Jacques Villeneuve will never consider Max Verstappen, on his way to winning a fourth world title, as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.
Jacques Villeneuve expressed his disagreement with the recent comments of Jeremy Clarkson, famous former presenter of Top
Gear. Clarkson had suggested that Max Verstappen could be the best driver in the history of Formula 1, a statement which did not fail to provoke a reaction from the 1997 world champion.
“Max Verstappen is one of the greatest drivers of all time. He may even be the greatest driver we have ever seen” declared Jeremy Clarkson in a column published in The Sun.
These words did not convince Jacques Villeneuve, who rejects the idea of comparing drivers from different generations.
Villeneuve: “Sport has changed too much to make comparisons”
Asked by Grosvenor SportVilleneuve expressed his skepticism: “How can Jeremy Clarkson say Max Verstappen is the best of all time?”
Villeneuve, however, recognizes the Dutch driver's exploits, notably his first title won against Lewis Hamilton in 2021, but he insists that championships
“easy” also marked his career, just as was the case for Hamilton after his first coronation.
For Villeneuve, comparisons between eras as different as those of Juan Manuel Fangio and Verstappen are meaningless: “You can't compare Fangio's era to today. They are different eras. The sport has changed too much.”
Verstappen, a potential world title record holder?
Despite his refusal to establish a timeless ranking of drivers, Villeneuve believes that Max Verstappen has the talent to match, or even exceed, the record of seven world titles held by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
“Max has everything it takes to reach Schumacher's seven titleshe confided. He is always hungry, competitive and willing to do anything to win. As long as he's in the right situation, he'll continue to shine.”
Villeneuve also recalls that other great drivers, like Fernando Alonso, could have claimed more titles if circumstances had been different.
“Schumacher could have had three instead of seven. Sometimes it comes down to a few things. Max has won every championship he could claim. He hasn't let anything go to waste until now.”
A nuanced vision
If Villeneuve does not share Jeremy Clarkson's enthusiasm, he nevertheless recognizes that Max Verstappen is already one of the big names in F1. But for him, each era has its heroes, and it is impossible to designate a single “best driver of all time”.
A perspective which reminds us that Formula 1, constantly evolving, remains a sport deeply marked by its history and its contexts.
