The remarkable F1 pattern that predicts Verstappen will join Ferrari

Max Verstappen enshrined his name in F1 history last season, becoming just the sixth driver in the championship's history to win his fourth drivers' title.

In elevating himself to that new plane, not only did he pass the likes of Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda who have three crowns apiece, he joins: Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

Aside from those five names having all won at least four drivers' championships, there is another commonality that unites the cohort.

As highlighted by motorsport journalist Daniel Valente on X (formerly Twitter), Verstappen is now the odd man out, as the rest all raced for Ferrari (or soon will) at some point in their F1 career.

So, the Red Bull driver will break the trend if he does not compete for the Scuderia before he calls time on F1. Or, put another way, his most recent championship success predicts the Dutchman will team up with the Italian squad in the future.

As for the other drivers on the list, Fangio won just one of his five F1 titles with the Maranello outfit, triumphing in the one season they spent together in 1956.

Schumacher, meanwhile, won five of his record seven drivers' crowns with the team (2000-04). He raced for Ferrari between 1996 and 2006.

Prost and Vettel, however, did not find championship success with the Scuderia. The former won his four titles for McLaren and Williams, with his near-two season stint with the Italian squad sandwiched in between in 1990-91. The latter joined from Red Bull already a four-time champion and raced for the team from 2015 to 2020.

Hamilton will officially join the group when he makes his debut for Ferrari at the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March.