“It’s been awesome to watch!”: McLaren boss compares Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen showdown to the rivalry between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna

Zak Brown thinks that the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen has been the most ‘venomous’ in F1 since Senna vs Prost. 

Hamilton and Verstappen go into the season’s final race with 369.5 points a piece. It is the first time since 1974 that two title rivals enter the final round, level on points.

The two drivers have been battling for the biggest prize in motorsport since the first race in Bahrain back in March. The conclusion to this epic season of F1 is just around the corner.

The Red Bull driver has had numerous clashes on track with his Mercedes counterpart in 2021. They suffered significant crashes in Silverstone and Monza and also went through a series of ‘near misses’ in other races.

Max is tied with Lewis on points but has won more races (9) than the latter (8). This means that if both drivers crashed out of the race on Sunday, the Dutchman would be crowned Champion.

This has led to many people questioning Verstappen’s approach to the race.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown shared his thoughts on the Hamilton vs Verstappen rivalry.

Also read: Toto Wolff says the pressure of the current championship battle is nothing compared to the battle in 2016

Zak Brown on why the Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton rivalry is one for the ages

Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna have won 4 and 3 World Titles, respectively. The two legendary drivers were fierce rivals on the track. In fact, at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, Senna drove into the inside of Prost’s car, costing the latter the Championship.

Brown used this rivalry as an example when speaking about Verstappen and Hamilton. “I don’t remember venom between two drivers and teams like this since Senna and Prost.” said Zak Brown.

“Even though there have been championships with venom, you look back to the Lewis against Felipe Massa or Fernando Alonso against Sebastian Vettel. “Those all came down to finales. Still, it didn’t have the anticipation and intensity that this championship has had throughout the entire year.”

“And it has had swings. You assumed that Mercedes was going to win and then Max was pretty dominant for a while and then Lewis was on a roll. So that has been edge-of-your-seat stuff.” he added.

He also commented on the relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. Brown feels that the rivalry between the drivers has further spoiled the relationship between the two team bosses.

“They definitely have a true dislike for each other.” said the McLaren chief. “Although I think you do see them playing to the cameras a bit from time to time.”