Max Verstappen has now began 199 world championship grands prix – the identical quantity as Alain Prost – gained three Components 1 titles and brought 61 victories. He’s third on the wins record and appears properly on his approach to a fourth world crown, so the place does he sit within the pantheon of all-time greats?
Verstappen’s victory strike fee is presently 31%, behind simply Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari and Jim Clark, and similar to Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Jackie Stewart. Prost and Ayrton Senna, whose careers overlapped significantly, each had strike charges of simply over 25%. Verstappen is thus very a lot worthy of comparability with F1’s finest.
Statistics alone are notoriously fraught with pitfalls. Simply the enhancing reliability of the automobiles and variety of races per season skew issues to such a level that the info can solely be a tough information.
Evaluating throughout eras is hard, given how a lot motorsport has modified, so an affordable place to start out is the era-defining drivers, these regarded by many – together with their friends – as one of the best of their time. In world championship phrases, that provides us Fangio, Stirling Moss, Clark, Stewart, Niki Lauda, Prost, Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton. Then there are those that maybe briefly held that mantle or might be regarded on an identical stage, mainly Ascari, Gilles Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell and Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen is properly on his approach to being the Tenth title on the primary record. It’s not but assured – the identical may have been mentioned of Sebastian Vettel in 2013 when he was on his approach to a fourth consecutive title – however the Dutchman’s document already places him within the debate, and most would regard him as the present benchmark.
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Verstappen’s qualifying tempo has by no means been unsure and nor has his wet-weather prowess – he already has extra rain-affected GP wins than all however Schuey, Hamilton and Senna. He additionally proved he was able to maximising a automotive that isn’t one of the best, brilliantly difficult for wins in 2019-20.
Verstappen has additionally dominated his team-mates since Daniel Ricciardo left Pink Bull on the finish of 2018. Ricciardo beat him in 2017 and had the momentum earlier the next season. He won’t admit it publicly however, after errors in China and Monaco price him attainable victories that Ricciardo hoovered up, Verstappen upped his sport. Errors turned fewer and there’s little doubt he had the sting over the Australian by the tip of 2018.
Verstappen hauled his Pink Bull to wins towards stronger opposition all through 2019 and 2020
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Throughout the identical interval, the doubtful strikes underneath braking that had been obvious early in his F1 profession additionally decreased and no different team-mate has obtained close to him since. It’s most likely truthful to say he hasn’t confronted a very stern take a look at in that division – we’ve not seen a Lauda-Prost, Prost-Senna or Alonso-Hamilton contest – however his domination at Pink Bull has been spectacular.
His relentless race tempo and skill to lap rapidly whereas taking care of the tyres, a la Hamilton, has arguably destroyed Sergio Perez (suppose the 2023 Miami and Belgian GPs). And Verstappen’s ridiculous tally of 19 wins from 23 races ticks one other field of the greats: making successful in one of the best automotive look simpler than it truly is.
This season he has additionally proved his means to win races that he most likely shouldn’t have gained given the relative strengths of his equipment, paying homage to Hamilton at instances in 2017-19. Assume Imola, Montreal and Barcelona. Even when Pink Bull is barely off its sport, others have to maximise what they must beat him.
They’re the strengths, so what are the weaknesses? What are the containers, except for taking up and beating an excellent team-mate, he has but to tick that assist us place him towards the opposite greats?
Verstappen has all the time been unapologetically uncompromising, and a few would see that as a energy
Up to now, Verstappen has solely gained races for one workforce/constructor. It’s a minor level however, when evaluating the greats, each little counts. All the Large 9 gained GPs with at the least two groups or constructors, excluding Clark. Verstappen is unquestionably able to successful elsewhere, it’s merely a field he hasn’t but ticked.
Given a few of his radio messages, most clearly at this 12 months’s Hungarian GP, and public outbursts, it’s exhausting to think about him serving to to construct a workforce right into a successful power. He’ll get the job performed in a prime workforce, no query, however it appears unlikely that he may assist create a powerhouse in the way in which that Schumacher did at Ferrari, and even have the form of relationship Clark loved with Lotus boss Colin Chapman or Stewart had with Ken Tyrrell.
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However the obvious Verstappen disadvantage has reared its head as soon as once more throughout the present marketing campaign. Pointless clashes with Lando Norris in Austria and Hamilton in Hungary exhibit that he nonetheless strays over the road of what’s acceptable in wheel-to-wheel fight.
Verstappen’s incapability to yield has price him throughout his F1 profession
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Verstappen has all the time been unapologetically uncompromising, and a few would see that as a energy. It’s most likely truthful to say it has gained him some races he may in any other case have misplaced, although this author would argue that the way in which somebody wins is as vital because the successful itself.
Simply within the tight 2021 season towards Hamilton, there have been doubtful strikes at Imola, Barcelona, Monza (twice), Interlagos and Jeddah. The extremely controversial Silverstone conflict, a uncommon case of Hamilton being adjudged the aggressor, may even have been averted if Verstappen – then comfortably main the championship and with the sooner automotive – had saved a watch on the larger image, however that weekend most likely requires an article of its personal…
Throughout 2022 and 2023, some talked of Verstappen’s new-found maturity as clashes turned few and much between, even in races when he needed to convey his Pink Bull by the sphere after grid penalties. However really, there have been indicators.
His strikes towards Mick Schumacher at Silverstone in 2022 would most likely have led to a crash had Mick’s father been within the Haas and there was the (let’s be beneficiant) ‘optimistic’ transfer on Hamilton at Interlagos later that season. A few of his first-corner strikes on Charles Leclerc, most notably on the 2023 Las Vegas GP, had been additionally borderline, although Verstappen has usually been truthful with the Ferrari star.
Verstappen and his followers may argue that they don’t care in regards to the above and it’s not a weak point. However they may care in regards to the factors which were misplaced as a consequence of incidents.
Simply as Senna each gained and misplaced races as a consequence of his aggressiveness, Verstappen typically loses out. Though his conflict with Norris on the Pink Bull Ring was comparatively small fry, Verstappen’s misjudgement there meant he scored a fifth place as a substitute of a second.
And fully shedding the plot in Hungary meant Verstappen obtained a fifth moderately than a 3rd, and it may have been worse had the RB20 not proved so stable after its aerial journey. It’s exhausting to think about Senna or Schumacher – the 2 most like Verstappen with regards to being exhausting on-track – not seeing the larger image and banking the optimum end result on the day.
Verstappen has rivalled Senna and Schumacher for greats with a tough racing fashion
Photograph by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Verstappen doesn’t have a blot on his copybook as large as Senna’s 1990 Japanese GP takeout of Prost or Schumacher’s transfer on Jacques Villeneuve on the European GP seven years later – he didn’t take Hamilton off at Abu Dhabi in 2021 when he may have performed. However he additionally hasn’t proven he can all the time make the precise calls in a correct title combat and hasn’t put collectively an excellent marketing campaign towards the percentages as Stewart (1973), Prost (1986), Senna (1991) and Alonso (2012) did.
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There’s nonetheless time for Verstappen to do both, which is why no definitive putting could be made simply but. As issues stand, Verstappen is within the combine however has extra gaps than a lot of the established legends, which places him round Tenth-Fifteenth.
That’s an unbelievable place for a 26-year-old and far of how excessive Verstappen climbs within the coming years can be all the way down to him.
With Verstappen trying destined for a fourth F1 world title this 12 months, how excessive can he attain within the championship’s GOAT stakes?
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
