Former F1 driver claims Verstappen would win in a MIDFIELD car

Max Verstappen

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Former F1 driver claims Verstappen would win in a MIDFIELD car

The former Swiss F1 star claimed the Dutchman could still win due to his exceptional talent and confidence

Shay Rogers

Monday 17 July 2023 20:27

Having surpassed Ayrton Senna’s win total of 41 recently, and now eyeing Sebastian Vettel’s total of 53 to become the third on the all-time list, Max Verstappen is quickly asserting himself as an Formula 1 great.

10 races into the season, he is yet to finish lower than second place in his dominant RB19, while team-mate Sergio Perez has failed to make Q3 in his last five appearances.

But could the Dutchman still win if he was in a midfield car despite the speed differential to the front of the field? Former Arrows and Brabham driver Marc Surer thinks so.

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Surer: He is simply above average talented

Speaking to Formel1.de, Surer discussed some of Verstappen’s best traits, and what makes him so good on the track every week.

He said: “I'm sure with a team in midfield he will have the opportunity to win races. He is simply above average talented, and he also has the confidence.

“He knows what he can do, he knows how to do something and then he can also manage people. He's really grown up in that. Very impressive."

Surer, who raced in F1 across a seven-year period, was fortunate enough to have been on the same grid as Ayrton Senna for three of them, believes that Verstappen shares similar qualities to that of the Brazilian great, saying that:

“I can see that too, for sure. Senna also had that determination, even during overtaking. It's all or nothing. He's a real racing driver. A lot of the current drivers don't have the right mentality, but Max definitely does.”

Sadly, with Verstappen in the middle of a long-term Red Bull contract that sees him through until 2028, it doesn’t look like we will get to see him in a midfield car anytime soon without a serious slip up.

However, that doesn’t mean we won’t be treated to more excellence from the Dutch driver while he remains at the front, while we hope that the competition can finally challenge him after one of the most dominant periods in F1 history.