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As the years pass, Formula 1 drivers come and go. There are only a handful that are remembered for long after they retire from the sport. One of them is Lewis Hamilton, who has made a mark at the pinnacle of motorsport. Though that can never be erased, it can be overshadowed. And that is what his arch-rival Max Verstappen is up to. Such is his current brilliance that a former F1 driver has warned Hamilton to open his eyes wide to reality.

Currently, Verstappen is the man of the moment in F1. In fact, he has been the man of nearly all moments in the 2 years. The hot-headed rookie that had joined Toro Rosso in 2015 has gone on to dethrone a 7-time champion, win the WDC twice, and is on the verge of winning his third. 1991 Le Mans 24 winner, Johnny Herbert, has declared the Dutchman as the next big thing because of his growth over the years.

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Herbert told King Casino Bonus, as quoted by FormulaPassion, “Max is a talent that happens once in a generation. There is always an individual who arrives and who is better than the previous one, despite the progress technological. Max will do better than Lewis, just as Hamilton did better than Michael Schumacher and the latter with Senna. Everything just evolves.”

Herbert elaborated on Verstappen’s growth and maturity as a racing driver, saying, “Max has grown a lot as a driver. He doesn’t fly off into the distance. He notices the situation and does what he has to do. This is the change from the old Max. For this reason, I still don’t see anyone who can reach the same level as Red Bull. A bad day for Max was second place. Now a bad day for him is the first!”

Read More: After $1,300,000,000 Extravaganza, F1’s American Love Affair Makes Max Verstappen’s Olympic Gold a Possibility

The crown has been passed from Ayrton Senna to Michael Schumacher to Hamilton to Verstappen. Like every other champion that dominated the sport before ‘Super Max’, now it is his chance to be a role model to the future stars. And that has already begun.

Max Verstappen becomes the idol for Red Bull junior driver, Enzo Fittipaldi

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Enzo Fittipaldi, the grandson of 2-time world champion, Emerson Fittipaldi, is a Red Bull junior driver. He is currently racing for Carlin in Formula 2 and won his first-ever race at the Belgian GP. After getting an emotional P1 in the sprint race at Spa, he revealed how Verstappen’s heroics inspired him to display some of his own.

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“Max is winning every single race – he’s just so fast,” Fittipaldi told Sky Sports. “And for young drivers coming up the ladders – personally, I look up to Max – he’s one of the best, if not the best of all time.”

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Watch This Story: From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen: How F1 Drivers train

The ‘Talent of the century’, as Niki Lauda once called him, Max Verstappen, has etched his name in the hall of fame. From the current grid, he looks like the only driver capable enough of breaking Schumacher and Hamilton’s 7-WDC record.