Verstappen an 'unstoppable' force - Ecclestone

Sam Hall
Sunday 13 November 2022 12:47

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Max Verstappen could be on the verge of a period of 'unstoppable' dominance.

This year has seen Verstappen clinch his second consecutive title with Red Bull while setting a new record with 14 wins from the first 20 races.

Such a level of dominance is unparalleled, with Lewis Hamilton's best across a season being 11 wins, achieved on four occasions since 2014.

Assessing whether Verstappen is poised to dominate F1, Ecclestone told RTL: "Max doesn't play games. He's there to win races and the world championship and he's doing just that.

"Nothing is stopping him from doing what he wants to do. Whether he will win more titles depends on whether the team really improves.

"All the drivers who win the world championship have to rely on the team. If they don't have the support of the team, they won't make it.

"If he keeps that up, the team will continue to support him and there's nothing stopping them from continuing to win.

"Everything is good at the moment and there is no reason why it shouldn't get better."

Ecclestone is in the F1 paddock for the first time this weekend since his controversial comments regarding Russian president Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.

With only the São Paulo and Abu Dhabi races remaining, Verstappen could extend his record to go three wins clear of the previous benchmark set by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.

This win percentage across the season would place him second on the all-time roster, with only Alberto Ascari's 75 percent success rate in 1952 representing a better return.

Ecclestone added: "There is no reason why he should not win the next two races as well. So yes, I hope he will have the next record."