Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard has brandished claims that Max Verstappen is not on the same level as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘nonsense’, backing the Dutchman as one of the all-time F1 greats.
Verstappen is likely just days away from claiming his third consecutive World Championship with the 26-year-old heading into the Qatar Grand Prix with a mammoth 177-point advantage over team-mate and closest challenger, Sergio Perez.
With such a commanding gap to the second-placed driver in the standings, Verstappen needs just three points to seal the 2023 world title. He can achieve this with a sixth-place finish during Saturday’s sprint race at the Lusail International Circuit.
This has naturally meant that the Hamilton vs Verstappen debate has resurfaced with both drivers now undoubtedly considered among the best to have ever driven in F1.
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Addressing the debate on his Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard said: “If I just bring it to Max for a moment. I’ve seen all sorts of comments where people are going, ‘You know, he’s overrated, he’s not at the same level as Lewis [Hamilton], and this is just nonsense.
“If you look at what he does with that car, and with the greatest respect to Checo, who is a very talented, fast race driver, he looks average in comparison to what Max has been able to deliver when he’s really on it.”
With a third title set to be added to his mantelpiece this weekend at the earliest, Verstappen will stand alongside the likes of Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna in the record books, etching his name further into F1 history.
Coulthard isn’t the only authoritative F1 figure to recently suggest Verstappen as one of the best-ever drivers. Former CEO Bernie Ecclestone recently told the Daily Mail: “Max is the best driver ever. No doubts.
“I used to say Alain Prost. Now I would say Max. He’s the greatest. He is the brightest with regards to getting the best out of the car. He doesn’t muck around, he gets right on the programme. In my list, he is above Lewis Hamilton.”
“Lewis is obviously super, super bright, super, super talented. Lewis understands people and gets the best out of them, whereas Max gets the best out of the car. He’s very different from Max. When Lewis stops racing, he can get into a different world, entertainment or whatever, but that won’t be the way Max could go.”
