Is Max Verstappen the Best Driver in F1? Former Champion Weighs In – “If You Look at Lewis…”

The last lap showdown in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is still fresh in everyone’s mind. A deep lunge down the inside to get past the seven-time world champion and then picking up the championship trophy is no easy task. Max Verstappen did exactly that, by beating Lewis Hamilton on all fronts to pick up his maiden F1 trophy.

2009 F1 Champion Jenson Button recently opened up on the Dutchman. The Briton believes Max can become one of the greatest to set foot in the sport one day. Jenson is also of the opinion that Verstappen must work hard in the coming years if he wants to catch the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

Talking about Max, Button conveyed, ”Is he the best? I don’t know if he’s the best driver who ever lived or the best in Formula 1 now. If you look at Lewis, you think he’s a much more complete racing driver with a lot more experience. Maybe that’s the reason. Verstappen has to work hard. Even if you think you’re the best, there’s still more you can do to get better. That’s what Michael Schumacher was so good at.”

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Max Verstappen is a generational talent. His parents are so well connected with the racing world that Verstappen had this racing instinct from the day he was born. When you’ve supportive parents and on top of that, they’re an expert in the field, things become quite helpful.

Emphasizing Max’s parents’ role in making the Dutchman what he’s today, Jenson further stated, “If you look at Max’s parents, his father raced in Formula 1. I raced against his father and my first points finish was in Brazil in my second race. To get to that point, I had to catch up with his father.”

“He was an amazing talent. And his mom, Sophie, I was teammates with her in karting. She was a professional and one of the best in the world, so it’s definitely in the blood,” Button added.

How has Max Verstappen fared this season?

The start of the season in Bahrain was a disaster for the defending F1 champion. Disaster would be an understatement in this case. From qualifying in P2 to running almost the whole race in P2, Max ultimately had to retire. The 24-year-old had technical issues with his RB-18 that forced him to retire after lap 54, with only three laps left for the finish.

However, the former Toro Rosso driver came back valiantly in Saudi Arabia. Even though Max started from P4, he fought back Charles Leclerc for the win. A brilliant tussle between the two saw Verstappen emerging as the ultimate winner at Jeddah Corniche Circuit. If Max didn’t have to retire, he would’ve been leading the world championship alongside Leclerc.

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The Red Bull driver currently sits in P3 behind the Ferrari duo in driver’s standings. It’ll be interesting to see if he can improve further when F1 hosts the third race of the season in Australia.