s not been often since that infamous Abu Dhabi night in 2021 that you have been able to say Lewis Hamilton has a supreme advantage over Max Verstappen.
But as we enter the business end of the Formula 1 season and eyes start to turn towards F1 2025, the seven-time world champion will head into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix with just that in mind.
Hamilton’s form since that infamous title defeat three years ago has been of much debate, but whichever way you cut it, two victories during that period at this year’s British and Belgian grands prix is clearly not good enough for the seven-time world champion – who of course is not fully to blame for this given the sub-par Mercedes machinery he has driven since.
But as Verstappen is showing at Red Bull in comparison with team-mate Sergio Perez this season, a world class driver will always have a puncher’s chance in the right setting – and there are few better venues for that than Austin for Hamilton (vote where he will finish this year at the bottom of the page in our GPFans poll).
Lewis Hamilton won the first F1 US Grand Prix at Austin in 2012
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen could battle on track againHow many times has Hamilton won at COTA?
The US Grand Prix based in Texas has been a very happy hunting ground for Hamilton over the years – winning there a record five times – and even if he doesn’t take victory he seldom struggles to maximise the potential available to him. It’s a track he clearly loves. A win this weekend and he has at least double the amount of Austin victories over every other driver.
The 39-year-old won the inaugural race there in 2012 (his last McLaren win) and then won four of the next five races at the venue, missing out in 2013 as the entire F1 grid was hit by a huge Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel storm of nine straight wins after the German’s mid-season tweak to set the race difficulty to ‘easy mode’.
Hamilton’s happy memories extend to greater lengths at COTA as well, winning the 2015 world championship there, made famous by some high tension hat throwing with Nico Rosberg, and again in 2019.
He’s finished second on-track every year since, albeit he was disqualified last season after being found to have an illegal skid block.
The point stands though, aside from 2013 (where he finished fourth) he has always been on the podium, and that makes him a severe threat this weekend.
Max Verstappen seeks a fourth consecutive Austin win
Lando Norris seeks to cut Max Verstappen’s F1 title leadHow Hamilton could help Norris in F1 title battle
And the big loser out of all this could be Max Verstappen. The Dutchman also goes well at COTA (winning the last three races) but he is under supreme pressure from Lando Norris and McLaren who look to have the strongest package just about everywhere.
Verstappen needs to stay within touching distance of Norris in every race to ensure he wins a fourth straight world championship, but a fired up Hamilton is more than capable of making his old rival’s weekend a huge pain by splitting the pair and throwing his compatriot a big chance in the title battle.
However, Hamilton could also become an unlikely Verstappen hero. Should he win in Austin and Norris and Verstappen follow to round out the podium, the Red Bull driver would lose fewer points to Norris in a two-three finish compared to a one-two instead.
That of course works both ways. Verstappen may beat Norris on the road to extend his lead in the championship, only to find Hamilton has won the race and dampen his overall points advantage gained.
Hamilton may not be directly involved in the fast-becoming gripping championship fight in Austin, but he can certainly play a massive factor within it.