06 November 2023 , 21:06
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Ralf Schumacher drew a rare comparison between Max Verstappen and his own legendary brother Michael after watching the Dutchman's dominant drive to Brazilian Grand Prix victory.
Only Lando Norris was able to keep Verstappen honest in Sao Paulo. But even the McLaren driver's best efforts could not stop the Red Bull racer from securing his 17th win of an extraordinary campaign.
And it was the 52nd of his career already, having celebrated his 26th birthday less than six weeks ago. Victory in the final two races of 2023 will see him leapfrog Sebastian Vettel to outright third in the all-time list.
Lewis Hamilton is, of course, the all-time record holder with 103 wins. Michael Schumacher is the other still ahead of Verstappen having taken 91 Grand Prix victories, while both are still four world championship successes clear of the Dutchman.
But Schumacher's brother Ralf, himself a six-time race winner, is now satisfied that Verstappen is in the same category as the very best Formula 1 has ever seen. "Max Verstappen races from victory to victory, continues to write history and simply didn't make any mistakes in Brazil," he wrote in his Sky Germany column.
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"However, I'm not a fan of always drawing comparisons with my brother or Ayrton Senna. They were exceptional in their time. That's Verstappen now too. It's incredible how he does it. If you compare his performance with his team-mate Sergio Perez, there was once again a big difference in the race."
The victory saw Verstappen break yet another record in this most dominant of seasons. It ensured that, no matter what happens in his final two outings of 2023, he is guaranteed the highest win percentage over the course of a single F1 season.
Alberto Ascari won 75 percent of the Grands Prix in 1952, though that was only six out of eight. The annual race calendar is three times that size these days, though two fewer races have been held this season than planned after the Grands Prix in China and Emilia Romagna were cancelled.
Schumacher is third on the list now with a 72.2 percent record from 2004, when he won 13 out of 18 races. The best 22-race comparison was when Verstappen won the title last year with 15 Grand Prix victories.
Hamilton's best record in that regard was from the 2020 season when he won 11 out of 17 races at a victory rate of 64.7 percent. Even if Verstappen fails to win either of the last two races this year, he is guaranteed a minimum win percentage of 77.3 percent.