Marko: "That's why I compared Verstappen to Senna in his early years"

It may be clear that Max Verstappen is in an excellent position at the moment in his Formula 1 career, but according to Helmut Marko , the reigning world champion will only get better. He compares Verstappen to a number of big names in F1 history.

'Verstappen is the fastest driver Red Bull has had'

In some ways Verstappen is reminiscent of Sebastian Vettel, who experienced his most successful time in F1 with Red Bull Racing. Although the German has four world titles to his name, Marko is convinced Verstappen is the faster driver. "He is definitely the fastest driver Red Bull has ever had," he said in conversation with Sport1.

The Red Bull advisor praised Verstappen for his ability to drive straight to the limit, which he attributed to 'his incredible natural talent and consequent exorbitant base speed'. "In addition, he has fantastic control of the car - especially on the limits. That's why I compared him to Ayrton Senna in his early years. I didn't necessarily make friends with that," Marko laughed.

Marko's early comparison of Verstappen to F1 legend Ayrton Senna caused some people to raise their eyebrows, but the Austrian says those people are now changing their minds. "My good friend Gerhard Berger wrote to me at the time that the comparison was far too far-fetched. He no longer disagrees," concludes the Red Bull chief.