Is Max Verstappen as good as Senna

[mondeomk4]

I watched Max Verstappen drive an amazing Brazilian Grand Prix driving around the outside and on a different line to other drivers, overtaking most other cars including his teammate and Rosberg's Mercedes at one stage of the race.
It reminded me of Senna's drive at the European Grand Prix in the wet.
The similarity is both drivers seem to rewrite the rule book.
Will Max Verstappen become as revered as Senna?

[Evolved]

One minute, just dusting off my crystal ball..

[S0 What]

Is Max as good as Senna, when? Sennas first year? then maybe (it depends on wether your a shoe or gord kinda guy), as good as Sennas 4th year? a big no, will he be, who knows it all depends if his storbust kind of driving pays off, it did back in Sennas day but as we have seen recently that kind of driving just wont stand nowdays, so if his envelope pushing style is curtailed what is left? we'll have to see, it's simply not a question worth asking yet, some people get over excited way to early over way to little (the shoe or the gord)
Even max said he was using the karting line but no-one else on the track was appart from Lewis, which is why he passed everyone but Lewis and in his own words he doubted he would have as Lewis was on the same lines so those lines are nothing new just most drivers seem to forget to use them or something ?

Edited by S0 What on Friday 18th November 22:16

[sparta6]

Not at this stage, but Max has plenty of time to develop and get much better. Could he become as successful as Senna or Schumacher ? It's a possibility

[red_slr]

Senna was not just about the racing, it was his personality off track too. This is what made Senna so special even from the early days.

[Some Gump]

It's hard to say.

Max has to crash more before he can become the new Senna. A lot more.

I'm happy to watch him being the current Max, he doesn't need to be the new anything.

Senna was good, but people remember him with rose tinted glasses. I hope that Max V manages to become his own man and potential future legend in his own right. If he can just be himself and not spend the whole time trying to pretend he's something else, he'll be a lot more likeable than some others on the F1 grid.

[Himleiwolf]

Is Max as good as Senna? who knows. Was Senna as good as Jim Clark ? Was Jim Clark as good as Ascari? or were any of them as good as Fangio?

There is just one thing for sure, this kid will be a champion as soon as he is put in a car that can compete with the Mercs and it would certainly be interesting to see him in the same team as Lewis

[anonymous-user]

Verstappen did not win the race. So no

[BoRED S2upid]

No not yet. Ask again in 5 years.

[Rich_W]

Max is someone who has probably had the most complete prep / schooling of F1 ever. Ever since he was born he was destined to become a F1 driver and clearly his father has devoted his entire life to making that happen.

Makes Lewis' support by Ron from that young age look amateurish.

He's an amazing talent and I'm glad he's around. And he makes several of the grid look like amateurs because they simply can't race in the way that Lewis, Max, Seb, Fernando, Kimi etc can.

[Shoegrip]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Verstappen did not win the race. So no

How much of the decision to go to inters was his?

The driving was impressive.

As good as Senna though? I'm not convinced he is yet.

[ex1]

Over time I suspect he will be more successful than any of those that have been before him.

Both parents are accomplished drivers and pretty much every element of his life has been focused towards F1 since he was born! He has already spent more time on track than most F1 drivers across their whole career.

There is a very good book called Outliers which makes a very compelling argument that all this hand eye coordination stuff is just down to the right type of practice.

If you look at his career so far it wasn't about winning - he was often competing against much more experienced drivers, it was simply about getting him behind the wheel racing.

Think how many hours he must have spent on track, learning race craft, how the car moves, where the grip is etc. Yes they all start young these days but we have not seen this type of cyborg before.


2013 1st South Garda Winter Cup - KF2
2013 1st CIK-FIA European Championship KF
2013 3rd CIK-FIA World Championship - KF
2013 1st WSK Euro Series - KZ1
2013 1st WSK Master Series - KZ2
2013 1st CIK-FIA European Championship - KZ
2013 1st CIK-FIA World KZ Championship
2012 1st 17° Winter Cup - KF2
2012 2nd CIK-FIA World Cup for KF2
2012 1st WSK Master Series - KF2
2011 2nd 16° Winter Cup - KF3
2011 1st WSK Euro Series - KF3
2010 2nd 15th Winter Cup - KF3
2010 1st Bridgestone Cup Europe - KF3
2010 2nd CIK-FIA World Cup - KF3
2010 1st WSK Euro Series - KF3
2010 1st WSK World Series - KF3
2010 1st WSK Nations Cup - KF3
2009 1st BNL Karting Series - Minimax
2009 1st Belgian Championship - KF5
2009 1st VAS Championship - Rotax Minimax
2008 1st Belgian Championship - Cadet
2008 1st BNL Karting Series - Minimax
2008 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2007 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2007 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium National Minimax
2007 1st Dutch championship Rotax Max Minimax
2006 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2005 2nd Limburgs Kart Championship - Mini-Junior

Edited by ex1 on Saturday 19th November 13:34

[davepoth]

Let's see what happens next year. If Red Bull are properly competitive and he has to play the championship game he might be a bit different.

[Bo_apex]

Superb onboard. The teenager makes the rest of field look like rookies !

http://wtf1.co.uk/verstappen-onboard-brazil/

[_Leg_]

S0 What said:

(it depends on wether your a shoe or gord kinda guy)

I would have followed Spike.

[vonuber]

mondeomk4 said:

Will Max Verstappen become as revered as Senna?

Depends how he dies in suspect.

[anonymous-user]

I think hes an outstanding talent but i dont think you can definitively say if he is or isnt better than Senna.

[tommunster10]

ex1 said:

Over time I suspect he will be more successful than any of those that have been before him.

Both parents are accomplished drivers and pretty much every element of his life has been focused towards F1 since he was born! He has already spent more time on track than most F1 drivers across their whole career.

There is a very good book called Outliers which makes a very compelling argument that all this hand eye coordination stuff is just down to the right type of practice.

If you look at his career so far it wasn't about winning - he was often competing against much more experienced drivers, it was simply about getting him behind the wheel racing.

Think how many hours he must have spent on track, learning race craft, how the car moves, where the grip is etc. Yes they all start young these days but we have not seen this type of cyborg before.


2013 1st South Garda Winter Cup - KF2
2013 1st CIK-FIA European Championship KF
2013 3rd CIK-FIA World Championship - KF
2013 1st WSK Euro Series - KZ1
2013 1st WSK Master Series - KZ2
2013 1st CIK-FIA European Championship - KZ
2013 1st CIK-FIA World KZ Championship
2012 1st 17° Winter Cup - KF2
2012 2nd CIK-FIA World Cup for KF2
2012 1st WSK Master Series - KF2
2011 2nd 16° Winter Cup - KF3
2011 1st WSK Euro Series - KF3
2010 2nd 15th Winter Cup - KF3
2010 1st Bridgestone Cup Europe - KF3
2010 2nd CIK-FIA World Cup - KF3
2010 1st WSK Euro Series - KF3
2010 1st WSK World Series - KF3
2010 1st WSK Nations Cup - KF3
2009 1st BNL Karting Series - Minimax
2009 1st Belgian Championship - KF5
2009 1st VAS Championship - Rotax Minimax
2008 1st Belgian Championship - Cadet
2008 1st BNL Karting Series - Minimax
2008 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2007 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2007 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium National Minimax
2007 1st Dutch championship Rotax Max Minimax
2006 1st Rotax Max Challenge Belgium Minimax
2005 2nd Limburgs Kart Championship - Mini-Junior

Edited by ex1 on Saturday 19th November 13:34

And your missing off the amount of sim racing he does, something like 3-4 hours a day when possible. The kid is great and a he'll be special in his own way because his personality isn't of the magnitude of Senna's.
Senna's personality cross over from the sport he represented, by this i mean even people who didn't follow F1 could still be a fan of Senna. The charity work in Brazil, politics both in and out of F1.
True legends who transcend the sport they come from like Ali, Sheene, Rossi, Best, Pele. It's talent but also something extra unique.

I also think more teams should go for younger drivers sooner, Massa/Button for example Max has for me at least that some of the old guard just stayed too long and should of been move along sooner..
We want hunger, not just moaning.

[red_slr]

I fully agree but so much of F1 is branding, there is no way Honda would have gone with Button if they had free choice. Pretty much the same with Alonso.

The B teams all chase the money.

I think the only team with a proper driver line up at the moment is Ferrari. Merc have caused more problems than they solved with their drivers and Red Bull will be in the same exact position as soon as they get their finger out.

[tyranical]

This is really quite ridiculous - talk about jumping the gun.

He was just 1 bit of luck away from being just another guy who crashed out in the wet at Brazil 2016 - As soon as he spun he was a passenger that could have ended up anywhere, he was lucky the car spun the way it did to allow him to release the brake to stop it hitting the wall.

Brazil was a great drive from Verstappen but the big thing that pretty much everyone is ignoring about the whole situation is he was on considerably newer wet tyres than anyone else he overtook in his comeback with the exception of Ricciardo - It was still a great comeback drive but those tyres gave him a significant advantage over those around him, yes his race-craft made the overtakes happen but we have all seen so many times over the Pirelli era just how much time new tyres is worth against significantly worn ones.

"Ah but he was lapping 2 seconds quicker than the Mercedes, Senna Reincarnated Confirmed" - The Mercedes were lapping in the 1:25's when their tyres were new too.

In answer to the OP, you can't judge someone from two different eras this way, especially when 1 is dead and didn't even finish his F1 career and the other is only just starting his F1 career.