All You Need To Know About the Best F1 Drivers

The Dutchman is also just 27 and in the prime of his career. Even if Red Bull is not as prolific as before, we should expect Verstappen to continue to contend. The F1 odds still peg him as one of the top three drivers in 2025, even if his team has become a runner-up to McLaren and Ferrari.

Verstappen will try to pull off one of the most difficult feats by winning a fifth straight F1 title. Only Michael Schumacher has done this. We can look to the F1 betting lines for Verstappen to do this and be rewarded handsomely. Should he overcome the odds, Verstappen will make the ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of all Time) talk more heated.

But potentially preventing Verstappen is the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. He joined Ferrari in a blockbuster move that has not just shaken F1 predictions but altered motorsports betting. Along with Leclerc, Ferrari has short odds to capture its first F1 constructors’ title in nearly two decades.

Who Is the Greatest F1 Driver of All Time?

Hamilton’s seven F1 titles tie him with Schumacher for the most among drivers. Fans argue which of the two is greater, sort of like the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate in the NBA. Schumacher won seven titles, with five straight coming with Ferrari and two from Benetton. While Hamilton holds more records, Schumacher’s five straight wins put him in rarified air.

Verstappen has the chance to join the two in the conversation, especially if he wins a fifth straight title against F1 betting odds. But even if he doesn’t, he’ll always be considered among the greats, just like former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel.

The German put Red Bull on the map by winning four straight titles. He became just one of six drivers to win four or more championships.

We can also go back further when discussing all-time greats. Even before Schumacher was born, the likes of Jim Clark and Juan Manuel Fangio were setting records. Decades later, legends like Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart became F1’s leading men.

And finally, we can’t forget about Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The two former teammates combined to win five titles and thrilled motorsports fans for a decade with their rivalry. It was akin to the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird rivalry in the NBA.

F1 fans can continue to tune in and bet on the sport that’s looking for their next greatest driver. At the time, Verstappen is the best F1 driver. But just as he ended Hamilton’s reign, someone new like Norris or Leclerc could become the next king of the circuits.

Can F1 Drivers Do “Donuts”?

There is no short answer here. It’s both “yes” and “no.” Doing “donuts”, where the driver drives the car repeatedly around in a complete circle to draw a “donut” on the track, is not legally prohibited. F1 drivers will not face stipulations for doing it. However, the drivers’ team may heavily discourage them from doing it.

Ferrari team engineers dissuaded Leclerc from doing “burnouts”. This is when the driver rapidly accelerates the car so the tires heat up and generate smoke, usually in a stationary position. Donuts do something similar. Teams don’t want unnecessary expenses, they’d rather minimize events that could potentially damage their million-dollar investments.

There is one exception, however. Teams may let their drivers do donuts or burnouts following a title-clinching race. Verstappen pulled a few off for Red Bull, as did Hamilton for Mercedes last season, after he won his final race as a member of the team at the Belgian Grand Prix.