Verstappen vs Hamilton 2023: if they had had the same car
Verstappen was absolutely superior in 2023. On equal cars, would he still be superior against Hamilton?
The simulation's verdict
Max Verstappen would have won the 2023 title in 99% of the 200 simulations.
Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton
Who finished ahead
Based on 200 simulations of the 2023 season. Numbers can vary each time you play.
Historical context
Max Verstappen in 2023 was possibly the most dominant driver in F1 history. He won 19 of 22 races. Hamilton that year had an inconsistent Mercedes. The question many ask: on equal machinery, how much separates the two most successful drivers of the modern era?
The real 2023 season
The 2023 season is, in absolute numbers, the most dominant in Formula 1 history. The Red Bull RB19, another masterpiece of the Newey era, proved virtually unbeatable in any conditions and at any circuit. Max Verstappen took it to a superhuman level: he won nineteen of the twenty-two races of the year and strung together ten consecutive victories, an all-time record no one had achieved in more than seven decades of the championship. The title fight ceased to exist very early. The only crack in the red armour was opened by Carlos Sainz, who with Ferrari took the year's only non-Red Bull win in Singapore, the single weekend where Red Bull couldn't find its rhythm. It was Verstappen's third consecutive world title, and the definitive seal on an era of dominance.
Real champion: Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB19. Verstappen achieves 10 consecutive wins — the absolute F1 record. See the full 2023 season →
The drivers
Max Verstappen is the driver who defines Formula 1's current era. Son of former driver Jos Verstappen, he debuted in 2015 aged just 17, becoming the youngest ever to start a Grand Prix and to score points. Full profile →
Lewis Hamilton is the most decorated driver in history in wins and poles, and equals Schumacher with seven world titles. Raised in Stevenage and backed by McLaren from childhood, he burst onto the scene in 2007 with such force that he came within a single point of the championship in his rookie year. He made amends in 2008, clinching his first title on the final corner of the last race in Brazil, snatching it from Felipe Massa metres from the line. Full profile →
How it's simulated
The engine recreates qualifying (Q1, Q2, Q3) and every Grand Prix with the ~20 real drivers of 2023, weighing each car's performance, driver skill, weather, safety cars and tyre wear. Learn how the simulator works →
Season
2023
Mode
Free duel
Tags
Choose driver, car and season. The engine simulates the full championship with real drivers.