"He didn’t absolutely destroy team-mates"- Formula E driver points out major difference between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Formula E driver Sam Bird highlighted a significant difference between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, claiming the Briton never 'destroyed' his teammates in the same way Verstappen does.

The Dutchman is clawing his way to his second successive drivers' championship win, now nearly a hundred points ahead of championship rival Charles Leclerc. The 24-year-old has been the dominant driver in his team ever since his debut and was last beaten by a teammate in 2017. While Lewis Hamilton has also consistently outperformed his teammate Valtteri Bottas from 2017–2022, Sam Bird believes Verstappen has done it more fabulously.

The Dutchman's most recent victory over his current teammate Sergio Perez came at the 2022 Belgian GP, where the world champion went from P14 to P1, beating Perez in P2 by nearly 18 seconds.

Sam Bird commented on Max Verstappen's skill set in a recent episode of the BBC Chequered Flag podcast:

“Max’s skill set is remarkable, because Sergio Perez is a very strong driver. But Max Verstappen is not only able to find just a little bit more speed than him, we’re talking a second a lap. Pretty much when he needs to, when he wants to. He’s able to destroy and dispatch people in such a manner that I don’t think I’ve seen."

He concluded:

"I mean, Lewis dominated Formula 1 for a long period of time, but he didn’t absolutely destroy team-mates like this, I don’t think. Valtteri was closer to Lewis than anybody has been to Max recently.”

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Max Verstappen could have won the 2022 Belgian GP starting from his garage

Max Verstappen's dominance during the 2022 F1 Belgian GP was such that he could have won the race without even leaving the Red Bull garage, according to F1 pundit Martin Brundle. Verstappen's stellar form was evident all weekend long, putting in the fastest time of the qualifying session in just one lap.

In his column for Sky Sports, Martin Brundle admitted that Max Verstappen could have been reading his bank statements, and he would still have won the race. The Briton wrote:

“It’s not [Max] Verstappen’s fault that he finds himself in such peak form, and so at one with his Red Bull car that, frankly, you sense he could have been sitting in the garage reading his bank statements when the race started, and still won it.”

Verstappen's home race at Circuit Zandvoort is up next, with the track likely to favor Ferrari much more than Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. However, the world champion has claimed he is already ready for the upcoming race. The Dutchman's preparations and dominant form will likely upset other teams and drivers on the grid this weekend.