Max Verstappen has undoubtedly been dominating the sport this year. From the looks of it, no other driver can challenge him for the 2023 Championship as it stands. Former F1 Champion, Jenson Button feels that he is in his own league at the moment.
Jenson Button drove in Formula 1 from 2000 to 2016. During his 17-year career in Formula 1, he won the Championship with Brawn GP in 2009 and drove alongside 7-time Champion Lewis Hamilton. He is one of the few drivers who has beaten Lewis Hamilton using the same car. He did so in 2011.
During a recent interview with talkSPORT, he was asked about Max Verstappen‘s performance this season. During which he said:
“I think he is the fastest driver that has ever driven an F1 car. I really do, I think he is unbelievably fast.”
Jenson Button: “I think he [Max Verstappen] is the fastest driver that has ever driven an F1 car. I really do” pic.twitter.com/tt1UkmKMNV
— leonas🇱🇹 (@MV1Le0n) August 13, 2023
“Previously to this year he has made some mistakes as you would expect from a young driver but now he’s doing such a fantastic job. I really do think he is something special.”
It is clear that Jenson Button feels that Max Verstappen is in a league of his own. It’s not often that there is so much difference in performance between two drivers on the same team. Although Sergio Perez is also delivering some decent results, Max Verstappen is still able to finish over 20 seconds ahead of his Mexican teammate.
What mistakes has Max Verstappen made?
Judging by this season, Max Verstappen’s performance has been flawless. However, he has made his share of mistakes in the past.
He came into the sport when he was 17 years old. At the time, he was young and had a bit more aggressive driving style. He had a lot of notable incidents with drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lewis Hamilton.
We all remember the 2021 season where there were so many incidents between Lewis Hamilton and the Dutch driver. The two were involved in a heated battle for the Championship. A few notable incidents between the two drivers in 2021 would be the Italian Grand Prix, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the British Grand Prix.
Another hugely dramatic moment in the Verstappen/Hamilton title battle 💥😮#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/P4J4bN6wX2
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2021
However, over the last couple of years, Max Verstappen has become a bit aggressive and has matured when it comes to his driving style. After winning the 2021 Championship, he won the 2022 and looks good to win the 2023 Championship as well.
There is no doubt that he is one of those rare talents we see only once a decade. We saw it with Ayrton Senna in the 80s, Michael Schumacher in the 90s, Lewis Hamilton in the 2000s, and now with Max Verstappen who came into the sport in the 2010s. We are yet to see which driver from the 2020s will possess such talent. From the looks of things, Oscar Piastri is showing some incredible results in his rookie year. It should be interesting how his career turns out.
Let’s see how many more races Max Verstappen can win this year. He is just one win away from equaling the record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013 where he won 9 races in a row. It will be interesting to see if the Dutch driver can break this record.