Verstappen or Schumacher? 'He's the cleaner driver'

The 1997 Formula One world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, was full of high praise for three-time world champion Max Verstappen and was asked to compare him to his old rival, Michael Schumacher.

According to the GrandPrix247 website, Villeneuve is against comparing drivers of different eras, but highlighted one component the Dutchman has over Schumacher.

"You can't compare. It's so different. Everybody tries to compare different drivers from different eras, but you can't. You just can't."

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"You can't compare. He's a cleaner driver. Max is not nasty. It's the truth. He seems to have a different ethic on the racetrack, more old-fashioned. Something I respect, that's the way I was brought up, and that's how I've raced all my life, so it's a way of doing things that I respect."

Verstappen's past three years in the sport have put him in the GOAT conversation of Formula One, having dominated the field with 44 wins in 66 races in those championship-winning runs.

Despite three years of dominance, the Dutchman will have to sustain a few more years at the top of the sport to reach the status of Schumacher, arguably the best driver in history.

At the age of 26, Verstappen has already achieved 61 race wins and needs 30 more to reach the same number of wins as the German great, according to the Formula1points website.

As well as wins, Schumacher has more points (3961) than Verstappen (2882.5), more podiums (155 to 107), and more pole positions (68 to 40). However, the German has raced in 107 more GPs, giving Verstappen plenty of time to catch up.

Schumacher is miles ahead in championship victories, with the German having a record-equalling seven, the same number as Lewis Hamilton, compared to Verstappen, who has three.

Verstappen's dominant stretch with Red Bull since 2021 had people thinking it was a foregone conclusion that Verstappen would reach the seven world titles, but the latest part of the 2024 season has put that thought in jeopardy.

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The Dutchman flew out of the blocks at the beginning of the season, which is the reason he has a clear lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship (78 points) and will probably win his fourth world title in a row.

However, since April, Red Bull has been matched in performances by their competitors, with Verstappen only winning three of the last nine races, giving the Dutchman a sour taste for what could happen in the future if Red Bull doesn't fix their current issues.

Villeneuve believes the pack getting closer to Verstappen is an incentive: "It will certainly push him. He's a fighter. He wants to win. He will find solutions to be more and more competitive. He seems to always find ways to become better. And to become better, you need to be beaten."

With the departures of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley from Red Bull and the friction between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner intensifying, Verstappen may need to start from scratch with a new team to win his fourth or probable fifth Drivers' Championship.

The PlanetF1 website reports that Aston Martin and Mercedes are the favourites to land Verstappen if he leaves Red Bull, and both teams will have to create an incredible car for Verstappen to reach the same number of championship victories as Schumacher and Hamilton.

Verstappen will make his 200th Grand Prix start at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25th, bringing a close to the Formula One summer break. Can he win his fourth home race in a row?

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