Villeneuve: Max is no better than the greatest drivers of the past.

      In an interview with RacingNews365 the 1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve said that, in his opinion, Max Verstappen is no better than the strongest drivers of past years...

      Jacques Villeneuve: "Nowadays even a mid-level driver can look acceptable, whereas in the past he would have been a couple of seconds off the leaders, as would his car. Now a mid-level driver loses half a second. Modern cars are easier to drive; they are less temperamental and unpredictable than before and behave much more consistently.

      Besides, during a race drivers back off a lot to save the tyres and manage their condition. Today's cars are completely different and require a different approach.

      In the days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost there were five drivers at Max's level every year. Now there is only Max. We have many good drivers, whereas before there were a few very good drivers and a lot of just good ones. The whole setup has changed.

      Max is no better than the strongest drivers of past years, but now he is alone, so he stands out. He is a pure racer; there are few like him now."