"Where would he be if he was in the same Mercedes as Hamilton?"

David Croft, Sky Sports commentator, believes Max Verstappen "has been amazing this year". The Flying Dutchman has won two races during the season and sits just seven points behind Valtteri Bottas in the Formula 1 world championship standings. 

Meanwhile, his teammate Pierre Gasly sits in sixth place, just five points away from 'best of the rest' driver Carlos Sainz. Croft draws upon how Verstappen has managed to put the Red Bull car in the top five at every race despite barriers.

"My top-rated driver from the first 12 races of F1 2019. What can you say about Max Verstappen? He's dragged that Red Bull to the top five at every race in 2019 and has five podiums, two victories - and he's also hot on the heels of Valtteri Bottas for the number two spot in the championship," Croft said on the Sky Sports website. 

"Verstappen is showing his worth to Red Bull and will stay with the team despite speculation that he may be about to move elsewhere. At the tender age of 21, he's showing a new-found maturity and some of his more impetuous previous moments seem now to have been smoothed out."

Croft also wonders about where Verstappen would be if he was in an equal car with Lewis Hamilton. Christian Horner has put it on record numerous times that Verstappen would beat Hamilton, and Croft thinks he might just be right. 

"Where would he be if he was in the same Mercedes as Hamilton? That's probably a conversation for a long night - but you could argue that he might even be ahead. I think Verstappen has been amazing this year," Croft added.