Verstappen vs. Senna: F1 legends compared - Who reigns supreme?
Jun.21 - It's too "dangerous" for Red Bull to let Max Verstappen loose on the fabled Nordschleife layout in a decade-old Formula 1 car.
That is the clear admission of Dr Helmut Marko, after dominant world champion Verstappen said he wanted to join Sebastian Vettel at the September event and his 80-year-old boss answered "No, no, no - you're not doing that".
"We all know Max," he told Auto Motor und Sport's Tobias Gruner.
"First, he would find out the record and try to beat it - and not by just one second," Marko smiled.
"But these cars are simply not designed to chase records. It's too dangerous."
However, while the 25-year-old Dutchman is clearly prepared to take risks in the midst of a championship campaign, that hasn't stopped the latest comparisons between his achievements and those of F1 legend Ayrton Senna.
Verstappen matched the late Senna's career tally of 41 grand prix wins in Montreal last weekend.
"When Michael Schumacher came out of nowhere into Formula 1, I remember Ayrton gave me a look that said 'This guy is going to be dangerous for us'," Senna's former teammate Gerhard Berger told Sport1.
"That was then confirmed. Michael and Lewis Hamilton at least deserve the comparison, but I can clearly say about Max - sportingly, he is on the same level as Ayrton."
When asked the same question, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said Senna is the "Muhammad Ali of Formula 1".
"Juan Manuel Fangio had this special magic in the 50s, in the 60s it was Jim Clark and Jochen Rindt. Later it was Michael Schumacher," said the 92-year-old.
"I don't want to forget Alain Prost either, who had the perfect mix of speed and racing intelligence, but I think we should all be happy now to be able to observe Max Verstappen.
"He's someone who is shaping his own epoch for eternity," Ecclestone added.
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was the one who spotted and then signed up Verstappen as a 16-year-old, and the Austrian says he was "laughed at" when he made the Senna comparisons back then.
"Senna had the special moments that Max is showing now," Marko insisted. "And I know that only Max really deserves these comparisons with Senna."
He said it's a particularly tough gig for Sergio Pérez, like all of Verstappen's other teammates that came before him.
"Sergio has been holding out next to Max for two years now, which is an achievement in itself," Marko, 80, said. "That's quite a long time for anyone."
Below you see how both drivers compare:
You can compare Verstappen and Senna yourself with our F1 Driver Comparison Tool
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It is an anomaly to make a direct comparison between Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen, because in Max's era there are many more races in which to compete and the cars are much more reliable now than then. For Ayrton there were 65 retirements, and for Max just 31 to date. I am sure Ayrton would have achieved better results with greater reliability.
Percentages of races won and podiums, etc... are the best way to make a proper comparison. Max will certainly end up the driver of this decade, as he steam rolls his way onwards! Of course, the car helps! That is why Fangio was branded the real GOAT because he could win driving cars in which others struggled. Fangio was a winner no matter what car he slid his bum into! Max needs to diversify if he wants to be compared to Fangio or Clark. Time is on his side.
But if we ignore the results and just compare there attitudes, driving styles, single mindedness etc etc , are there then similarities?
Nope, Senna was much better, needed 10 less races to accommplish 41 wins and had already 65 poles while Verstappen only has 25.
But he was 11 years older which makes it hard to compare.
Senna started is his F1 career at the age of 24. He turned 24, 4 days before his first race in 1984.
Senna was just like Verstappen legnedary in the rain, that's the only comparison you can make, I guess.
Yes. Both self-serving, single-minded & arrogant. And, both very, very fast.
We've been through all of this before. Comparing drivers from different eras is fun, but will never be definitive. Smokey is closest to the GOAT with Fangio. And he did it all with a leather hat & his forearms.
Actually, ROR, when you look at the statistics, Fangio is virtually unbeatable as GOAT, despite his leather helmet and short sleeved shirts in which he raced!
Fangio had a win ratio of 47.06%; followed by
Ascari with a win ratio of 40.63%; followed by
Clark with a win ratio of 34.72%.
At 24%, Max isn't into the top ten yet, but on the step!
Those old timers certainly knew how to perform with those percentages! Another driver from the past who would certainly qualify as a GOAT considering his motor cycle and motor car racing results, would be Tazio Nuvolari. I have his life story, however, while they list his numerous victories, they don't provide full statistics.