What Max Verstappen did during the British Grand Prix last weekend can be bittersweet for Formula 1 fans. On the one hand, we are witnessing greatness here. On the flip side, however, many don’t particularly approve of the baton of F1 being handed over to just a single driver week in and week out, let alone a polarizing character such as Verstappen. But with everything that’s said and done, can anyone really doubt the Red Bull maestro anymore?

Love him or hate him, he’s just at another level currently. And that’s exactly the point 13x Grand Prix winner David Coulthard seems to make whilst putting the people who hate the Dutch driver’s dominance in check by giving us a history lesson.

Max Verstappen is now etched alongside Senna and Schumacher

Formula 1 has had a handful of drivers that have embossed their own legacies on this sport. Drivers like 7x champion Lewis Hamilton pop up in recent memory. However, Verstappen is now being classified among the greatest of the great with some pretty compelling reasoning.

On the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Coulthard and veteran journalist Tom Clarkson were discussing Verstappen’s dominant performance. Coulthard began by saying, “He’s flawless at the moment. Very few mistakes. Okay, you can argue he didn’t get off the line as well as maybe he should, but that may well just be a consequence of the way the car is set up to be so strong at high-speed aerodynamically that mechanically they’re just compromised.” 

“I think we’re witnessing the sort of moments that we saw during [Ayrton] Senna‘s time or [Michael] Schumacher‘s time or Lewis’ dominance, [Sebastian] Vettel‘s dominance. Just pick your favorite driver.” This prompted Clarkson to enquire whether Verstappen deserved that accolade to be named alongside these legends.

Coulthard bluntly replied, “Yeah. There’s no question in my mind. Anyone who doesn’t recognize his brilliance is only because they are not a particular fan of how he maybe talks out of the car or the fact that they support another team.”

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While Coulthard thinks Verstappen to be flawless, Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko delivered a dose of brutal reality upon the 2x champion.

Helmut Marko blames an insensitive Verstappen for British GP gaffe

Verstappen drove a commanding race last Sunday. And arguably he didn’t put a foot wrong the entire race. However, the start was the only blot when the 2x champion experienced intense wheelspin as Lando Norris cruised past him and into the lead at the start.

After the race, Verstappen hinted at something going wrong at the end of the team or maybe the electronics for his poor start. But the 80-year-old Marko was quick to put the Dutch lion back into his place. When quizzed about the start, Marko retorted, “He let go of the clutch too intensively,” as quoted by Sky Germany.

Can Max Verstappen do the impossible and win all of the remaining races on the calendar?

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