'Verstappen capable of snatching record from Hamilton and Schumacher'

Felipe Massa argues that Max Verstappen, together with Red Bull Racing, is capable of breaking the record number of world titles held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. The Brazilian former Formula One driver sees a rock-solid, almost unbeatable, combination in the Verstappen-Red Bull Racing combination.

"Max Verstappen has been proving for some time that he is a phenomenon," Massa interjects to La Gazzetta Dello Sport. "What he does, in terms of victories and performances, is comparable to the best moments we have seen from Senna, Schumacher or Hamilton. He is at the same level, plus he is very young and has many racing years ahead of him, so he can break all the records and overtake Michael and Lewis, if he is willing to stay in Formula 1 for a long time."

The latter is the question. The Red Bull driver is not happy with all the changes in Formula 1. He does not need more sprint races, and the new sprint format certainly does not meet with his approval. Moreover, Verstappen already thinks the number of GPs is too many and Liberty Media seems intent on expanding the calendar further towards 25 GPs. The question is whether Verstappen is up for that and whether he sees enough of a challenge after (possibly) so many world titles.

Verstappen hardly makes any mistakes

Massa expects the 25-year-old Dutchman to take his third consecutive World Cup title in 2023, with many more to follow. "If we talk about quality, apart from the perfection of his driving, the coolness Verstappen manages to keep at the most important moments is impressive. He is always sharp, knows how to make the right decisions and can work with the team like few others."

Verstappen made his debut at Red Bull in 2016, so he knows better than anyone how the team works and how to bring out the best in the engineers. He has a lot of say in the team and on top of that, he is the absolute number one. That also helps to be so successful, Massa said, concluding: "Then there is another winning trait of Verstappen. Max is only focused on racing, with no other distractions, and that helps him to always be at his best. If he could, he would drive 24 hours a day, in the simulator or on the track."