Michael Schumacher, a seven-time world champion. Max Verstappen, a three-time world champion. The king of Formula 1 in the early 2000s and the king of present-day Formula 1. Superficially, it may seem like Schumacher and Verstappen have only their success in F1 and their reign over the sport in common. But their bond runs much deeper. The common link—Jos Verstappen. When Michael and Jos were racing in F1, they became really good friends, so much so that they’d spend family vacations together. When Max opened up about his relationship with Michael, he said, “I was three or four years old then. All I knew was that it was Uncle Michael.”

Schumacher has almost been a constant in Verstappen’s life, not as someone whose records he strives to beat but as someone he looks up to. But if push comes to shove, could he be the one to keep Schumacher’s legacy alive, especially considering he’d have to beat his 2021 rival, Lewis Hamilton?

Max Verstappen is “on his way” to beat Lewis Hamilton

Greatness isn’t always measured by numbers. As much as F1 is about numbers, there’s a lot more that defines the greatness of a driver. But in terms of pure statistics, the greatest of all-time debate has been between Schumacher and Hamilton. Although the Brit surpassed Schumacher’s 91 career wins long ago, they’re equal on championships. In 2005, Schumacher won his seventh and final championship. In 2020, Hamilton won his seventh title, but he’s still on the quest for that record-breaking eighth. Who’s stood in his way since then? Verstappen.

Former F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR driver Mario Andretti feels Verstappen could continue standing in Hamilton’s way for a long time to come. In an interview with TJ Sports USA, Andretti talked about Verstappen’s sublime form in the past couple of seasons and the numerous records he’s broken along the way. He said, “The way I look at it, records are made to be broken. I never thought that Schumacher would have any rivals. Not in my lifetime. I think Lewis Hamilton disproved that by tying that record, and Max is on his way. No question.”

“If there’s anyone that you could consider to be a record-breaker, it’s going to be Max Verstappen. At 26, he’s only beginning,” concluded Andretti. He certainly believes Max has it in him to carry on his “Uncle’s” legacy. The Dutchman turned 26 a little over a week ago, and he already has 48 wins under his belt. Not to mention that he won his third championship on Saturday at the Qatar GP. Since he joined F1, he became the one to beat. And since 2021, he’s become the benchmark.

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There’s no doubt if Verstappen keeps up his current form, he’ll go on to become the most decorated driver to have raced in F1. If he wants to, he’ll stay and defend Schumacher’s legacy. But that’s the question, isn’t it? Will Verstappen stay in F1 long enough to topple every record there is?

Verstappen looks more intent on an early retirement than an 8th championship

Max Verstappen has dominated the sport for the past couple of seasons. What else has he done over the past two seasons? Threatened to quit because of the ever-changing environment of F1. Since Liberty Media took over F1, the sport as a business has become more focused on commercial gains. This led to Sprint weekends and the growing number of races every season. The Dutchman has been quite opposed to both concepts, suggesting that he’d not like to stay in F1 past his contract expiration in 2028.

To surpass Hamilton and Schumacher’s record, he’d have to win every championship from now to then. Considering he’s Verstappen, that’s possible. But things change really quickly in F1. Apart from that, he’s also expressed how there are other things in life he looks forward to. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Verstappen said, “I know I’m very lucky to drive a Formula 1 car. I can do what I want, but at some point, it doesn’t matter. I already have a lot of plans for what I want to do. It’s also about quality of life. There are other things in life besides Formula 1. I have a contract until 2028, and after that, I’ll see.”

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Do you think Max Verstappen will stay in F1 long enough to carry on Michael Schumacher’s legacy?