Max Verstappen was mightily impressive in the 2023 season as he rose above all forms of pressure and obliterated the rest of the field. His faultless driving now makes former Formula One driver, Gerhard Berger, think of one of his iconic teammates, the legendary Ayrton Senna. Berger has always claimed Senna as the best Formula 1 driver ever. However, he recently explained why he thinks Verstappen is perhaps even superior to the legendary Brazilian driver.
While talking to an Austrian Newspaper, Berger said, ” I’ve said before that Senna is the best driver ever, but I think Verstappen is even better. He has skills that I have never seen before. Max is not only an extremely strong driver, but he is also very mature and a stable young man.”
Berger then went on to praise the strength of the entire Red Bull team that made Verstappen’s domination possible in recent times. Other than the Dutchman, Berger praised Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, and Adrian Newey.
In essence, given their exceptional combination, Berger stated that any team facing Red Bull will find it difficult to overcome them. Last year, Verstappen won a record 19 out of 22 races and he led the team to a record 21 victories.
How close is Max Verstappen to Ayrton Senna in terms of skill?
Since 2022, Max Verstappen has dominated F1. While he won 15 of the 22 races that year, in 2023, he ended up winning 19. Throughout the 2023 season, Verstappen succeeded in maintaining a sizable lead over his competitors. However, it was impressive to observe how he raced in the Canadian Grand Prix in particular.
During the race in Canada, Verstappen led every lap and went on to win his 41st race, matching Ayrton Senna’s record for career victories. The Dutchman achieved this feat after competing in just 171 races.
While reflecting on this achievement, Verstappen said, “I could never have imagined winning 41 Grands Prix. Of course, to tie with Ayrton is something incredible. I’m proud of that. But I hope it’s not stopping here.”
However, there are several notable differences between Verstappen’s 41st victory and that of the legends of the past. According to the statistics, while Max Verstappen won his 41st Grand Prix in 171 races, Michael Schumacher earned this feat in just 141 races. Nonetheless, taking age into consideration, Verstappen undoubtedly attained this feat much earlier.
While Senna won his 41st race at the age of 33 and Schumacher won it at the age of 31, Verstappen clinched his 41st race win at the age of 25. Despite these statistics, Michael Schumacher’s brother, Ralf Schumacher, feels that the three cannot be compared because each of them were/are exceptional in their own era.
