Max Verstappen has determined which five Formula One drivers are the greatest of all time, and one name stands out in particular.
Due to his three championships and sixty grand prix victories, the 26-year-old Dutchman is becoming more and more common in these kind of discussions.
However, one name that is rarely taken into consideration made the cut when he was recently asked to rank his own personal top five.
It’s a topic of much discussion who the top five Formula One drivers from the championship’s past are. Over the previous 74 years, F1 has changed through generations, and during that time, the needs, expectations, and physically have altered considerably, among other things.
Considering how challenging it is to compare drivers from various eras, it is a subjective and somewhat intellectual exercise. In summary, it is nearly hard to respond to, but Verstappen tried.
“I am aware that people will disagree and make comments about everything I say. It’s a challenging question,” he said to DAZN prior to responding.
“Ayrton Senna, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, and Juan Manuel Fangio are my top picks. The well-known names.”
Max Verstappen’s all-time top five Formula One drivers include Alonso.
Nonetheless, despite its familiarity, one name sticks out. Although Fernando Alonso has always been one of the most skilled drivers in the field, his results have not always reflected that, as he spent a large portion of his later career with midfield teams. Fernando Alonso is the most experienced driver in Formula One history.
25 years after making his racing debut with Minardi in 2001, he will still be competing because of a deal he signed with Aston Martin that will keep him racing through at least the end of 2026.
He has participated in 389 grand prix since 2001 (started all but three of them) and has won 32 of them, the most recent being 11 years ago. However, the Red Bull driver believes that the two-time champion’s greatness is based on more than just his achievements.
Verstappen remarked, “I believe Fernando always presents himself as he is.” That is something I greatly respect. Despite his great accomplishment, he still maintains a strong passion for racing.
“I like that he’s just a regular lovely man. Additionally, he usually expresses great joy when another driver succeeds.”
It will have been ten years since he won the second of his two driver’s championships by the time the next Aston Martin agreement closes. He hasn’t won a grand prix in well than a decade.
His career took off quickly, and in 2003 he won the Hungarian Grand Prix, making history as the youngest race winner in Formula One history. He is clearly more talented than her, even though he isn’t frequently ranked among the top five drivers in Formula One history.
Verstappen believes that his career and Alonso’s are similar. Both became their country’s first world champions and reignited the passion for Formula One in their native countries.
He may have been the first Spanish Formula One driver to bring the sport to a large audience in Spain. He won the world championship as well. I see it quite similarly in the Netherlands,” the Dutchman continued.
Both he and I have a passion for racing. Given his age, he even slightly outperforms me because he is still in Formula One. I hold him in the highest regard. When I was still driving karts, I recall following him in Formula One. I switched on the TV for him since I was confident he would do well in the race.”