The fastest cars, competing brands, exotic locations and the world’s craziest rivalries: Formula 1 (F1) is the pinnacle of international racing and one of the most exciting leagues in the world. Hosting 20 drivers and ten teams, there is never a dull moment in the F1 racing scene.
Formula 1 racing connects people worldwide who have interests in cars, racing tracks, video gaming and luxury brands who want big-name recognition. Quin Lowd (IV), a dedicated F1 fan, comments on her attraction to F1, stating, “I like the unpredictability of the race: the fact that you can’t tell who will win when the race starts.”
Recently, there has been news about world champion Max Verstappen’s trajectory to success and how the most prolific winner Lewis Hamilton, alongside his trusty Mercedes team of 11 years, shook up the sport by switching to the nemesis Ferrari team.
Arriving at 17 as Formula 1’s youngest competitor, Max Verstappen has steadily risen to the top. Representing Red Bull, he has won three world championships and has become a new face of F1 racing.
Although his meteoric rise to fame has been brilliant, his family’s past is not as glamorous. His father, Joe Verstappen, was a successful F1 racer who pushed Max from a young age. When Verstappen’s parents divorced, it left a huge impact on him. He says, “I was nine years old. It’s not a nice age because you realize everything. That family feeling is gone, you know, it’s like broken.” Although these events may have burdened his childhood, Verstappen has been able to overcome them and succeed on the tracks, earning his first world championship in 2021 as the first Dutch driver and consecutively in 2022 and 2023. Verstappen’s instinctive racing style will continue to support his wins as a Formula 1 racer.
In other news, Lewis Hamilton, English racer and seven-time world champion, has broken his 11-year streak of driving with the Mercedes-Benz team. In the 2025 season, Hamilton will be joining Scuderia Ferrari. Guenther Steiner, former principal of the Haas F1 team, asserts that Hamilton has made the right choice to switch teams and could win his eighth world championship with the Italian team, Ferrari.
Fans of Lewis Hamilton have mixed feelings about this switch, with some showing support and others seeing this change as traitorous to Mercedes. Zoe Awa (II), an enthusiastic F1 fan, discussed Hamilton’s move, saying, “I think that his switch is kind of a betrayal since he has had a long-standing rivalry with Ferrari against Sebastian Vettel, but I still love him as a driver.” Hamilton is an amazing racer, and we will see how he continues to develop with Ferrari.
With all these changes in F1, one thing remains constant: Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton remain worthy rivals no matter what car they drive. As evidenced by the 2021 final lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Verstappen came from behind to beat Hamilton in the final minute, these two racers will remain fierce competitors on the track for years to come.
