With the victory in Canada, Max Verstappen equals His Majesty Ayrton Senna at 41 career victories. The Brazilian ace is probably the driver who the Dutch number 1 has been compared to most often: his speed in the wet, the absence of awe towards more experienced opponents, the attitude to always risk overtaking.
Probably, the only quality that Ayrton has that Max lacks a little is his pace in qualifying. Verstappen has always been a racing animal, also because until 2020 he had cars at his disposal that did not allow him to fight for the title, with which it is more difficult to excel in the flying lap.
As admitted by Verstappen himself, the child who went to see his father at the Grands Prix he would never have thought of reaching what for many is their all-time idol. Among the many, two light names: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
The Dutchman's talent, on the other hand, has been seen since day zero, since in 2014 he made his debut at 17 years old with the Toro Rosso in free practice in Japan. Then, the full-time call in 2015, with two excellent fourth places in Hungary and Austin.
The victory on his debut with Red Bull in Spain since 2016, then, it had to predict what that little boy who had just turned XNUMX could do with a car within his reach. It is no coincidence, in fact, that Niki Lauda admitted after the race that he had seen "the talent of the century".
His career start, in fact, resembles that of Senna. The Brazilian also arrived in Formula 1 directly from Formula 3 (British, in that case). In the top series then, he achieved his first victory in the second race of the second season, the first with a competitive team (Lotus).
By now, all the excuses to belittle Verstappen's achievements make little sense. Were there fewer races in Senna's time? Was the grid more competitive? Were the cars of that time more difficult to drive? It matters little. What is certain is that Verstappen has effectively become one of the legends of Formula 1.
