LONDON (AP) - Lewis Hamilton is Formula One’s biggest star. Max Verstappen is the challenger trying to dethrone the seven-time champion.
Through pulsing race wins, crashes and clashes, the two have crafted F1’s best on-track duel in a decade. It’s pumped new energy into the world’s biggest motorsports series after years of predictable results that include 100 Hamilton victories since 2007.
“Max is driving on the knife. So is Lewis,” two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi said at the U.S. Grand Prix. “Both are driving the limit. The excitement is back in Formula One.”
The championship protagonists seek the same title at speeds separated by split seconds. Yet they couldn’t be any more different.
Hamilton rose from a working-class British upbringing where his dad worked multiple jobs to earn the money to support his son’s junior career in karting. Hamilton, F1′s only Black driver, has said he endured racial abuse as young driver rising through the European ranks.
But with his wins and titles, his celebrity grew and Hamilton tapped into his vast social media platform (Hamilton has 24.5 million followers on Instagram; 6.6 million on Twitter) to become an activist against racism. He also promotes environmental sustainability and veganism, and he’s started a foundation to create opportunities for minority drivers and teachers. He also partnered with designer Tommy Hilfiger for a Hamilton fashion line.
Now nearing the twilight of his career, the 36-year-old Mercedes driver is chasing an eighth championship that would break his tie with Michael Schumacher and perhaps crown him as F1’s greatest driver.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, leads Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, during the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at the Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Austin, Texas.