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At a glance
What can one wet Grand Prix start reveal about driving style? At Imola in 2021, Max Verstappen launched from third, 16 metres behind Lewis Hamilton’s pole position, and reached Turn 2 alongside him. Formula 1’s telemetry analysis found both drivers chose second gear, but Verstappen had lower revs and slightly less throttle, with an earlier rev dip that the analysis interpreted as traction returning sooner. That is evidence about one start, not a permanent label for either driver.
- Grid positionsHamilton P1 · Verstappen P3Perez started P2
- Grid gap16 mHamilton to Verstappen
- 2nd gearBoth chose it for the damp start
What does the telemetry show?
The two cars started on a damp, greasy track. The official F1 analysis compared engine-revolution and throttle traces during the launch. It describes Verstappen’s initial revs as lower, with slightly less throttle. The rev dip—an indicator in the analysis of the tyres regaining traction—appeared earlier for him. Hamilton’s engine revs rose higher after launch and dipped later; the analysis reads that pattern as wheelspin, followed by a more cautious throttle application while traction returned.
Those descriptions are not a precise claim that Verstappen’s car had a specified amount less wheelspin. The public article presents the trace graph but does not provide downloadable numerical samples for every time point. We therefore keep the comparison directional and identify the signal being interpreted instead of inventing revs, throttle percentages or milliseconds.
| Signal | Verstappen | Hamilton | What the trace can suggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting gear | 2nd | 2nd | Both used a lower gear than first to reduce torque and wheelspin |
| Initial rev pattern | Lower revs; earlier dip | Higher spike; later dip | F1 interprets the dip as tyres regaining traction |
| Throttle after launch | Slightly lower application | More conservative after rev spike | Throttle response reflects grip recovery |
| Position at Turn 2 | Reached the lead | Yielded after running over kerbs | Launch, line and track position combined |
Why did starting gear matter?
On a low-grip surface, an engine can deliver more torque than the rear tyres can use. Wheelspin wastes acceleration and can force a driver to lift or reduce throttle. Starting in second gear can soften the torque at the wheels. The choice is not inherently faster: it is a trade-off between getting off the line and keeping the tyres within the available grip. Both Hamilton and Verstappen made the same gear choice, so the observed difference in this start came from the full launch—clutch release, revs, throttle, traction, and the path through the opening turns—not gear alone.
Was that Verstappen’s “style”?
The start supports a narrow conclusion: in this damp launch, the telemetry pattern described by F1 showed an earlier traction-recovery signal for Verstappen than for Hamilton. It does not establish that Verstappen always uses less throttle or that Hamilton is generally prone to wheelspin. A start is a single short sample, and each driver was in a different car. Grip, clutch calibration, tyre preparation, engine settings and grid position can all affect the trace.
Verstappen passed teammate Sergio Pérez and went side by side with Hamilton before taking the racing line into Turn 2. Hamilton ran over the kerbs and gave up the lead. The 16-metre gap and the movement from third on the grid to the front explain the stakes of the launch, but they do not isolate the telemetry as the sole cause of the outcome.
For a season-level performance comparison, see our Red Bull 2023 analysis. Read the Verstappen, Hamilton, Red Bull and Mercedes topic pages, browse Driving Styles, or visit the Drivers hub.
Sources and method
Telemetry interpretation and the 16 m grid gap come from Formula 1’s 2021 Imola start analysis, which labels the engine-rev and throttle traces and explains the rev dip. Official starting-grid and race results verify the positions. The table restates the published qualitative comparison; it does not reconstruct unavailable telemetry samples. Results from this single damp start should not be generalized into stable driver traits.