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According to former world champion Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen is getting close to the five greatest F1 drivers of all time. The Dutch driver sealed his third world title with a second place finish at the Qatar GP sprint on Saturday, October 7.
Verstappen has been dominant all season as the car under him has clearly been performing at a level above everyone else. He already beat the record for the most consecutive race wins by a driver earlier this season.
Winning the world title was almost a formality for him once it became clear that teammate Sergio Perez was not going to put up much of a challenge.
Talking about how Max Verstappen could soon find himself in the same bracket as the Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, and Lewis Hamiltons of the sport, Nico Rosberg said (via Sky Sports):
"It's really historic. It's unbelievable the run of form he's had and the level that he's driving at, the records he's beating. Unreal. He's even getting close to those five greatest of all time now. It's spectacular. With the way he's driving he's getting close to the Fangios, Schumachers, Sennas and Hamiltons."
The former Mercedes driver added:
"It's so motivating for those within team Red Bull to know they've got one of the greatest drivers of all time driving their machine. It's such an uplifting thing and that's what is driving them."
Max Verstappen reflects on sealing his third world title
After securing his third consecutive world title, Max Verstappen admitted he had never even dreamt of achieving all of this in his career. During the post-race press conference, he said:
"I mean, of course it sounds great. It's something I never even really dreamt of. It's, of course, a very proud moment for myself, for my family, my close family. I think everyone within the team I'm working with, you know, to be able to experience all of this together is amazing. And I said it on the radio already on the in-lap."
Verstappen added:
"Of course, we talk about performance and, you know, you can always thank the team for that, but I also find the whole atmosphere and how much I enjoy working with all these people, I find that probably even more important. It's very important to come to the track and know that you have nice people to work with."
The Red Bull driver will be focused on Sunday as he looks to secure his 14th win of the 2023 season.
