Motorsports fans across the globe have mostly been chanting only two names as the best in the world since 2021. While Max Verstappen rules the seas across Europe, American fans believe Kyle Larson to be the best. With the question of ‘Who amongst them is truly the best?’ often arising, Larson claims he is a step ahead of the Dutchman.
Last Saturday, the 32-year-old raced to his third Knoxville Nationals Title, in an already impressive season where he ran the Indy 500 and leads the Cup Series regular season standings. Like Verstappen, the HMS driver won his first Championship in 2021 on the back of one of the most dominant seasons in NASCAR history.
Speaking to FloRacing after the race, Larson addressed the long-standing debate of F1 vs NASCAR. He claimed he was the better all-around driver than the reigning F1 world champion.
“I know, in my mind, I am better than him as an all-around driver,” said the American driver. He added that there was “no way” the 26-year-old could get into a sprint car and win races such as the Knoxville Nationals, or in a Cup car and win at tracks like Bristol.
#NASCAR driver Kyle Larson says he’s better then #F1 World Champion Max Verstappen (via @FloRacing) pic.twitter.com/Zj2mNoPyu7
— Braking Balls (@brakingballspod) August 14, 2024
Furthermore, the NASCAR driver added that it was the same case for him if he were to jump in an F1 car. There was no way Larson would be able to win the Monaco GP. However, he added that he perhaps had a better shot at winning an F1 GP than Verstappen had at excelling in F1, “just because of the car element.”
Larson is considered one of the greatest drivers of all time in NASCAR. He is among five drivers to win three Nationals and a King’s Royal (2021). He is also one of only four drivers to have won three titles in four years. The American is also among the only seven drivers to have won three or more Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway.
Larson’s peers also hold him in high regard, often calling him the greatest of all time. P2 finisher at the Knoxville Nationals, Giovanni Scelzi, deemed his on-track rival “so good in every discipline” that “he’s probably the greatest driver ever to live.”
Meanwhile, P3 finisher Corey Day said he doesn’t think “there’s anyone on the planet better than Kyle Larson in a race car”. Amid all the commotion, Verstappen is yet to react to the latest comparisons.
