David Coulthard says Max Verstappen is now dealing with the issue Lewis Hamilton once faced in his career

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen can now consider himself among the greatest drivers ever to race in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen only needed a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to add his name to the exclusive list of people who have won four consecutive F1 championships.

The Red Bull star has a 63-point advantage over Lando Norris with two race weekends remaining, making it impossible for the McLaren star to overturn the deficit.

Verstappen can now count himself among the likes of Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

Only Schumacher has managed to convert four straight championships into five, with Hamilton’s run ended by Verstappen in 2021.

The Mercedes star is coming to the end of his time with the team before he heads to Ferrari in 2025 where he’ll want to stop the Dutchman from achieving what he couldn’t.

Hamilton paid tribute to Verstappen after winning his latest title and understands better than anyone on the grid what it will feel like to achieve what he has done this year.

David Coulthard was speaking on the Drive to Wynn Podcast and now believes the 27-year-old is facing the same issue Hamilton did earlier in his career.

He’s already an all-time great, but Verstappen may now need to take inspiration from Hamilton to protect his F1 legacy.

David Coulthard has spotted Max Verstappen dealing with a similar issue to Lewis Hamilton

Talking about Verstappen’s legacy and his reputation within the sport, Coulthard said: “So, he has cemented his place as definitely top 10 greatest ever drivers in Formula One, arguably top five, you it gets into the matter of opinion rather a matter of fact.

“But I don’t think that anyone who… and Lewis went through this a little bit as well.

“There were those who just didn’t like Lewis and it took several world championships before they would kind of reluctantly go, well, yeah, he’s OK.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

“And I think Max is kind of like that as well for different reasons. But whether you like him or not, you cannot deny his brilliance.

“And at the end of the day, he’s just a nice guy away from the racetrack. I’m not saying he’s not a nice guy at the racetrack because I’ve never had to race him.

“I think I would be struggling to see his rear wing quite frankly!

“But, you know, he is a bit divisive at the racetrack, but it’s because he just, he’s really, really good.”

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have very different approaches to life outside F1

Whenever a driver goes on a run of winning several world championships on the bounce, they receive a mixed response from fans of the sport.

Hamilton’s run with Mercedes has to be admired, but fans would argue that the sport needed to be more competitive to keep it interesting.

It’s why Hamilton and Verstappen’s clash in 2021 and Verstappen’s battle to remain in the lead of the championship this year have been so fascinating.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Hamilton and Verstappen both have keen interests outside of F1, although in very different spheres.

Verstappen could be seen racing in Le Mans and other series in the future, while he also runs his sim racing team.

His British counterpart is more interested in the arts and these other activities have enhanced Hamilton’s brand beyond F1.

Verstappen’s domination of Formula 1 won’t last forever and when that happens, it tends to change how fans view these drivers, however, he’ll be in no rush for this run to end.