Even Max Verstappen’s most ardent critics will admit that he is one of the greatest of all time in Formula 1, but the best of all time? Well, let’s start the conversation.

Red Bull’s No. 1 has won four consecutive world titles, beating Lewis Hamilton in a   titanic but controversial battle   in 2021, before breaking records of dominance in 2022 and 2023.

Yet 2024 may have been the best of all, given that Red Bull had the third-fastest car in Formula 1 for much of the season – and Verstappen outperformed it.

In a true test for F1 greats, he consistently dragged a Red Bull car onto the podium that his teammate could barely drive, and capped it all off with what is arguably his best race of all time – coming from 17th place to victory in a   rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix   in November.

This year, Red Bull arguably has the fourth-fastest car, while McLaren is even further ahead, and if Verstappen passes that test of greatness again for a fifth title, the   conversation will certainly change  .

Ahead of him are Hamilton and the great Michael Schumacher with seven titles each, but someone who has raced against both of them thinks Verstappen could well be ahead already.

Jaime Aguersuari   was the youngest F1 driver at the age of 19 in 2009, a record later broken by 17-year-old Verstappen with the same Toro Rosso team.

Explaining what makes the Dutchman so brilliant, he told   talkSPORT.com  : “We have to understand that Max is probably the best driver of all time in F1.

“And it’s because of all his education, all his experience, all his mindset, it’s incredible to see what he’s done in Australia and especially to drive a car that’s not at all the best on the grid.

“He can handle any situation and any problem better than anyone else. And that’s it. It’s simple.”

“It’s his intelligence, the way he reads the car, the way he feels the car, the way he manages the tires, the race, the way he behaves when he’s out of the car and understands the dynamics.

It’s very complex in Formula 1. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes. When you take off your helmet, you go back to the factory and you want to be sure of the car’s performance and setup.

How can you understand the dynamics of a car once you’ve gotten out? A lot happens when you take off your helmet.

Verstappen is so good that being Red Bull’s number 2 driver has become the worst job in F1.

Since 2017 with Daniel Ricciardo, no teammate has been as fast as him, and after a terrible 2024, six-time race winner Sergio Perez was replaced by Liam Lawson.

However, Lawson has now been sent to sister team Racing Bulls after just two Grands Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda swapping seats for his home Grand Prix of Japan.

But whoever team principal Christian Horner and driver development manager Helmut Marko replace them, Aguersuari is sure they will have a bad time.

“It’s something that’s beyond the capabilities of every driver,” he explained. “So whichever driver you put next to Max, they’re not going to be at their best. They’ll probably look a little bit closer. But I don’t think anyone on the grid can beat Max.”

Personally, I don’t think he [Lawson] would naturally beat Max, because I think Max is in another dimension. But like I said, it’s not just Liam, it’s against everyone.

Some have suggested that there must be something wrong with the second Red Bull car and that it was too biased towards Verstappen’s driving style.

However, Alguersuari explained, from a driver’s perspective, why this makes no sense.

“There’s this whole story: the car is built around Max. No engineer in the world builds a car for a particular driving style,” he explained.

Every driver knows that an understeering car is significantly slower than a slightly oversteering car. This is obvious, since we’re driving a Formula Ford, a Formula 3, a Formula 4, or whatever.

But then, during the weekend, you fine-tune the settings with your engineer, the weight transfers, the sprints, the height of the car. And then, you have your driving style.

“It’s clear that Max has a very sharp driving style and a very certain driving style, which he has developed over the years, experience and knowledge, which is incredible in the way he drives and the way he behaves.

“No one is capable, and I want to be very clear about this, no one is capable of dealing with the problems that Max might be experiencing.

“Let’s just say he’s starting to feel some grain in the front left and some understeer. And the way he handles certain situations, certain problems with his car, no one is able to handle them as well.”

So, let’s be realistic. Red Bull hasn’t developed a car uniquely suited to this driving style. No, you can drive this car, but you also have to understand how to drive it.

“Max understands how to handle every situation in every circumstance because he has been trained and has the talent to feel every sensation or find the grip in an incredible and so incredible way that no one is able to feel and find.”

Despite Red Bull’s high-profile struggles this season, Verstappen has a second and fourth place finish this season, and is second behind Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship after two races.