Verstappen or Hamilton? Who is the GOAT according to former driver De la Rosa?
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- Ludo van Denderen
It is an eternal debate: Who is the best driver of all time? When asked, F1 purists quickly arrive at Ayrton Senna or Juan Manuel Fangio, while many who have followed motorsport since the mid-1990s mention the name of Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton and now Max Verstappen are common choices these days. But who is it according to Pedro de la Rosa?
The Spaniard - currently ambassador for Aston Martin - had a long career in Formula 1. De la Rosa competed in 107 Grands Prix, without achieving a victory. In the years he was active in the sport, he saw several absolute top drivers at work very closely. In an item on Spanish channel DAZN, De la Rosa had a conversation with Alonso, who had to guess who the now 53-year-old former driver thinks is the Greatest Of All Time?
De la Rosa picks the best driver ever
"He is really good. He's really good," De la Rosa gives a first hint. To that, Alonso replies, "Verstappen. Hamilton?", before naming Carlos Sainz senior (former world champion in the sport of rallying). Again, De la Rosa shakes off no. "He's in Formula 1!"
Alonso briefly throws up Senna's name again, but again De la Rosa responds in the negative. He even says the driver "might be Superman". And that, apparently for the two-time world champion, is the hint that makes him know who his friend is referring to: "Me?" The answer is a resounding "yes!".
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton