De la Rosa: Max can become one of the best in F1 history

Pedro de la Rosa, a former Formula 1 driver and now a commentator on the Spanish TV channel DAZN F1, believes that Max Verstappen may become the best driver in the history of the World Championship in the future.

After 13 races of the season, the Dutchman and his team are leading with a big advantage in both championship standings – it is very likely that Max will win the second title in a row. The closest rival, Charles Leclerc, is already 80 points behind him, and since Ferrari – unlike Red Bull Racing – performs quite unstable, it will be very difficult to win back such a gap.

During an interview with RacingNews365, he was asked who, in his opinion, is more powerful as a driver, Verstappen or Leclerc, and de la Rosa answered without much hesitation:

"I think they are quite comparable in speed, both are very fast, especially on the same lap, but more importantly, both are very smart drivers.

The main difference is that Max controls the course of the race much better, makes almost no mistakes, and I'm not talking about crashes or accidents at all.

Whatever the conditions on the track, Max controls the situation. It doesn't matter if it's a training session or a race, it's raining, or the asphalt is dry. In the past, Max tried to get close to the limit of what was possible already in training, and then he periodically made mistakes, flew off the track or crashed cars.

But when was the last time you saw him lock the wheels on braking? He controls everything so well that he rarely allows a bald spot to form on any of the tires.

Watching his actions on the track is a real pleasure. He is smart, aggressive and fast – Max has all these qualities at once. I think he has everything to become one of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1. I have no doubt about it.

Only over time will we find out which teams he will drive for in the next 10 years, and how competitive they will be. But Max has everything to become the best.

I think he's definitely the best right now. However, let's not forget about Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc, and I also have great respect for such drivers as Lando Norris, George Russell and Carlos Sainz. They are all first-class professionals. But if I had to choose a driver who is currently competing at the highest level, then I would choose Max”.