Does this constitute proof that Verstappen is better than Senna and Schumacher?

It is the chicken and the egg story of Formula 1. The gap between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson was immense during their first and only two Grands Prix together at Red Bull. Was that real gap really entirely due to Lawson's inability to handle the RB21 or is Verstappen otherworldly?

David Coulthard is an expert by experience, he says in the podcast Formula for Success. The Scot too had moments during his career when confidence was completely gone. "In my case, it was then the rear end that was not stable, which made it very difficult for me to build up a lap. But it was never the kind of gap we see now [between Verstappen and Lawson]."

Verstappen 'a phenomenon'

Coulthard argues that Verstappen is "a phenomenon". "But we have seen other phenomena in the history of the sport. Senna, Schumacher and so on. And with them there were never such differences."

Of course, once in Monaco in the McLaren, Ayrton Senna was a second a lap faster than teammate Alain Prost, but that was an exception. "Those were different times. In Formula 1 now, things are incredibly close. But between a great driver and an average driver, it should only be two or three tenths difference. It shouldn't be close to a second," Coulthard said.

In short, is that a sign that Verstappen even puts Senna and Schumacher in his shadow?