Sebastian Vettel was forced to pick between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and the four-time world champion ended up siding with the latter, based primarily on his current form and results.
The 36-year-old retired from F1 at the end of last season following two seasons in the midfield with Aston Martin, although he has been back in the paddock for the second time this season ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Vettel was always crystal clear in stating that Suzuka was his favourite track on the F1 calendar and now the former world champion has a direct tie to the circuit, helping to build bee hotels on the inside of turn two to promote his biodiversity activism.
The legendary German was answering questions on various topics for ESPN when he was posed the question of Hamilton versus Verstappen. He answered: “Well, statistically it’s always Lewis.
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“There’s a lot more to come I think from Max, that is to be seen. But if you pick this year, then I think Max is having an incredible year and he’s the man of the season. So at the minute, it’s Max.”
This isn’t the first time he’s been asked about the two most iconic drivers currently racing in F1. Vettel was also asked to compare Hamilton and Verstappen in his recent interview with Sky Sports F1 commentator and pundit, Martin Brundle.
The German responded: “The beauty of it is they’re all different. You cannot compare Max to Lewis, there’s not one formula, one recipe to success. Lewis was rated as the best there’s ever been, Max is demonstrating at the minute that he’s pulling off something that’s never been done before.
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“I think Max is a great driver. He’s able to adapt very quickly. He’s able to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. He’s learned and understood the sport, and he will get better in that regard and happy to go racing – that’s what he loves.
“It’s a state of mind more than anything else. I mean, so many things need to come together for the run he had now, which is incredible. People say he’s got a dominant car, he might have, you know he has a very good car. But also for the team, the job they’re pulling off every weekend, it’s incredible.
“And you see other drivers, they’re just not as consistent. Everybody should get up and applaud. I know that people don’t like to see the same guy winning and so on. With Michael [Schumacher] it was like that, and with Lewis, and with myself for a short time.”
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