That's what happens when you're Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton or now Verstappen

General

20 October 2020 at 11:51
Last update 20 October 2020 at 14:38
  • GPblog.com

Former Formula 1 driver Damon Hill sees differences between good drivers and the very best drivers in history. The Englishman calls Max Verstappen among the very best because he thinks the Dutchman is just as talented as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna.

Hamilton won at the Nurburgring which means he now has as many victories as Schumacher. Both drivers have won 91 times. Schumacher's record seemed unattainable for Hamilton, but there are a number of ingredients needed for such a success, Hill thinks. In the Gazzetta dello Sport the 1996 Formula 1 champion discusses a number of them.

"How can you dominate like that? One-seater aside, the relationship that these giants develop within their team is very important. It's like putting a crystal in a liquid solution: such a talented driver becomes essential to bring out the best in others, like a catalyst, engineers and mechanics squeeze around him and give their best. It happens if you are Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton. Or, even now with Red Bull, Max Verstappen."

Hill mentions Verstappen here in an impressive row and this year has already proved several times that it's quite right. The Red Bull team works hard for the Dutchman and that was especially noticeable during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman crashed during the warm-up lap so his mechanics only had about 20 minutes to repair the damage. This was achieved through incredible teamwork. Verstappen then drove to the podium as the ultimate reward.