One would reckon Max Verstappen is the greatest driver of the rising new generation, but the reason mostly surrounds the fact that he now owns a world championship title. Of course, it is certainly an astonishing feat, and having achieved it after a year-long battle against the ever-dominant Lewis Hamilton only glorifies it further.

But, here’s something that actually proves why Verstappen is capable of becoming the next Hamilton. Let’s turn back the calendar to the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, the weekend that had promises of Verstappen winning the race quite effortlessly.

The Dutchman did suffer a minor setback on Saturday after losing his pole position to the seven-time world champion. However, even a non-racing fan could sense an exhilarating race that was in the offing. And rightfully so, it indeed turned out to be one of the most unpredictable races of the season.

It was a wet start to the race and as the lights went out, the cars raced away with the sprays spiraling up in the air. Heading into turn 1, Verstappen almost found himself leading the race for a brief moment only for Valtteri Bottas to play spoilsport in his pursuit.

Watch Story: From Lewis Hamilton to the Miz: When F1 & WWE Crossed Over

Max Verstappen continued to show his true racing capabilities

Bottas just couldn’t bring his Mercedes to a halt on time as he hydroplaned into the back of Lando Norris, who in turn, collected Verstappen. Meanwhile, Bottas dragged along the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez as the four spun straight into the run-off area around the exit of turn 1.

Considering the tough impact, it looked certain that all four would retire from the race. But, then arrived the shocker! Verstappen managed to keep himself in the race despite his car enduring near-terminal damage, including absolute wreckage of the right bargeboard and the floor.

The engineers used the subsequent red flag period to patch up the damaged Red Bull with tapes. Unfortunately, it was irreparable but Verstappen continued to race. Starting from last on the grid with an insane level of damage to the car, a top 10 finish looked far from likely.

However, the Dutchman defied the odds to make a set of ecstatic moves including the one on Mick Schumacher. Eventually, he crossed home in P9 after driving for a whopping 69 laps in what looked like a ‘half’ of an actual F1 car. And that’s not it! Verstappen also clocked the fourth fastest lap of the race on lap 43.

So, let’s hear it from you; Would you consider Max Verstappen’s 2021 Hungarian GP show as one of the greatest drives in the sport?

Read More: Can F1 Teams Have 3 Drivers?