Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz believes Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen are alike in the way they also demand perfection from the media. If you ask a foolish question, Max will put you away, just the way Schumacher used to.
- Ted Kravitz to Virgin RadioAccording to Kravitz, Schumacher demanded perfection, not only from his team to achieve ultima performance on track, but also from the media themselves.
"He demanded perfection from us as well," Kravitz started in an interview with Virgin Radio. "He realized, 'look, doing media interviews is not going to make me quicker, it's not going to make my car quicker, but it might make me, help my image or get me some information on someone else that I didn't know about.'"
Kravitz also revealed that the quality in Schumacher's answers would be directly linked to the level of the question posed to him by the media.
"So, he demanded excellence from us as well," he continued. "And then he would give a good answer. If you asked a tough question, he would like to say yes or no. And then kind of look at you and you're like, 'oh.'"
Max Verstappen, winner of 2025 Italian GP @ RacePictures
Verstappen like Schumacher, 'doesn't suffer fools' in F1
The same traits in Schumacher back then, are also present in Verstappen now, Kravitz observes. "Well, you see, that's the great thing about Max as well. Max is so much like Schumacher.
"It's uncanny sometimes. Max was a kid, because Joss Verstappen was Mike Schumacher's teammate at Benetton. So Max, as a kid, met Schumacher.
But he has the relentlessness of Schumacher, the way he doesn't suffer fools. And sometimes, if you ask a foolish question, Max will put you away, just the way Schumacher used to. So, you know, I've got to be on my guard with that," Kravitz concluded.
Verstappen - Schumacher comparisons in F1
Due to their grit, their on the limit approach to a fight for position on track, and their cold, effective and calculating approach to their championship fights, Verstappen has been compared with Schumacher along the years.