Former World Champion Compares Max Verstappen to the Legendary Ayrton Senna
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen may only be 22-years of age, but he has already competed in 108 Formula 1 races. Having made his debut as a 17-year-old, the talent that the Dutchman possesses is undeniable.
You can love him or hate him; he seems set to dominate the sport once Lewis Hamilton hangs his helmet up for good. Having regularly outshone his teammates (apart from Daniel Ricciardo), former world champion Jenson Button has compared Verstappen’s domination at Red Bull to one of, if not the greatest driver that this sport has seen.
Button said, “You compare him to his team-mates the last two years, he has just annihilated them. I haven’t seen that in motorsport for a very long time, probably back to the Ayrton Senna days.
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“I don’t think there has been a driver that’s annihilated their teammate like he has in a very long time.”
Ever since his F1 debut in 2015, Max has only ever finished behind Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship table. Outside of the Australian, he has bulldozed his teammates pretty easily.
In 2020, Verstappen has out-qualified Alex Albon in all 6 races thus far, sitting 55 points clear of the Anglo-Thai driver.
Senna, as we all know, is a legendary driver whose record (41 wins and three championships) speaks for itself. Comparing Verstappen to the Brazilian powerhouse is perhaps a bit of a long shot.
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But in terms of outdoing their teammates, you can see what Jenson means. In his distinguished career that spanned a decade, only once was Senna ever beaten by his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship rankings. That was by Alain Prost in 1989.
Jenson Button is concerned that the lack of competition from a teammate could adversely affect Max Verstappen
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While Verstappen’s trouncing of his teammates has been impressive to see, Button worries for Verstappen. Voicing his concern, Button said, “It’s tough for Max because he doesn’t have a competitive teammate. He’s out on his own. He’s probably not been able to progress as much because his teammate isn’t where he is at, in terms of pace.”
However, from what we’ve seen of Max, he isn’t one to let the pressure drop. Even without a teammate pushing him, he has got the best out of the car and has managed to put himself between the two Mercedes, which really is the best you could ask for.
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