Is this driver really Verstappen's equal? 'Would love to see him in an F1 car'

F1 News

McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants to see match of Verstappen in F1 car
23 May at 07:00
  • GPblog.com

NASCAR champion Kyle Larson was recently compared to Max Verstappen by former Formula 1 driver Alexander Rossi. Larson himself questioned this, but McLaren CEO Zak Brown would be happy to give the American driver a chance to prove himself in an F1 car.

McLaren CEO Brown wants to give Larson a  chance

Rossi, who drove five F1 races on behalf of Manor Racing in 2015, argued that Verstappen and Larson are more or less on the same level. Larson himself was not so sure. He said he certainly could not beat the Dutchman in an F1 car and that he even expected Verstappen to beat him in an IndyCar car. So where could he beat Verstappen? "Hopefully in a NASCAR sprint race," was the modest answer, according to AP News.

Ahead of the Indy 500, held the same weekend as the Monaco Grand Prix, the McLaren CEO responded. I’d love to see him have a go in a Formula 1 car. I’ve actually spoken with Kyle about that," said Brown. "He's an awesome talent. I think he would do good."

"But clearly he's a NASCAR driver. He always has been, always will be," the 52-year-old American added. "You've got to be realistic on the growth trajectory you need to be on to be a Formula 1 driver. But as far as giving him a go in a Formula 1 car to see, as a little bit of a reward and enjoyment for him, and I think it's also good for our brand - and I think the NASCAR fans would think it's cool and I think Formula 1 fans would think it would be cool. So I would be very comfortable doing it at the right time."