Verstappen full of praise: "He is one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1"

If the Bahrain Grand Prix set the tone for the 2021 Formula One season, we still have a lot to look forward to. Finally we got to see the battle we have been waiting for for so long: Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen. Mercedes won the race because of a smart strategy - but also the racecraft of Hamilton can't be ignored, according to Verstappen.

For a change, Mercedes didn't start the first race weekend as the odds-on favourite. Yet Hamilton managed to win the race thanks to a combination of smart racing and good strategy from the team.

When asked who Verstappen thinks is the best Formula 1 driver at the moment (besides himself of course), he has a clear answer. "That's very difficult, but you definitely have to give Lewis the credit," Verstappen said in an interview with Autosport magazine.

He therefore believes that people cannot ignore Hamilton, given the way he has been stringing together victories and championships all these years. Verstappen sees many people in Formula 1 who would do well in the Mercedes, but feels that the way Hamilton manages to win even trickier races, such as the one in Turkey last year, deserves recognition. "He is one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1," concludes the Dutchman.