Max Verstappen is more popular in the Netherlands compared to Lewis Hamilton in the UK, according to F1 pundit

F1 pundit Mark Gallagher recently stated that Max Verstappen is more famous in the Netherlands than Lewis Hamilton is in the UK. The comparison between the two titans of the sport has been going on ever since both fought valiantly for the title in the 2021 F1 season.

Gallagher explained how Verstappen is a complete superstar in the Netherlands. He went on to mention how several stores in the country even have the Dutch driver's cut-outs on the entrances and exits.

“He [Max] is obviously a total superstar at home in the Netherlands. It’s impossible to go into almost any store of any kind and not find someone using a Max Verstappen point-of-sale display, be it Red Bull, be it Jumbo Supermarkets, or any number of other brands in the Netherlands who have somehow tapped into him through partnerships, etc,” he said on the PGP Racing podcast.

Gallagher further stated that the Red Bull star might even be more famous than Lewis Hamilton in the UK. The F1 pundit gave his reasoning that while there are several other famous athletes and celebrities in the UK, Verstappen is one of the very few who are this successful in their respective sports in the Netherlands.

“At home in the Netherlands, he is every bit the superstar there as Lewis Hamilton is in the UK, possibly even more so if I may say so and that’s only because Lewis has a lot of competition from a lot of other top sports stars here in the UK, plus you’ve got Premiership football here. Whereas in the Netherlands, Max is it. So you go into a filling station and you’ve got a giant cut-out of Max Verstappen greeting you,” Gallagher added.

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Former F1 CEO places Max Verstappen higher than Lewis Hamilton on his list

Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone recently stated that Max Verstappen is higher on his list of great drivers than seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Ecclestone praised the Dutchman for his unwavering attention to the sport and how he only focuses on racing in Formula 1 and winning as much as possible.

"Max is the best driver ever. No doubts. I used to say Alain Prost. Now I would say Max. He’s the greatest. He is the brightest with regards to getting the best out of the car. He doesn’t muck around. He gets right on the programme. In my list he is above Lewis Hamilton," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

It is clear that Verstappen has shown tremendous consistency as he is about to win his third world championship at the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, provided everything works perfectly for him.