Ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle compared Max Verstappen to Michael Schumacher at the British Grand Prix last weekend, as the reigning World Champion was victorious once again.
Verstappen enjoyed another sensational few days at the Silverstone International Circuit, with him having been unstoppable as per usual.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
He claimed a fifth consecutive pole position on Saturday before winning for the eighth time this season on Sunday, extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 99 points after just 10 races.
The Red Bull driver’s win was an important one, as it saw him become just the fifth driver in the history of the sport to claim six wins in a row.
Unsurprisingly, Schumacher is one of the other drivers to have claimed six consecutive victories.
Brundle was quick to compare the Dutchman to the seven-time World Champion, with the duo sharing similar psychological traits.
Verstappen was under immense pressure in Q3 to claim pole position, given that Lando Norris had claimed provisional pole whilst the Red Bull star was completing his final lap.
His middle sector wasn’t great, leaving him with it all to do in the final sector.
To the disbelief of many, Verstappen set a blistering final sector to snatch pole, similar to what he did to Fernando Alonso at Monaco.
Brundle believes Verstappen’s pole lap “destroys everybody else’s head immediately”, something Schumacher also used to do.
“Michael Schumacher was like that as well,” Brundle said on Sky Sports.
“The confidence you need, the trust in the car and yourself to go out at Silverstone of all places and just put a marker down that pretty much just destroys everybody else’s head immediately.”
READ: Guenther Steiner reveals when Haas will announce 2024 driver line-up
It’s not just in qualifying where Verstappen often sets sensational lap times, with him also tending to set a quick lap in the opening session of the weekend.
He often does this without crashing his car, something Brundle believes is “quite extraordinary” at a place like Silverstone.
“The talent and confidence you need to do that through a corner like Copse or Stowe without throwing it in the wall occasionally, which would look really silly on the first lap or two of a weekend, is quite extraordinary,” Brundle added.