Max Verstappen vs Michael Schumacher: Comparing their stats after 229 starts

Max Verstappen has earned his place as one of the greats of the sport, a list which is often headed by Michael Schumacher in the history books alongside other legends. Though the Dutchman is an active driver on the F1 grid and Schumacher made his second retirement over a decade ago, their stats can still be compared (somewhat).

Verstappen has made 229 starts in the F1 realm with more on the horizon. So, while the German driver made 306 race starts (of 308 Grand Prix weekends), the possibility of arriving at a level playing field for a comparison is quite difficult.

But, this issue can also be resolved by mapping out their statistics in the first 229 race starts that the pair has made in the premier open wheel racing series.

Michael Schumacher vs Max Verstappen

Michael Schumacher made his debut in F1 in 1991. He was 22 back then, an age that was regarded as quite young in the paddock by the early standards.

On the other hand, Max Verstappen set a different milestone in F1 as he made his debut in 2015 at the tender age of 17. Since then, he has had a remarkable climb to the top of the championship ladder and has been a force to be reckoned with on the grid.

Championships - (7 vs 4)

Schumacher won seven world drivers' titles in his first 229 race starts. He won his maiden world championship in 1994 with Benetton and repeated this feat in 1995.

He then moved to Ferrari and helped the championship glory return to Maranello in 2000 and won five consecutive world titles, with his last drivers' crown coming in 2004.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has won four world titles in the same time frame. His first championship victory came in a dramatic season finale in 2021, and he has since not looked back, winning the following three world titles and being in the mix for a fifth drivers' title this year.

Wins - (84 vs 68)

Schumacher also has the upper hand in this realm as he has won 84 races in his first 229 race starts. All the while, the Red Bull driver has only been able to muster 68 Grand Prix victories in the same time frame.

Poles - (65 vs 47)

Again, Michael Schumacher has the edge here. The German driver had amassed 65 pole positions in contrast to Verstappen's 47 pole positions.

Podiums - (142 vs 123)

Schumacher had joined the rostrum 142 times while Verstappen managed to get on the podium 123 times, with his most recent one coming at the Mexican GP.

Fastest Laps - (69 vs 35)

Michael Schumacher holds the title for the most fastest laps in an F1 career at 77. With the last 77 race results removed, he would still retain the title with 69 such flyers.

On the other hand, Max Verstappen has almost half of the seven-time champion's tally, at 35 fastest laps in his time in F1.

Career Points - (1248 vs 3344.5)

However, things change in the points realm. Michael Schumacher has only scored 1,248 points in comparison to Max Verstappen's 3344.5 points, asserting the four-time champion's advantage in this metric.

But this gap is seemingly a mirage, as the German's tally is thwarted by the old points system. He only accumulated 10 points for a win in comparison to the 25 points that Verstappen scores currently, which makes the disparity seem larger than it is.