Former F1 champion refutes "Max Verstappen may be the GOAT" claim made by Jeremy Clarkson
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has refuted Jeremy Clarkson's claims that Max Verstappen may be the "GOAT" and said that the Dutchman is racing in a sport that is different from earlier eras and thus drivers cannot be compared with each other.
The Red Bull driver is close to becoming a 4-time world champion this season, with it looking more likely that he will be able to fend off the late charge from Lando Norris in his McLaren. Verstappen was starting to feel the heat during the race weekend in Brazil, and the gap had reduced significantly between the two drivers.
However, the Red Bull driver's wet weather skills came to the fore in Sao Paulo, as he made his way through the field to win the race. The win helped him extend the lead to a seemingly winning position now. Following the performance in Brazil, Jeremy Clarkson, the British anchor of "Top Gear" fame said that Max Verstappen might just be the greatest driver ever.
Those comments, however, do not appear to find agreement from former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve.
In conversation with Grosvenor Sport, Villeneuve said,
“How can Jeremy Clarkson say Max Verstappen is the greatest of all time? He had a great season when he beat Lewis [Hamilton] for his first championship. Then he’s had the same way that Lewis won his first one.
"Then he’s had easy ones, the same way Lewis had easy ones. And this year he’s been fighting back. So this year has been a great year. You cannot compare the era of Fangio to now. They are different eras. So you cannot say any of them is the greatest of all time. The sport has changed too much."
Max Verstappen has the ability to match Michael Schumacher, according to Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve, however, said that Max Verstappen can match the great Michael Schumacher in terms of titles. He also said that Fernando Alonso was someone who could have gotten more titles but didn't. Appreciating what Verstappen has done, Villeneuve said,
“Max Verstappen definitely has what it takes to match Schumacher’s titles. Max is still hungry and competitive and always goes for the win. He doesn’t get brought down. With the right situation, he will always be there to win a championship. The same way that Alonso could have had seven championships."
He added,
"Look how often he got close with Ferrari. Take Schumacher, he could have had three instead of seven. But he could have had even more. Sometimes it’s close and there’s a few drivers out there that don’t have the amount of championships that they probably deserved with their talent. Max has won every championship that he could have won. He hasn’t missed one so far.”
Max Verstappen will be looking to secure his fourth world title at Las Vegas at the next race weekend. He can accomplish this if he finishes the race ahead of Lando Norris.