Max Verstappen took his 40th win in Formula 1 at the Spanish Grand Prix. If he crosses the line first again in Canada in a fortnight' time, he will be on a par with the legendary Ayrton Senna. Helmut Marko, on OE24, is happy to reiterate his point when asked if he sees any parallels between the two drivers.
"I compared Max to Senna a few years ago and then I was laughed at. Slowly the know-it-alls from back then are running out of arguments," Marko could not suppress a smile in conversation with the Austrian medium. To match the Brazilian's record number of pole positions, Verstappen needs to win a lot more qualifying. The reigning world champion currently stands at 24 poles, Senna has 65.
Verstappen a true personality
"Max has developed not only as a driver, but also as a personality," the 80-year-old Red Bull adviser and talent scout continued. "That incredible qualifying lap he drove in Monaco (the interview was conducted prior to the Spanish Grand Prix) comes close to Senna. Max is the best in all conditions."
Verstappen's qualifying in Spain may not have been as impressive as that in Monaco, where he managed to make up three tenths on Fernando Alonso in the short final sector, but at the Circuit de Catalunya, the Dutchman again made a very big impression. He declassified rest of the F1 field by being half a second faster than number two Carlos Sainz. And then he didn't even finish his final flying lap in Q3. Had Verstappen done so, he would have been another two to three tenths faster.