Being compared to Ayrton Senna is the ultimate accolade for any driver and Martin Brundle believes Red Bull star Max Verstappen has one thing in common with him.
Max Verstappen matched Ayrton Senna’s total of three world championships in 2023 after dominating the sport in a way that the Brazilian would be proud of.
Speaking on the Beyond The Grid Podcast, Martin Brundle explained what ‘god-given talent’ Senna and another former champion Jim Clark had that many others who grace Formula 1 could only dream of.
Martin Brundle shares what talent Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen
The upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is going to be particularly poignant for Formula 1 fans.
Every visit to Imola is a reminder of the careers of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.
The Austrian was killed on Saturday in qualifying a day after Rubens Barrichello had suffered a huge crash that left him hospitalised.
During the race, Senna then lost his life and 30 years later the world of Formula 1 still mourns the loss of both drivers.
Before his death, Senna had just moved to Williams after winning three titles with McLaren, racing against the likes of Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet.
Brundle has raved about some of the skills Senna used during his career that ended up winning him multiple championships and believes he sees plenty of similarities in Max Verstappen.
Both drivers have shown glimpses of their ability in wheel-to-wheel battles with their competitors.
However, the hallmark of Senna’s F1 career was how he used to dominate races from start to finish, not allowing his rivals to gain any sort of advantage.
After winning 19 races in 2023 alone, Verstappen can very much claim to have the same stranglehold on the rest of the grid.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Ayrton Senna one of Formula 1’s most talented drivers
Speaking about the Brazilian, Brundle said: “So, [Ayrton] Senna was a man driven by his heart. He had a god-given talent for grip and speed and understanding how a car works underneath him that I’ve rarely seen.
“I stood on the side of the track in the 1960s and watched Jim Clark, who’s a man who I imagine had that kind of gift as well.
“I think Max Verstappen’s got that gift of understanding grip, when you see him in the rain or whatever, just understanding where the grip is.
“And other drivers too, Lewis [Hamilton] I think is another driver.”
Max Verstappen finally faces competition that could end F1 dominance
Verstappen will be honoured to have been compared to Senna by Brundle and in wet conditions the Dutchman’s skill is almost unparalleled.
However, in China this season, he watched on as another driver stole the show in Sprint Race qualifying.
Lando Norris took pole position in wet conditions by over a second and he could now be Verstappen’s closest competitor after winning his maiden race in Miami.
Verstappen doesn’t tend to respond well to being beaten – even if he was gracious in defeat – and will want to return to the top step of the podium in Imola.
It might not be as easy as it was last year, but winning in the face of close competition is the mark of a true champion.
He managed to get the better of Lewis Hamilton by the barest of margins in 2021 and will hope if the battle becomes that tight again this season that he can come out on top this time too.