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Lewis Hamilton’s lack of ruthlessness on track makes him “the anomaly” in the group of F1 “villains” like Max Verstappen, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

That is the opinion of former Red Bull driver David Coulthard, who believes Verstappen‘s “absolute fighting spirit” has given him the edge over Hamilton whenever the pair have raced on track.

David Coulthard: Lewis Hamilton stands out in group of F1 ‘villains’

Hamilton stands as the most successful driver in F1 history, having equalled Schumacher’s record of seven World Championships in 2020 before becoming the first man to surpass 100 grand prix wins and pole positions the following year.

After two consecutive winless seasons across 2022/23, Hamilton returned to the top step of the podium in F1 2024 by claiming an emotional victory at his home race at Silverstone before collecting a record-extending 105th career win at Spa weeks later.

Verstappen has emerged as F1’s dominant force over recent years and is likely to clinch a fourth consecutive World Championship at this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Another title triumph would see the 27-year-old – who holds a 62-point lead over McLaren driver Lando Norris – become only the second driver in F1 history after Red Bull icon Sebastian Vettel to win each of his first four titles in successive years.

Verstappen’s conduct in wheel-to-wheel battle has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, with the Dutchman hit with a rare 20-second penalty at last month’s Mexican Grand Prix for two separate incidents with Norris.

It reignited the debate over driving standards in F1, with Verstappen’s moves against Norris compared to his hostility in battle with Hamilton during their classic F1 2021 title fight.

Appearing on the Red Flags podcast, Coulthard likened Verstappen’s aggression to that shown by Senna and Schumacher in previous generations.

And he argued that Hamilton cannot be considered in the same ruthless category of his fellow multiple World Champions, having earned a reputation for fairness in battle over the course of his career.

Coulthard said: “Remember when [boxer] Floyd Mayweather accepted the invitation from Conor McGregor to fight each other?

“There’s a reason why he fought him in boxing and not UFC or MMA, because he’s got control of that territory.

“So Max is Conor McGregor. He’s UFC. And Lando, at the moment, is an incredibly talented boxer, but who’s going to win if there was no rules?

“It’s going to be the guy that’s [sees no limit]. With the exception of eye gouging and testicle tickling, everything else goes. Max has been doing that for a long time.

“Lando will get there and he’ll win. He’ll win more races, he’ll win championships on his talent.

“But Max is [the best]. That’s why he deserves to be in the same category as an Ayrton, a Michael.

“I [would] say Lewis, but I put Lewis in brackets because Lewis has actually done it in a very uncontroversial way.

“I know there was the contact with Max in Max’s first championship year at Silverstone, [but] that’s about as much on-the-edge contact I’ve seen from Lewis.

“He’s a very clean racer. He manages to keep out of a lot of controversy through his career, so he’s the anomaly in that group of the villains.”

Put to him that Hamilton’s years of dominance with Mercedes meant he did not need to flex his muscles on track, Coulthard replied: “You’re absolutely spot on.

“I think that there was a very there was a comfortable period there for Lewis when they had car advantage and he’s an exceptional driver.

“It doesn’t diminish the results he’s had, but of course when he has gone wheel to wheel with Max, normally Max has come out in front because he’s got that absolute fighting spirit.

“We will be debating this beyond our lifetimes about the rights and wrongs and it transcends into other sports.

“With soccer players or tennis players, whatever, there’s always going to be the ones that are seen as being a little bit on edge when it comes to where the line is.

“But what they’ve actually done is redefined the modern era of where the line is.

“Michael did it, Ayrton did it, Max is doing it.

“And that’s because every generation should be better. Better doesn’t mean nicer. Better just means they deliver.

“They deliver the victories when all the drivers might not.”

Hamilton has long been a vocal critic of Verstappen’s behaviour on track, commenting in the aftermath of their heated battle at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that the Red Bull driver is “over the limit.”

He said in Jeddah: “I have raced a lot of drivers in my 28 years of racing, I have come across a lot of characters. There’s a few that are over the limit, the rules don’t apply.

“He’s over the limit for sure. I have avoided collision on so many occasions with the guy. I don’t mind being the one who does that because you get to live another day.”

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com after the Mexican GP, meanwhile, Hamilton revealed that he instinctively “knew” Verstappen was at the centre of controversy after seeing a cloud of dust up ahead on track at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Put to him that Verstappen’s second incident with Norris in Mexico was similar to his near miss with the Red Bull man at Brazil 2021, Hamilton replied: “I’ve not seen it. I could see a group of cars ahead and I saw a plume of smoke, of dust.”

Bursting into laughter, Hamilton then added: “And I knew it was [him]. I knew it must have been [him]. [I was] like: ‘For sure, that’s him!’”

Asked if he feels there is a growing consensus that Verstappen crosses the line too often, he added: “Again, I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment.

“That’s for you to decide. For me, I’m not in that race [at the front] so it doesn’t really matter.”