Max Verstappen is yet to reach his peak, says former F1 team boss

Former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes Max Verstappen is continuing to improve and has still not reached his peak performance.

During an episode of the High Performance Racing podcast alongside host Jake Humphrey and former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, Szafnauer discussed the standout drivers he has encountered during his career in the paddock.

When Humphrey prompted the panel to name the greatest drivers they had worked alongside and competed against, Szafnauer named four-time champion Sebastian Vettel as the best driver he had worked with before turning his attention to the fiercest rivals he had faced while on the pitwall.

"Greatest I worked with, Vettel. Greatest I went up against, tough either Michael [Schumacher] or Lewis [Hamilton]," Szafnauer explained.

When asked why he didn't consider four-time champion Verstappen, he added: "Well, I don't think Max is at his peak yet. I think he's going to get better."

Verstappen currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 109 points, 110 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. While rumours have linked Verstappen to retirement or a move to either Mercedes or McLaren, the Dutchman has confirmed his commitment to Red Bull. 

Otmar Szafnauer

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

The 28-year-old driver signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Milton Keynes outfit until the end of 2030. Verstappen explained in a Q&A session following the contract announcement that he hopes to continue winning races and championships with the team. 

"It's like a second family for me," Verstappen explained. "And of course, I came into this team hoping for, you know, being able to win races and that we have won four titles together.

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- The Motorsport.com Team