"Hand on heart, I think Max Verstappen would edge it": When Eddie Jordan picked the Dutch driver over Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna

Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan had previously claimed that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen would "edge" Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna if the three were racing in the same car. The Dutch driver has thrust himself into the conversation of the greatest F1 drivers of all time in recent years, owing to his success on the track.

The 27-year-old has rewritten many records in the last three years and won four consecutive drivers' championships with the Austrian team. There were many expectations on Verstappen when he first entered the sport, and he enthralled the viewers with his pace and performances early on.

However, he has taken it a step further in the last couple of years, delivering some eye-catching performances in arguably one of the toughest lineups in F1 history. On the Formula for Success podcast last year, Jordan picked Max Verstappen over Michael Schumacher and Aryton Senna, saying:

"I was lucky enough in 1982, finding a guy called Da Silva - gave him his first drive in Silverstone in a Formula 3 car... in fact... we went to Macau in '83, and this guy Da Silva won the race, and he changed his name to Senna. So yes, I've had Senna in the car. Yes, I've had Michael Schumacher in a car.

"I honestly believe hand-on-heart, that if you could get [Ayrton] Senna, [Michael] Schumacher and Max [Verstappen] in the same cars, in the same race, in a given moment, I think Max would edge it."

Ahead of the 2025 season, Verstappen was bidding to tie Schumacher's record of winning five consecutive drivers' championships, but the feat looks highly unlikely at the midway point of the season, given Red Bull's turmoil.

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Former F1 driver chimes in on Max Verstappen's future with Red Bull

Former F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert stated that Red Bull has found themselves in a 'precarious position' given Max Verstappen's unhappiness with the RB21. Speaking with RacingNews365, the former race steward assessed the situation and said:

"It's in a very precarious position at the moment, because you've got to be able to have the right ingredients, which includes personnel, direction, and that's all been slowly, sort of eroded away."

"And then you've got the performances on the track at the end of the day, and a probably not-so-happy Max. Because Max, as you know, wants to be in a situation of winning races and a world championship, and that sort of, again, slowly, sort of eroded away over the last, what, year and a half, I guess."

Max Verstappen finds himself 69 points behind McLaren driver and championship leader Oscar Piastri after 12 races and two Sprints. It would be difficult for the Dutchman to turn the deficit around, given the lack of consistent performances compared to the MCL39.