What is Lewis Hamilton's height after Shaq overshadows him on US GP podium?

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Shaquille O’Neal was present on the US Grand Prix podium, towering over both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – but what are Hamilton and Verstappen’s heights compared to Shaq?

Shaq present at US GP

As F1 returned to the United States, NBA legend Shaq was just one of a host of stars to be present.

The likes of Ben Stiller, Megan Thee Stallion and Renee Zellweger were all present in Austin.

They were just some of the estimated 400,000 people who came through the gates over the three-day event.

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F1 is currently experiencing a surge in popularity in the United States, thanks to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

Shaq, under his alias DJ Diesel closed the show on Sunday evening with a concert at the Circuit of the Americas track.

Before that, he played a key role in the podium ceremony, and it was his appearance on it that got people talking.

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Shaq on F1 podium as Hamilton height difference revealed

The three podium finishers – Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez were greeted by Shaq.

He delivered the winners’ trophy, and took a spot between second-place Hamilton and winner Verstappen.

Despite the two racing drivers standing on podium steps, Shaq towered above Hamilton and was almost as tall as Verstappen on his step.

It led some to wonder what Hamilton and Verstappen’s heights were compared to the basketball icon.

Lewis Hamilton height revealed

Ex- LA Lakers star Shaq’s height is well-documented at 2.16m – that’s 7ft 1in.

Hamilton stands at 1.74m tall. That’s 5ft 7in.

Verstappen is slightly taller than his F1 title rival, clocking in at 1.81m – or 5ft 9in.

Perez, who finished third for Red Bull is 1.73m, similar in height to Hamilton’s 5ft 7in.

That makes Shaq at least 1ft taller than all three podium finishers.

And with size 23 feet, that’s a big foot…

His appearance even spawned a meme, as seen below.

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What about other drivers?

The tallest driver on the grid is Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

The Frenchman is 1.86m – or 6ft 1in.

AlphaTauri’s Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda is the shortest at just 1.59m – 5ft 2in.

Verstappen’s victory in Austin was his ninth of the season.

He now leads Hamilton by 12 points with five grands prix left in the 2021 season.

Jake Nichol

Jake can usually be found writing about or watching anything to do with motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British Truck Racing. His work as a motorsport journalist has been published by the likes of Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News – all highly respected names. Away from racing he is a keen amateur astronomer, podcast listener and enjoys long walks in the park with his three dogs.