Vettel soberingly honest after telling Verstappen: 'You're better than me'

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he spoke with Max Verstappen before the Dutchman took his winning record, telling Verstappen he is 'better' than him. The German, who won four world titles with Red Bull, believes that Max Verstappen will add more championships to his tally. At just 27 years old, Verstappen has already cemented his place among the sport's greats—how many more titles could be in his future?

Vettel believes Verstappen has what it takes to secure a fifth title with Red Bull. Reflecting on a conversation he had with the Dutchman in 2023—a season where Verstappen and Red Bull dominated—Vettel explained why he sees him as capable of achieving even more success.

Verstappen took Vettel's winning record

At one point, Verstappen was on the verge of taking over a record from Vettel. 10 consecutive GP wins. “I was in contact with him when he was on the brink of breaking the record with the most wins after each other,” Vettel reflected in a BBC podcast.

“I was at nine, and then he equalled, and then I told him, ‘You’re better than me. I’m sure you’ll pip me.’ And he was like, ‘I’m not sure. I’m not sure.’ And then he did 10."

That record is in Verstappen's hands, just as Vettel expects him to claim another milestone: the most individual world titles with Red Bull. "He can do it as well with the championships in Red Bull. So we will see."

The Dutchman currently sits in third place in the 2025 championship standings after just two races. Next weekend, the F1 circus travels to Suzuka, a track he has triumphed at for three years consecutively.

This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen

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