BETTER PARTSBernie Ecclestone has no doubts: 'Max Verstappen is the best driver ever'
'He is above Lewis Hamilton in my list'
Bernie Ecclestone was twenty years old when the first official F1 season was held. So you can say that Ecclestone has seen a large number of drivers drive. Of all those drivers, Ecclestone thought that Alain Prost was the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). The former F1 boss is now coming back to this. According to Bernie Ecclestone, Max Verstappen is the best driver ever.
About Verstappen, Ecclestone tells Daily Mail : 'He is the best. He is the smartest when it comes to getting the best out of the car. He doesn't turn a blind eye to it, he's right there. In my list he is above Lewis Hamilton.' Ecclestone points out in which areas Hamilton and Verstappen differ from each other.
The differences between Hamilton and Verstappen
Ecclestone: 'Lewis is of course very smart, very talented. Lewis understands people and brings out the best in them, where Max gets the best out of his car. He is very different from Max. If Lewis stops racing he could go into another world – entertainment or whatever – but that's not the direction Max would go.”
Who would put Ecclestone next to Verstappen?
If Ecclestone were the owner of a team now, he would obviously want Verstappen. He also chooses 'that Australian boy', by which he refers to Piastri. 'He's very good. But Max is the best I've ever seen," says Ecclestone. Piastri recently extended his contract with McLaren. The driver who makes his debut in F1 this season can drive for the orange team until 2026. Would Red Bull want to make an attempt to pry Piastri away from McLaren?