Max Verstappen wrapped up his second consecutive world title in Japan at just 25 years old, cementing himself as one of the greats already in the eyes of David Coulthard.
“For me, the guy is up there with Hamilton, Senna, Schumacher – whoever your favourite driver from the past is – he’s a winning machine,” said Coulthard.
Verstappen has had a much easier road to the title this season, with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari imploding at the midpoint of the season, allowing the Dutchman to drive off into the distance and pick up his second crown.
Coulthard claims that it is not just Verstappen’s driving that is making the difference, but the people around him, with his team giving him the best possible opportunities to get on with the driving.
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“Knowing his father, Jos, who I raced against, his manager Raymond, they have a brilliant structure around him,” he claimed.
“There is absolute clarity over who does what. Max gets on with training and driving.”
Verstappen currently finds himself surrounded by a whirlwind of drama regarding Red Bull’s cost cap breach.
With Red Bull overspending in the 2021 season there was initially rumours that the 25-year-old might be stripped of his maiden title, however this seems unlikely to now be the case.
Coulthard has also discussed how composed the two-time world champion seems, with the Dutchman seeming unfased by all the drama unfolding around him.
“I don’t want to say that he doesn’t care because he’s got his own voice but from what I’ve seen here is someone who is totally unaffected by what anyone thinks.
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“He is a committed racing driver and when he’s not driving, he’s in the simulator or out e-gaming or whatever it is that he does.”
With age on his side there is plenty of time for Verstappen to win even more championships, with around a quarter of F1 fans in a recent poll believing that he could go on to break Schumacher’s record of eight world drivers’ championships.
It does remain to be seen if Verstappen shares that idea, with the 25-year-old making it clear that there is nothing set in stone for his future.
While he is clearly at the top of the sport at the moment, he has hinted that he may want to explore different avenues in the future, rather than aiming for a Lewis Hamilton length F1 career.