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Prost notes: 'Verstappen is less like Senna today'
There are currently three drivers having won four Formula One drivers' championships at the moment. One of them, Alain Prost does see a bit of himself in Max Verstappen, and believes he is less like the Frenchman's biggest rival during his career, Ayrton Senna, nowadays.
According to Prost, it is not easy to pick out a weakness Verstappen currently has. "It’s difficult to find any at the moment. I don’t know what he’ll do in the future, but even in terms of communication, with all the rumours with Mercedes and the worries with Red Bull, I found him to be very solid.. He’s good all round. He’s a very tough driver on the track, but you can’t see that as a weakness."
The 27-year-old Dutchman has now won his fourth title in a row at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and if he were to be crowned next season, he would become the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win five times consecutively.
"Well, next year is another debate. It will be a rather special year, the last year with the current ground-effect car. We’ve already seen a tightening of performances between different teams. Max’s strength is that in certain races, he is capable of making the difference on his own. And that’s a big advantage for a team, and of course for the Championship. So I’d still put him as favourite next year, but now the other teams know that Red Bull is beatable," Prost continued.
Is Verstappen is like Senna (or Prost)?
Max Verstappen has been compared to Ayrton Senna on many occasions. Prost does see that, however, now he believes the Dutchman did change as he became more experienced. "Max has a lot in common with Ayrton, especially at the start of their careers. Today, a little less so. He has his own way of being. He’s always gone his own way. And in his own way. That’s why, when you get to know him a bit, I find he’s close to Seb or to me. These are things I like about him. On the track, I find him very respectful," the Frenchman shared.
While Prost says Verstappen is 'very respectful' on track, not everyone shares that view. After the incidents at COTA and in Mexico City, the Dutchman received much criticism.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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