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Max Verstappen’s Stunning Le Mans Team Snub Leaves Lewis Hamilton Fans Furious As Volumes Was Spoken…
Max Verstappen has named his dream four-man team for the iconic Le Mans race and has excluded some huge F1 names and made some surprise choices.
The 24-hour race that takes place every year in France is part of the iconic Triple Crown of Motorsport, which also includes the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, with victory in these three races immortalising any driver who manages to achieve it.
To be able to complete Le Mans, a team require four drivers working in shifts to complete the race, changing the driver during pit stops. Speaking recently on F1 E-sports Youtuber Jarno Opmeer’s channel, the three-time world champion made his selections for this four-man line-up of drivers.
Max Verstappen’s Dream Team for the Le Mans 24 Hour Race Doesn’t Include Any of his Current Rivals
There is a spot for his father, Jos Verstappen
His first selection was perhaps the most surprising, opting to draft Nyck De Vries, a former Formula E world champion. De Vries had a brief stint in F1, but was dropped by his team mid-season in 2023 because of a string of poor performances.
Despite this, Verstappen is backing De Vries all the way, insisting: “He’s fast and he’s very light which, when you’re going around Le Mans is great.” His next selection was the two-time F1 world champion and two-time Le Mans champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard’s experience in the event makes him a natural pick.
Graham Hill is the only driver to have ever won the Triple Crown, but Alonso is as close as any modern driver has come to the Triple Crown, winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le-Mans 24hr and taking part in the Indianapolis 500 where he was unfortunately unable to take victory.
Max had this to say about Alonso: “I keep joking with Fernando because we want to do it together so that would be quite cool.”
Max Verstappen on the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix
With his final choice, the Dutchman decided to keep it in the family, selecting his father, Jos Verstappen, who competed in F1 from 1994-2003 and managed two podiums in 107 races.
“I keep telling my dad we have to do it, but he doesn’t want to, but I would still add him as a fourth [driver],” he insisted.
Though these choices are well-reasoned, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is still noticeable by his absence, with the Brit being statistically one of the best F1 drivers of all time.
Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen – Career stats after 200 F1 races
Category
Hamilton
Verstappen
Age at time of 200th race
32
26
Drivers’ Championships
3
3
Pole positions
67
40
Podium finishes
110
108
Race wins
57
61
Total points won
3337.5
2881.5
Fastest laps
47
32
This exclusion could be down to a lack of experience, as Hamilton has never raced at Le Mans and has never expressed an interest in doing so. However, the snub could easily be due to the remnants of bad blood from their battles over the world championship, which would explain why Verstappen thinks that they would not work well as a team.
This could also be the reason why names such as Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, who have been two of the most impressive drivers on the grid this season, were not mentioned. The pair – alongside Hamilton – have each been engaged in an on-track rivalry with Verstappen at different times over the past couple of seasons.
