Max Verstappen ranked above Ayrton Senna as ex-F1 driver humbles Lando Norris

Max Verstappen may have lost the 2025 Formula 1 world championship by the narrowest of margins, but his season continues to draw praise from within the sport. Former F1 driver and broadcaster Marc Surer argued that the Dutchman deserved to be ranked above Ayrton Senna.

The Red Bull driver finished just two points behind champion Lando Norris. While McLaren’s early dominance put Norris and Oscar Piastri in control of the title, Verstappen remained in contention. Despite missing out on a fifth consecutive title, Verstappen’s performances have led Surer to frame his year not as a failure, but as one of the strongest unsuccessful title bids in F1 history.

While speaking on the Formel1.de podcast, Surer, drawing on his own experience racing against Senna, said:

“After Ayrton Senna, he is the best I have ever seen,” Surer said. “I raced against Ayrton Senna, and I think that Max is going one better by learning. In terms of talent and uncompromising nature he was like an Ayrton Senna. He also stuck to his guns and was completely connected to the sport, which I also see in Max Verstappen. “But Max has learned, which surprised me because in the beginning, he was using brute force, and then he learned. That’s why you have to put him above Senna. I think he’s the best I’ve ever seen.” (14:54 onwards)

Direct comparisons across eras are never clean. The cars, calendars, and competitive environments are fundamentally different. Max Verstappen himself has consistently spoken with reverence about Senna, but fans often cite both drivers for their ability to outperform machinery and impose themselves on races through instinct.

Ayrton Senna’s career was cut short at 34, before he could complete a tenth full season in F1. The 2025 campaign marked Verstappen’s tenth year in the sport. The Dutchman has started in 233 Grands Prix compared to Senna’s 161, reflecting the modern calendar’s expansion.

Verstappen has also surpassed Senna in other areas. Senna finished with 41 wins, 80 podiums, and 65 pole positions. Verstappen stands at 71 wins, 127 podiums, and 48 poles, with four world championships to Senna’s three.

At 28 years old, Verstappen still has time to add significantly to those totals. Former Senna contemporary Stefan Johansson has also described Verstappen as the “most complete driver” he has seen, reinforcing the growing consensus around the Dutchman’s standing.

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Lando Norris’ title win and why Marc Surer still backs Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris after the Abu Dhabi GP 2025. Source: Getty

The backdrop to these comments is McLaren’s dominant 2025 campaign. The team won 12 of the first 15 races, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris each claiming seven wins, and sealed the constructors’ championship at the Singapore Grand Prix, the earliest title clinch in history.

However, that dominance faded as Norris and Piastri repeatedly took points from one another, allowing Max Verstappen to enter the title picture after a run of eight straight podium finishes and six late-season wins. At one stage before the summer break, Verstappen trailed Piastri by 104 points. By Abu Dhabi, he had overtaken Piastri in the standings and lost the championship to Norris by just two points.

Surer pointed to that in the podcast and said:

“They took points away from each other. Otherwise it would have been almost too easy to become world champion in the McLaren. Basically, I have to say, the two of them are good. But they don’t have the level that a Vettel once had, that a Hamilton had, and that Max Verstappen has now.”

Over the season, Max Verstappen had more wins (8) than either McLaren driver, more pole positions (8), and led more laps than any other driver on the grid.

Ultimately, the title swung on several moments rather than a single mistake. The collision with George Russell in Spain, Red Bull’s opening-lap DNF at the Red Bull Ring, and a late incident in Qatar involving Kimi Antonelli all shifted points in small but decisive ways.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam