Max Verstappen is in the prime of his career, having secured two consecutive Drivers’ Championships for Red Bull, as well as securing three victories so far this season for the team.
The Dutchman’s dominance in the sport has given him a 14 point lead over his teammate Sergio Perez and a 44 point lead over his nearest non-Red Bull rival Fernando Alonso.
If Verstappen were to win a third consecutive crown, he would equal the number of titles secured by some of the sport’s greatest drivers, including Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart.
There are only five drivers who have won more than three trophies – Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, who both won four, Juan Manuel Fangio, who secured five championships, and Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher who are tied on seven titles.
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With Red Bull looking set to continue its dominance in the sport for years to come, former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes that Verstappen could become one of the greatest legends to ever grace the sport.
Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said: “For me, I really do believe in time, he will turn out to be the greatest driver of all time, subject to him being safe and well for a very long time.
“Because he has such a phenomenal attitude in the car. He’s aggressive when he needs to be aggressive. He’s tough when he needs to be tough. But he’s clever as well. He knows how to look after the car.”
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“Another thing in his favour, he has to hope, particularly after the death of Dietrich Mateschitz of Red Bull that the team stays as strong as it is. With the people like Christian [Horner] and Adrian Newey there, I see no real problem in the short term.
“I see Max going from strength to strength, and I would not like to be a driver in Formula 1 at the moment hoping to become a world champion, because I don’t know where it’s going to come from.”
Verstappen’s rivals might be disappointed to hear such a claim from an experienced figure in Formula 1, as they had hoped to challenge the Dutchman when teams bring upgrade packages ahead of Imola.